Aviation in the Shetland Islands

Hatton…..

Any luck with your Shetland photos yet?

As seen in my other thread, I’ve spoken to Mr Hanson and he’s more than happy to let me pass copies on so if anyone wants copies, just PM me your snail mail address and I’ll get a copy off to you (eventually, baby permitting!)

Apparently he had the list originally published in an aviation Archaeology magazine. Does anyone know what publication this would have been (c. 1985) and whether it is still published?

Apologies to those who have requested copies of the crash list I have but Miss Skypilot jnr. Mk2 has made an appearance and time has been in short supply!

update for you – I now have the missing pages which say the log was compiled by David Hanson of Leeds. As it is an extensive and well researched list, obviously a lot of hard work has gone into it and it wouldn’t be fair to distribute it without Mr. Hanson’s knowledge or permission. I shall be making attempts to contact him (see my other thread) before I proceed further. I hope you all understand.

Steve,

I’m glad you enjoyed the trip – it sounds like you had a lot of fun! I’ve spent a fortnight on Orkney, which was great, but I’ve never yet made it all the way up to Shetland, so I’m very envious :p

I look forward to seeing all your photos in due course.

Hello, Im back! Sadly I didnt recieve some of the last few messages as I was already well on my way. Its been a great but very tiring trip, well worth it though. I’ve managed to see some pretty amazing sites and must have managed to travel in a ridiculous amount of different kinds of transport including;

Shetland Council Electric Van,
Post Office Van,
Outboard Motor Dingy,
Britten Norman Islander,
Valhalla Brewery Van,

as you can see, only one is aviation related but a strange selection nonetheless. During the trip I managed to get to see a few aviation related things but didnt get near any crash sites. Managed to see Sumburgh Airport (and the nearby Puffins ) and also flew from Tingwall (Lerwick) to Papa Stour (the most isolated place I have ever been to) in an Islander. The best thing about the Islander trip is that i managed to sit in the Co-pilots position on the way back but sadly my feet and hands were tragically not on the controls!

Also managed to get to visit Britains most Northern Brewery, Castle and Airfield. Plus, on the way home today, saw 4472 The Flying Scotsman!

I will be able to post the pictures hopefully on Friday.

Many thanks for all fo the advice about the trip.

Best Regards, Steve

I’d be very grateful for a copy of this list, if possible. If you have an electronic copy, please PM me with it; if a paper copy, let me know and I’ll PM you with my address. Either way, thanks for making this list available, which could be very useful for my research.

I last operated out of Sumburgh 4+ years ago. There’s a number of wartime installations in and around the airfield. It’s also worth a walk up the hill opposite with the radio mast – cracking views plus a huge puffin colony. Interesting little viking settlement nearby too.

If anyone is interested i recently acquired a detailed list of crashes and sites around Shetland. Unfortunately I don’t know who the author is – it was discarded in the crew room at work. It would appear to be late 1980’s vintage and is about 20-25 pages of A4. Would willingly share any info of use.

dhfan…..

Just for you then; you wont even have to get out of the chair!!! ….. Click HERE and then click the yellow dots.

The rest of the area on HERE

An excellent way to do sight-seeing. I’ll have to go and lie down for a while now.

The sites are very comprehensive and a real labour of love.

Hatton,

A Halifax from 35 Squadron crashed into the cliffs at Fitful Head in March 1942. A memorial to the crew stands at the top of the cliff which may be worth a visit. Here is a link to a page with info about the aircraft and crew lost http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/archie_bombercommand/9438tlh3031.html

dhfan…..

Just for you then; you wont even have to get out of the chair!!! ….. Click HERE and then click the yellow dots.

The rest of the area on HERE

Great thread, this. I doubt very much that I’ll ever get up there but it sounds like it could be fascinating, if energetic. I don’t do walking.

Hatton…..

Catfirth Royal Naval Air Station (WWI)

Hatton…..

Re. David Hornell VC: buried Lerwick. …..LINK

These two guns on Vementry were put there during the Great War and IIRC were 6″ guns taken off a Royal Navy ship. I don’t recall all the details, but I could dig out more information if you want.

