Whitley P5090 Fathan Glinne

Really nice to hear that 🙂 Hope more parts turn up soon.

Good news, fingers crossed for other hidden away items coming back for potential display.

Just a wee bump to say that the rear turret from this Whitley apparently came to light in a garage in the Glasgow area fairly recently…. I understand the Dumfries & Galloway Museum were involved.

Yes, Mr Richardson who I last heard of running Popham.

Yes, Mr Richardson who I last heard of running Popham.

Thanks Gary. Brian Dickinson has pointed out that since the prop ended up at the Strathallan Collection, and the fact that they were fairly close to the remains of this Whitley (approx 40 miles as the crow flies), they may know something about the recovery.

Can anyone suggest a contact who might have been there between 1970 and 1980?

Thanks Gary. Brian Dickinson has pointed out that since the prop ended up at the Strathallan Collection, and the fact that they were fairly close to the remains of this Whitley (approx 40 miles as the crow flies), they may know something about the recovery.

Can anyone suggest a contact who might have been there between 1970 and 1980?

Ps. with Kinloss closing soon I could pinpoint on a large scale map exactly where the parts were buried behind the Northern most hangars.
Might even have an aerial view.

Thanks for the nostalgic mention Alan, I still have all the early AA mag stored and have forgotten most of my contributions as GB.

It might be productive to try another angle on this puzzle. I will have a look in the garage today(moving again soon) and try and list who was active in Scotland around those times. Could the Royal Engineers mentioned be a territorial part time unit using the recovery as a training exercise?

Thanks Alan

That’s really helpful. Presumably the Royal Engineers took the better engine. I wonder where it is now? A nice Merlin X presumably restored.

The reference I have note of is from Vol.3 Issue No.4 (Autumn 1978).

“Whitley P5090 propeller, once displayed at Strathyre, Perthshire, has reappeared at the Strathallan Aircraft Collection at Auchterarder. (But where are the engines?) (G.B.)”

I also found mention in Vol.3 Issue No.3 (Spring 1974), there was a photo of the propeller at Strathyre. It was noted as having been recovered along with the starboard engine in 1970 by the Royal Engineers.

There is a fairly long article in Vol.1 Issue No.1 about the crash but the visit to the site was from 1971 when the bulk of the wreck was still on site.

There was a thread about 18 months ago from memory, we did some comparing of photos from 2004 and ones Dave had taken.

The removal of parts from P5090 was noted in an early copy of Aviation Archaeologist but subsequent to that there is no mention. I’ll see if I can find the reference.

Bump 🙂

Thanks Steve

That’s very helpful – I spoke to Mick today and those bits were from the one he helped recover up by Kinloss!! Plenty of info on this one it seems, but none on P5090….

I think i’ll have to write to a national newspaper.

Thanks for the post

If it helps, some substantial chunks of Whitley appeared in Base Hangar at Brize Norton while I was stationed there. This must have been sometime before the autumn of 1980 when I was posted. I don’t recall how long they were there for, or have any idea where they went.

You could try asking Mick Allen at Turweston (he of Seafire painting fame). He was at Brize at the same time, having come down from Kinloss….

Thanks AT

Those were the days… Pity I wasn’t born yet!

I would love to see some pics….. I was emailed some a few years ago but they don’t show everything as it was. I don’t suppose you have any bits in your garage… :rolleyes:

All the best

I visited that wreck in 1968 and the whole aircraft, apart from the mid and front fuselage, was there in very large sections. The little bomb doors in the inner wings still moved up and down on their bungees, the tail turret was intact, as were the engines. Tragic that it was recovered for no apparent purpose.

I visited that wreck in 1968 and the whole aircraft, apart from the mid and front fuselage, was there in very large sections. The little bomb doors in the inner wings still moved up and down on their bungees, the tail turret was intact, as were the engines. Tragic that it was recovered for no apparent purpose.

No – not likely to be aliens 🙂 Probably have more chance of finding them!

Thanks Scotavia. Those parts you saw at Kinloss were likely to be the remains of N1498 which found their way to the RAF Museum. They were recovered by a team from Kinloss, and legend has it that some items were indeed scrapped.

I noted Whitley parts stored at RAF Kinloss around this time, the Kinloss aviation society used to do recoveries.After a while a clear out was organised, I recall a C130 collecting items and heading South , I assume eventual destination was RAF museum storage , Henlow.
Later I had the means to carefully search the Kinloss airbase grounds.Behind the hangar where the parts had been stored I found crushed sections of front fuselage,by the inspectors stamps they were from a Whitley.Not a huge amount and five years later builders rubble covered the area.
Sadly no one at that time was collecting bits in the way that the Whitley project does now.

I’ve asked about this before, but it really needs the right person to be reading the forum at the right time…

Does anyone out there know what happened to the recovered remains of this aircraft which once lay in the hills near Balquidder in Scotland?

The aircraft is featured in David J Smith’s High Ground Wrecks. A wing, the engines and some fusleage sections were recovered by helicopter around 1980. They were recovered for restoration, but have gone off the radar screen….

There are some pics of the site circa late 1980s at this website here…
http://www.gairney.plus.com/Aircraft/Photographs/aircraft_Wrecks/aircraft-HGW-2.htm

I’d be grateful for any ideas!

Two Merlin X can’t just dissapear…

Aliens??? Or am I the wrong person to be reading this forum and the wrong time? 😀

Ali