MOD Licences

Personally know of a licence application last year that was pretty straight forward. Granted within 3 months of application and no unresolved issues with the items recovered.

I would tend to think each application has different merits and as such needs to be looked at. But I think there are a lot of different issues right now. A lot of issues that need resolved.

I would also suggest that if people hadnt been so blatantly brutal about recoveries all those years ago then we may not even need a licence now. But these are the rules we need to abide by for our hobby.

I know that this is only a small part of the problem and the reasons are as wide and varied as any other problem we have today.

I know of a case where it took me months to organise a licence through several different agencies and the landowner and several months later (cant remember how long) was declined the licence ignoring the fact that the site was just dug a couple of years previous. I then received a phone call the following October saying to reapply as the case had been reviewed and a further application was likely to be sucessful. This was really good of them to phone me but at the time my personal circumstances changed and I was unable to follow through on the application.

I have also been point blank refused a licence for a German aircraft that I know of. As has my recovery partner. They claim it to be refused on the grounds of incendiary bombs on board and to possibility of remains on board. My partner has proven the remains to have a burial because of the records and the location of the grave as well as other evidence. And he proved that the incendiary bombs were released before they hit the ground because they were dropped on a local farm when they could not find their target. I suppose what the MOD think regards the remains could just be based on the reports they have and not this modern evidence. And the possibility that the aircraft had a hook up with the bomb load is another reason not to grant the licence. My partner went out to prove that the bombs were all dropped and indeed was able to prove that they had been via an eye witness. All in all we were both a little dissappointed but thats life and we just have to get on with it.

They make the rules and we just have to try and follow them and get round them somehow if a recovery is that important. The above examples are just there to show some of the problems encountered. Not as an example to slate the MOD as they are just doing what they are told from higher up.

Regards Scott

The licences I refer to have been submitted by those who are very well-used to such submissions over many years and have provided adequate information to enable the licence to be processed. That is not the issue with these applications, Merkle.

I have also heard that there have been a number of recent instances where the MOD have not automatcally “released” the recovered items to the licence holder post recovery with a number of “….ongoing and unresolved issues” relating to the release/gifting of recovered items. In other words, in some instances it seems the MOD are reluctant to allow those effecting recovery to retain the items recovered under licence. However, that might be a situation that will yet be resolved although I am aware that some who post here are/have been caught up in that.

the MOD were allways pretty quick in the past, Ive just sent off for a licence,
pretty straight forward, and it helps to send them all you can, newspaper reports,.CWGC ,grave details, as much as you can possibly send, it all helps them in the processing of a licence, and “may” speed up waiting time.. I would have personally thought ?

A recent application I am aware of has taken over 11 months – thus far!

On the other hand, I know of another that went through in six weeks.