Hutted Histories: DH9 - Ruin to Restoration with Andy Saunders

In 2000 rumours of the remains of several DH9 First World War bomber aircraft hidden away in the elephant stables of the Maharaja’s Palace in Bikaner, Rajasthan, reached the ears of historic aircraft owner and restorer Guy Black. Incredibly, the rumours turned out to be true, and Andy Saunders travelled to India twice to purchase, dismantle, pack, and ship the aircraft back to the UK. The process was something of an Indiana Jones type adventure, fraught with all sorts of challenges and unexpected hurdles.

Andy was closely associated with the restoration of both aircraft, right up to the first flight of the aircraft (E8894) at Duxford in May 2019. Previously, the other restored DH9 was presented to the Imperial War Museums at Duxford where it is currently on

display, albeit that this is a static example DH9 E8894 is the only flying example of a DH9 in the world and is also the only flying

bomber aircraft from the First World War.

The two restorations/reconstructions took almost 20 years to complete, and Andy also covers the technical, technological, materials, engineering and logistics challenges that this astonishing project entailed.

Copies of Guy Black’s book on the recovery and restoration of the aircraft will be available at the talk.

About Andy

Andy is a military aviation historian, author, and magazine editor who has been involved in historic aviation research and conservation for just over 50 years. The founder and first curator of Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Andy went on to

author or co-author over 30 books on military aviation and to edit Britain at War magazine for ten years before being the founding editor of the German military history magazine, Iron Cross. Although he stood down as its editor in 2025 to pursue other projects, he remains consultant editor to the title.

A regular contributor to TV documentaries and consultant to the film industry, Andy is also a regular speaker for aviation and history societies, including a speaker at the Imperial War Museum and, this summer, gave talks at events held in Australian

aviation museums.

Closely involved in the sphere of aircraft restorations, Andy travelled twice to Norway to recover the wrecks of Gloster Gladiators from remote mountain sides. Two of these were returned to the UK, and one is nearing completion in its restoration to flight. In 1980, he identified the wreck of Spitfire found on the beach at Calais as Spitfire I, P9374, and was involved throughout the process of its restoration to flight at Duxford.

In 2000, he travelled twice to India at the request of his friend the aircraft owner and restorer, Guy Black, to purchase, pack, and ship back to the UK the remains of two DH9 First World War bombers. Both are now fully restored, and one has been returned to flight with the other now on permanent display at IWM, Duxford.

Andy is currently undertaking a huge project to edit and update the iconic 1980 publication, Battle of Britain Then and Now, which will be published as five volumes from the end of 2026.