WW2 Plane Crash Wreck Hunting

[Mojocvh]

Semi hemi said:

Prop blade off a Liberator sticking out of Fairy Loch up in Wester Ross.
A very moving place to visit.

So poignant

[dr_gn]

Here's a few of the RB-29A on Higher Shelf Stones taken last year:









Strange how people feel the need to litter the place with crosses and plastic bags, looks a real mess.

Cheers,

[richw_82]

The small wooden crosses under the wing are placed therre on remembrance sunday every year. I can't get my head around all the taking the wreckage and making a cross or an aeroplane shape though.

[richw_82]

The small wooden crosses under the wing are placed therre on remembrance sunday every year. I can't get my head around all the taking the wreckage and making a cross or an aeroplane shape though.

[dr_gn]

richw_82 said:

The small wooden crosses under the wing are placed therre on remembrance sunday every year. I can't get my head around all the taking the wreckage and making a cross or an aeroplane shape though.

There is a memorial stone, and there are usually a couple of wreaths placed there on the anniversary of the crash and rememberance Sunday. Surely that's enough? When I first visited the site back in about 1989, there was virtually none of all the rubbish around today. Suppose it's like the roadside shrines that litter the country these days. When I last went, there were some kids there with - presumably - their parents, and the kids had make a model plane out of a bog roll tube, and written 'we love you' on a wax crayon drawing encased in a clear plastic bag. They then proceeded to experiment with various places to leave said items. The mentality of the parents to allow the kids to do that kind of thing is unbelievable. Whenever I go to a crash site I always take plenty of time to think about the people who lost their lives, but littering the place with rubbish is, in my opinion, a mark of disrespect.

Cheers,

[Eric Mc]

I am not a great fan of unofficial shtrines - but it is an interesting phenomenon that has arisen in recent years - and at least shows that people are prepared to put some thought into the lives that were lost.

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

I am not a great fan of unofficial shtrines - but it is an interesting phenomenon that has arisen in recent years - and at least shows that people are prepared to put some thought into the lives that were lost.

I'm just not sure why people have to make it so obvious that they have put some thought into it. It's as if certain people are actively thinking of ways to 'out respect' existing memorials (like making a cardboard model, or making the ouline of a plane from wreckage, or drawing a picture).

The crash sites and their associated histories in the Peak District are well documented in books and now on the internet. There is no way that any of the people who died will be somehow 'forgotten'.

[Eric Mc]

They may be well documented and known about by those who are interested in such matters but the general population, by and large, had forgotten about the WW2 and Cold War generation who died "to keep us free" - as the cliche goes. There has been a gradual increase in appreciation of these losses in more recent years which, on the whole is good. However, I agree that too many wreathes, crosses, cards, teddies etc begins to look a bit mawkish and faitly "Un-British".

Maybe it's time to issue some restrictions on what can be placed on these wrecks to protect their dignity.

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

They may be well documented and known about by those who are interested in such matters but the general population, by and large, had forgotten about the WW2 and Cold War generation who died "to keep us free" - as the cliche goes. There has been a gradual increase in appreciation of these losses in more recent years which, on the whole is good. However, I agree that too many wreathes, crosses, cards, teddies etc begins to look a bit mawkish and faitly "Un-British".

Maybe it's time to issue some restrictions on what can be placed on these wrecks to protect their dignity.

Well I suppose at least they aren't smashing or defacing existing 'official' memorials. I've seen this on a few crash sites too, and it is unforgivable.

[richw_82]

Theoretically the wrecks aren't even supposed to be disturbed without MOD permission. Unfortunately the average walker doesn't have a copy of the "Pprotection of Militray Remains Act" and a MOD copy of "Guidance notes for groups wishing to recover a crashed Military Aircraft" and are completely unaware they're breaking the law.

A few crosses and a couple of wreaths is okay. A field of them is a bit over the top; I agree. The wreck needs to be cleaned up, and documented while there's enough of it left. The corrosion is really starting to get a grip on it now, so it won't last much longer in big sections.

While I'm on the subject, 44-61999 wasn't an RB-29A, it was an F-13A. There wasn't an RB-29 or RB-29A until 1948 when the designations changed.

Regards

Ric

[dr_gn]

richw_82 said:

Theoretically the wrecks aren't even supposed to be disturbed without MOD permission. Unfortunately the average walker doesn't have a copy of the "Pprotection of Militray Remains Act" and a MOD copy of "Guidance notes for groups wishing to recover a crashed Military Aircraft" and are completely unaware they're breaking the law.

A few crosses and a couple of wreaths is okay. A field of them is a bit over the top; I agree. The wreck needs to be cleaned up, and documented while there's enough of it left. The corrosion is really starting to get a grip on it now, so it won't last much longer in big sections.

While I'm on the subject, 44-61999 wasn't an RB-29A, it was an F-13A. There wasn't an RB-29 or RB-29A until 1948 when the designations changed.

Regards


Ric

According to my sources, it is an RB29-A. In June 1948, F-13's were retrospectively redesignated as either RB-29's or RB-29A's. This aircraft crashed in November 1948 and therefore was not then designated as an F-13.

Cheers,

[wreckhunter]

Did someone say Google Map?That's the one for the peak, we are working on the one for Wales at present...

Sean
http://peakwreckhunters.blogspot.com/

Edited by wreckhunter on Saturday 25th July 18:24

[dr_gn]

wreckhunter said:

Did someone say Google Map?That's the one for the peak, we are working on the one for Wales at present...

Sean
http://peakwreckhunters.blogspot.com/

Edited by wreckhunter on Saturday 25th July 18:24

Sean,

Had mine in Google Earth for a while now. Good effort!

Cheers,

[jpitts3938]

I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE MIGHT KNOW WHERE I COULD GET INFORMATION ABOUT A PLANE CRASH. MY FAMILY BOUGHT SOME LAND AND THERE IS A CRASH SITE ON IT. LOCALS SAY IT WAS DURING WW2. WE WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW THE HISTORY. IF ANYONE COULD HELP WE WOULD BE GREATFUL. THANKS.

Edited by jpitts3938 on Wednesday 26th January 05:24

[Eric Mc]

There are a number of books available on crash sites in the UK. I would check out Amazon or your local library to see what's out there.

The National Archives keeps the RAF and Royal Navy individual aircraft cards which document the history of individual aircraft including their eventual fate. Aviation historians use these archive recotrds when comopiling their records.

Where is the crash site and have you any idea of the date of the accident and the type of aircraft involved?

[ukzz4iroc]

Fascinating, thanks for sharing all.

[SeanyD]

wreckhunter said:

Did someone say Google Map?That's the one for the peak, we are working on the one for Wales at present...

Sean
http://peakwreckhunters.blogspot.com/

Edited by wreckhunter on Saturday 25th July 18:24

Facinating stuff,do you know if there's an equivalent .kmz for the North East (Newcastle) areas?

[JVaughan]

I have a German 1 Kilo incendery bomb in my garage, given to me by my grandfather.
back in WW2, the Germans attempted to bomb the manufacturing and mining industry in my hometown. The field behind my grandfathers cottage was littered with bombs and bomb fragments. The one I have didnt detonate, and was diffused by my grandfather, and handed down to me.

[dr_gn]

Re. Peak District Wrecks, by far the best books IMHO are these:





The author isn't exactly William Shakespeare, but he's done his research well enough (and was a pilot himself). I found a couple of minor errors, but nothing too obvious.

These are the 'original' Peak Air crash Books:





But - at least the early editions - contain some pretty massive grid reference errors (ask me how I know). IIRC I only managed to find the Blackburn Botha with the reference in Pat Cunningham book.