Llyn Dulyn Whitley

The whitley project web site lists a recovery of parts from BD232 having taken place on the 17th Nov last year. Quite what was recovered I don’t know but there wasn’t a lot up there when I went 2 years ago.

The fin of the C-47 was recovered in 1972 and is now in the Warplane Wreck Museun at Fort Perch, New Brighton, Wirral. Photo shows it a few years ago with curator, the late and much-missed Doug Darroch.

The book with the Berwyn C-47 photo is Eddie Doylerush’s Fallen Eagles (Midland Counties 1990 and possibly still in print).

Any wreckage recovered from the lake would not have been from the Whitley, it would have been from the C-47B that flew into the cliffs above in Nov 44. I had heard some years back a diving group located a large part of the C-47 and moved it across the lake to shallower water but it was left there.

One hopes that the RAF made note of that fact! Having never visited the sites myself I am only aware that there are/were several wrecks in the region of Llyn Dulyn, including the C47 and at least two Whitleys. But yes, the C47 really is IN Llyn Dulyn whereas the others are merely close. I’m really quite surprised that no-one else appears to have heard about the recovery – Roger, I got the impression from the article that a “project” was involved rather than a smelter but, again, in the absence of any informed comment I know nothing more.

Speaking of C47s, does anyone know what the book was I saw once with the picture of a Dak that flew between two peaks in the Berwyns that were 12 feet closer together than the wingspan? IIRC there was a photo of one wingtip with 6 feet of it bent up at 90 degrees, and the other one matched… 😮

Adrian

Any wreckage recovered from the lake would not have been from the Whitley, it would have been from the C-47B that flew into the cliffs above in Nov 44. I had heard some years back a diving group located a large part of the C-47 and moved it across the lake to shallower water but it was left there.

I and friend Les Ryder visited this wreck site on 12th August, 1968 and I took 30 – 40 B&W photos and wrote up a small article for “Control Column” (Vol. 2, No. 9). There was, then, a good deal of wreckage including one almost complete Merlin and a complete but crushed rear turret.

I hope the reported removal went to a good home and not a smelter.

Roger Smith.