A hobbyist treasure hunter based in Henley who has uncovered fragments of a World War Two fighter plane is seeking the relatives of the airman who lost his life.

Danny Jones, 58, a skilled worker from Henley, has recovered in excess of 1,500 aircraft parts close to where he lives in Oxfordshire since the spring of 2021.

His discoveries encompass elements of a Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine, the hydraulics mechanism and an instrument from the cockpit.

By examining documentation held at the National Archives, Sylwester Godlewski was established as the Polish aviator who perished in the incident during an elevation training operation in May 1942.

Mr Godlewski entered the world on October 27, 1915, in Warsaw, Poland.

He was 27 years old when he crashed while operating a Supermarine Spitfire mark 2B belonging to the 302 Polish Squadron.

He explained that discovering the wreckage was thrilling because while he recognised it as an aircraft part, he could not determine whether it belonged to a civilian or military machine.

It was only upon revisiting the wreckage location that he uncovered painted sections and determined it was a military aircraft.

Initially, the painted fragments appeared bluish in colour, leading him to suspect they originated from a German plane, however through online communities, record offices and the Ministry of Defence he pieced together the identity of both the pilot and the aircraft.

Once he had established Mr Godlewski’s identity, he uncovered additional information including a photograph and his resting place at Northwood Cemetery, where he rests alongside 53 other Polish fliers.

He noted that when reading about someone in a book, one attempts to picture their face, but suddenly he possessed an actual likeness so that exercise was no longer necessary.

He has visited the Middlesex burial ground on several occasions and consistently pays tribute on Remembrance Sunday.

An auction venue in Kent last year sold Mr Godlewski’s private belongings, including his journals, identification tags and personal images, for approximately £3,000.

He mentioned that he requested the auction house to contact both the vendor, who may or may not be family, and the purchaser so he could examine some of the items.

It was a remarkable coincidence that belongings he had never encountered or known existed had been returned to an individual and subsequently sold at auction.

Mr Jones now hopes to locate the family to take them to the crash location and their relative’s grave at Northwood Cemetery in the London borough of Hillingdon.

He expressed his hope that the pilot is still remembered by his descendants, acknowledging that 84 years have passed since his death, but if not, he wishes to resurrect both him and his narrative while conveying how proud he is of the sacrifice he made for others.