Another recent acquisition is this armoured seat from a B-24 Liberator – though fortunately this time with a known provenance – it’s from B-24J 42-50688 – which crashed near Burnley, Lancashire on 19th February 1945 – For full details, See: http://laituk.org/B-24%2042-50668.htm
It disappeared from the crash site circa 1980, when apparently both seats remained there, though the removal of the other seat at around the same time, it now seems was unconnected – it looks to have been kept under cover and had it been left at the exposed crash site, I have no doubt it would have probably been paper thin and disintegrating by now – I’m Hoping to clean it up and get it on display locally soon.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]217992[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]217993[/ATTACH]
Out of interest – Can anyone tell me, were the two seats – i.e. pilot’s and co-pilot’s, different in design, as I would like to know which I have here – I have looked around on the net and there doesn’t appear to be many of these seats around to compare!
By: N.Wotherspoon - 5th July 2013 at 23:14
Bump! Surely someone on here can tell me which seat this? or were they not handed?
By: N.Wotherspoon - 24th June 2013 at 20:27
Not sure about the Deox-C Ian – firstly I would need another mortgage to buy enough of it and secondly where would I get a bucket big enough! 😉 Its still pretty sound, so may risk careful sand-blasting.
Someone else mentioned the Mill-Hill seat to me as a possibility – but the chap who I acquired it off definitely recalled being coerced along with his brother into helping to carry it and it was definitely near Burnley – interestingly photos I have seen of it in situ showed it with the other seat still in some way attached to each other – was there a frame to support such heavy items or it could have been a section of cockpit floor I suppose? Either way my witness doesn’t recall any dismantling and seems to think only one seat was there when they arrived.
It is interesting that we now seem to be regularly getting contact from people with relics removed from crash sites many years ago – often looking for a home for the items as they no longer have any interest in them or have moved and no longer the space to store them – it certainly seems to be one of the more positive outcomes of the Internet.
From talking to the individuals who have got in touch with us, it seems that anyone who bothered to lug such a heavy item a significant distance across pretty difficult terrrain, usually seems to have been motivated by the thought that they were saving something of historical importance from inevitable destruction by the corrosion and the elements. So it seems the ubiquitous garden shed that some sceptics monotonously quote, might not have been such a bad place for the preservation of many items that would have otherwise been lost – Lets hope they keep getting in touch!
So come on! someone on here must know – which side is it?
By: Arabella-Cox - 24th June 2013 at 19:10
There was a similar seat at the well known crash site of the B24 on Mill Hill in the Peak District for many years (certainly in the 1970s). It was a visual beacon to help locate the site in pre-sat nav days.
It had gone when I last visited the scene a few years ago.
By: ian_ - 24th June 2013 at 19:03
Very impressive item Nick! You’ll need a lot of Deox C to get it perfect but will be well worth it. Interesting that items removed from the hills back in the eighties are appearing again for display. Can I hear ‘Peak Wreck Hunter’ turning in his grave? I do hope so.
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June 24, 2013 at 6:56 pm