Heads up BBC1 tonight (Thursday)

BBC1 tonight, Thursday 26/06/08 at 21.00 “Britain’s Lost World” includes reporter Dan Snow investigating a World War Two plane crash on St. Kilda.

Roger Smith.

I chanced upon the programme, and the feature on the Sunderland struck a chord with me – it was said that the crew were on their last training flight prior to transit to Africa: my father was doing the same at that time with his new crew, and he then flew ML859 out to Bathurst (new and shiny, apparently).

To his great regret, he had to hand it over to a French crew on arrival, and was given a rather more tired Mk III instead!

Sunderland ML858 crashed 8th June 1944. 10 killed.

The crash site on St Kilda was dealt with by 56MU from Inverness shortly afterwards. After recovery of the bodies, they salvaged IFF, WT, guns and pyrotechnics and then cut up and buried most of the rest of the aircraft in 37 pits. The main fuselage section was inverted, painted brown and covered with peat to prevent repeated reports of an air crash.

I’ll bet they do that TV thing of creating a mystery of which aircraft it might be – which they then solve 😉

Allan

Update

David Earl tells me that Saugstad RAFC was not aboard the Wellington, he was killed in Mitchell FR148 when the aircraft went missing on a ferry flight from Gander 23/2/43.

Paul

All these crash sites carefully investigated by RAF Kinloss mountain rescue team in the last 30 years. Good report in After the Battle mag which sadly are not easy to get out of my storage area.

re: Crew LA995

On RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL for 23/2/1943

Flt Sgt VINCENT HAROLD KNUTSON RCAF R/98799
Sgt WILLIAM DAY RAFVR 1378796
Radio Officer CLIFFORD DONALD SAUGSTAD Royal Air Force Ferry Command
Sgt RALPH SPENCER RAFVR 1215504
Sgt GEORGE BOWMAN STEWART RAFVR 1332286
Sgt GEORGE WILFRED TURLEY RAFVR 1204149

http://www.rafastornoway.org.uk/5.html also provides the following (did a body come ashore)

23/2/1943 MANOR PARK CEMETERY

Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) WILLIAM VICTOR CHARLES ALSTON RAFVR 1267971

Note SAUGSTAD is missing from the RAF Stornoway list (possibly because not he was not RAF)

The help of RAFCommands is acknowledged on this

Wellington is possibly LA995 of 303 Ferry Training Unit
The other units were

Sunderland ML858 of 302 Ferry Training Unit
Beaufighter LX798 of 304 Ferry Training Unit

Wellington is possibly LA995 lost 23rd February 1943 not 28th September 1943 (see don’t believe all you read on Wiki)

http://www.carlscam.com/strays/stkilda.htm

Could be one of three.

Beaufighter LX798
Sunderland ML858
Unidentified aircraft, possibly Wellington.

Come on Paul, I bet you can tell us what the third aircraft is….?

Bruce

I am working on it!!!!

According to Wiki (if you can trust the source) the aircraft is either:

Beaufighter LX798 crashed into Conachair night of 3-4 June 1943
Sunderland which crashed at Gleann Mor on 7 June 1944
Wellington bomber crashed on the south coast of Soay during 1943 (possibly the one lost 28 September 1943)

Can anyone offer up serials for teh Sundderland and possible Wellington (which I had already from a non Wiki Source)

Paul

http://www.carlscam.com/strays/stkilda.htm

Could be one of three.

Beaufighter LX798
Sunderland ML858
Unidentified aircraft, possibly Wellington.

Come on Paul, I bet you can tell us what the third aircraft is….?

Bruce

And will be available on iplayer for 7 days afterwards for any who miss setting their recorders or are watching the football!