Hi all,
A quick query on the above topics. I’ve been researching a few wartime crashed aircraft in the local area (Derbyshire/South Yorkshire border) but as its a fairly new pastime I’m struggling a bit on some points. How – or where- do I find out if the wreckage was recovered post crash? I realise the Maintenance Units were quite active but there’s obviously still quite a bit remaining at some sites, whereas others got removed to such an extent you would never know they’d been there to start with.
Regards,
Rich
By: Alan Clark - 14th February 2016 at 17:23
It’s only taken me most a day to appear on the thread.
The records of the MUs which were active at the time are not great it is solely entries in an ORB, the eastern side of the Peak District was largely the preserve of No.60 MU who really didn’t record much, for their waritme existance there are 16 entires about specific aircraft where the scribbly decided to write something. Other than that it was a case of listing the numbers of aircraft dealt with each month and the damage categories.
This is the only Peak District related entry for No.60 MU: November 30th 1943, “One difficult salvage operation was successfully effected during the month. An Oxford aircraft LX518 crashed on the artillery range at Langsett near Penistone, in one of the wildest and most inaccessible parts of the Pennine Chain. Three mobile sections were employed as all the salvageable parts, including the engines had to be sledged across 1 ½ miles of very rough moorland and bog by manpower to the nearest loading point. The operation was begun on November 7th and was completed on November 15th despite the fact that it was only possible to work at set times are the range was being used at intervals during the whole period.”
No.75 & No.34 MUs recorded even less, No.34 did do some post-war clear up of sites after the National Park was founded at the request of the then new park authority, reference is made to that work in their ORB from May, June & July 1955 but doesn’t list which sites they cleared just that work was progressing and then had been finished.
By: Junk Collector - 14th February 2016 at 09:52
You can never be sure what was recovered at the time, some were cleaned up very thoroughly, some weren’t. I don’t think they always kept a detailed record of what was recovered, it may have been as little as clearing the surface and filling the hole. I haven’t seen anything that is a record of a recovery but not to say it doesn’t exist.
As said already, Availability of manpower, depth of wreckage, equipment and accessibility are all variables. They may have made more of an effort if there were remains in it, but even that isn’t a guarantee.
Most sites would still yield something,
By: David Thompson - 13th February 2016 at 23:51
Two good starting points here and on the first I’m sure Alan will be along shortly ! ;
http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/peakindex.htm
and
http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/index
Quite a few books cover that topic and that area too and are well worth a read .
Regards the remains on site , its down to two things ; firstly what the MU could recover at the time with the equipment they had or what they could impress from the locals and the site location and secondly what has been taken by ‘recovery groups/enthusiasts’ over the years . Much of what has been taken has found its way into aviation and local museums but much has also been scrapped or is with private individual collectors which is probably the subject of a separate thread !
Sign In
February 13, 2016 at 10:02 pm