I’m currently just finished writing the manuscript of a book which I hope will be published soon (perhaps next year) on the radar stations in Scotland, including all the wartime sites in Shetland. There are still buildings in the compound at Sumburgh Lighthouse from the very early radar station built there, right next to the foghorn. I understand it wasn’t pleasant for the operators on a foggy day, which was a not uncommon occurrence!

http://www.plotters.demon.co.uk/stmagnusbay.htm

this website resulted in the follwoing picture of the guns today.

😮 😮 😮 😮

There are more aircraft types you know :rolleyes: 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Here’s to variation :rolleyes:
Cheers

Cees

Well the Lancaster was the only four engine bomber you know in the second world war 😉

If you want to take photos, I’ll do my best to interpret them for you, although I suspect they will all look like piles of concrete rubble.

if I make it there I will be sure to post some pictures 🙂 thanks again for your informative replies

[QUOTE=”1stThings1st”]Hatton…..

I get the impression (feathered) bird watching is also your “thing”; if so – and you are going to Shetland – perhaps you should have a look at the front page headline in the Independant today, HERE!

Thanks for your reply, very interesting link, im not actually a bird watcher at all but Ive always wanted to go to the shetlands and since bird colonies are one of the things the island is famous for, I thought I would give it a try. Im sure it will be interesting.

Those naval guns sound interetsing, are they just remains or are they pretty much intact?

Hatton…..

I get the impression (feathered) bird watching is also your “thing”; if so – and you are going to Shetland – perhaps you should have a look at the front page headline in the Independant today, HERE!

Back to aviation, I worked there for six years plus (ATC) during the oil exploration boom of the late seventies/early eighties; fabulous place. …..Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s littered with wrecks (60 years later!). …..The Fair Isle HE111 is famous and I’m sure a few bits are left. …..The only one I visited in all the years I was there took hours to get to by foot (Mosquito). I can only think of one or two others, twenty years ago, even further away.

That said, there is plenty of historical interest to be found. …..Sumburgh and Scatsta are the two main WWII airfields, the latter being linked/associated with Sullom Voe flying boat base. …..Both are still operational (civil) along with Tingwall, west of Lerwick and numerous strips on the various islands. …..Still lots of old hardstandings and bits to be found if you take a wander.

One of the highlights of my explorations was finding the grave of Flt Lt. David Hornell VC (Canadian) buried in Lerwick, complete with VC insignia on the headstone. Based in Wick, but killed in action in a PBY-5A Canso somewhere in the seas around the Northern Isles. …..Also, amazingly, there were some fairly good remains at the WWI Royal Naval Air Station Catfirth, but we are talking some time ago now. …..Then there was the land based torpedo tubes on the Lerwick side to protect the harbour entrance, Lerwick/Bressay. …..And the radar station bunkers at Noss, north of Fitful Head. …..Not to mention the WWI naval guns still on the island of Vementry on the west coast to protect the standby anchorage off Hillswick for the Grand Fleet from Scapa Flow. …..I could go on and on!

Good luck! …..But if you want to see birds, relics and plenty of historical military atmosphere, go to Orkney. …..Last went four years ago; Scapa Flow and all the associated WWII naval and aviation interest is on a different level to Shetland, although personal opinion.

Radar Archive, no need but thanks for the offer. A google search has found em a grid reference. OS Sheet 4 212717. Should suffice I think. Ive also found out that there is an abandoned radar station from the second world war present also. This may be worth an exploration.

There was indeed a radar station on Fair Isle, up on Ward Hill, the highest point on the island. There were, in fact, two stations there which have been almost completely demolished. I’ve never been there and only seen a few photos, so I’ve been able to locate one station, but not the other on the very summit of the hill. The hut foundations apparently lie under a lot of wall rubble and metal remains so I’d really need to get there and see it to sort it out properly. If you want to take photos, I’ll do my best to interpret them for you, although I suspect they will all look like piles of concrete rubble.

There are quite a lot of other radar sites in Shetland, including of course the operational site at Saxa Vord, so if you get tired of looking at birds and airfields and wrecks, you could always go and look at hut foundations!