Read a letter last week in the Arran Heritage Museum archives which tells of a schoolboy swimming out to rescue a downed Luftwaffe pilot and receiving a Life-Saving medal as a result. The letter states that the aircraft concerned was single-engine. It seems an awful long way from home for a single engine type so would I be correct in assuming it probably came from a ship or would land based types have had the range to operate around the west coast of Arran? Does anyone know any more about the actual incident? Unfortunately no date given so I don’t know whether early or late in the war.
By: Mothminor - 11th October 2015 at 09:05
I wonder if we are misreading the letter slightly ?
Could the rescue have been done near the boys school ? And not off Arran !
Very good idea, Baz and the more I read the letter, the more that possibility becomes likely. I realise it’s all a bit vague really.
By: Mothminor - 11th October 2015 at 08:50
I think you are probably looking for one of the FAA Martinets which crashed off Corriecravie, they were however fatal accidents.
Thanks, Alan, I’m aware of the Martinets. Unsurprisingly fatal accidents – the sea there being shallow, sharp rocked and seriously unforgiving, poor guys 🙁
By: bazv - 11th October 2015 at 08:31
I wonder if we are misreading the letter slightly ?
Could the rescue have been done near the boys school ? And not off Arran !
So depending on which year it happened we could be talking near Dumbarton or Clachan, Tarbert,Kintyre.
Balinakill House is now a luxury country hotel but was owned previously by the Mackinnons of British India Steam Navigation Company
Dumbarton would certainly have seen a good deal of Luftwaffe attention during WW2
Opened in Dumbarton as Keil School in 1925. The school took a lease on Helenslee House, a 50-acre (20 ha) site on the banks of the River Clyde. Helenslee House was originally the property of the shipbuilding family Dennys of Dumbarton.
In 1941, due to the school’s high vulnerability during the Clydeside Blitz, including the destruction of nearby industrial centres such as Clydebank (only 16 buildings were left undamaged) and conflagrations at the Bowling Oil Refinery and the Tate & Lyle Sugar Refinery at Greenock, the school had to be evacuated and relocated in the safer surroundings of Balinakill House, Kintyre for the duration of the war.
By: Alan Clark - 10th October 2015 at 22:53
I think you are probably looking for one of the FAA Martinets which crashed off Corriecravie, they were however fatal accidents.
By: Mothminor - 10th October 2015 at 21:18
What was the life saving medal? Is there a record of the deed behind the award?
Is there a list/book showing how each PoW was captured?
Are there any local papers from that era that might have reported the story?
Been trying to find out about the medal, snafu, but no success so far. Ditto the local papers.
By: Mothminor - 10th October 2015 at 21:15
Mothminor Just a shame you did not take a photo of the file.
; )
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By: snafu - 10th October 2015 at 21:08
What was the life saving medal? Is there a record of the deed behind the award?
Is there a list/book showing how each PoW was captured?
Are there any local papers from that era that might have reported the story?
By: Richard gray - 10th October 2015 at 19:13
Mess bf 109 Range 528 mls.
Fw 190 Range 500 mls.Stravanger Norway to Isle of Arran 470 mls.
Cherboug France to I of A 437 mls.
Calais France to I of A 433 mls.Perhaps the pilot was in the sea as he had ran out of fuel.
Stravanger to Scapa flow = 309 mls.
Scapa Flow to Isle of Arran = 217 mls.
Strange that that works out at 528 mls.
Where your thinking is going wrong is the word Range.
Range = Distance an aircraft can fly between take off and landing.
Combat Radius = is a related measure based on the maximum distance a warplane can travel from its base of operations, accomplish some objective, and return to its original airfield with minimal reserves.
Therefore the Isle of Arran fits nicely into the area where an aircraft from France or Norway would run out of fuel.
Mothminor Just a shame you did not take a photo of the file then we could possible find out when it happened, what the weather was like and what areas were being attacked.
By: Graham Boak - 10th October 2015 at 11:58
I think Arran may have been a bit too far. They were certainly used over Scapa Flow, but that’s some way North.
By: Mothminor - 10th October 2015 at 10:26
Long range 109 recce aircraft certainly operated over Scotland from Norway
I hadn’t even considered that as a possibility till this week, Dave! Had previously thought it would be twin-engine types that would be used for that purpose. I thought I wasn’t too bad on geography but, if asked to guess the distances from Norway and France to the west of Scotland, I’m ashamed to say I would have well over-estimated!
By: DaveF68 - 9th October 2015 at 23:35
Long range 109 recce aircraft certainly operated over Scotland from Norway
By: Richard gray - 9th October 2015 at 09:43
Was not being too serious with the Arado story,but I always found enemy a/c testing a fascinating subject : )
Certainly a one way trip could be a possibility !
What would have been the range of a ‘long range’ 109 variant such as a 109 G-4/R3 ?which could carry 2x 300 ltr droppers !from Airrecce
Approx. another 93 miles per tank.
By: snibble - 9th October 2015 at 09:22
Yes, possibly only intended a one-way trip. Making for Ireland maybe? Must admit I was surprised at the distances you give – my poor judgement was adding a considerable number of miles to that! Brings home how close the war was even to the furthest reaches of the UK.
One way trip? More likely he had joined the reciprocal club.
By: Mothminor - 8th October 2015 at 21:13
I did find a three or four hole wheel of the type seen on Spitfires and Hurricanes on a beach North of Brodick in the mid-late 60s. Ex-RAF Father wouldn’t let me take it home though.
Not surprised you found something, boguing, as there seems to have been a lot of crashes into the sea around the island as well. Pity you didn’t get the chance to take it home though but quite understandable on your father’s part.
By: bazv - 8th October 2015 at 19:16
Was not being too serious with the Arado story,but I always found enemy a/c testing a fascinating subject : )
Certainly a one way trip could be a possibility !
What would have been the range of a ‘long range’ 109 variant such as a 109 G-4/R3 ?which could carry 2x 300 ltr droppers !
from Airrecce
The Bf 109G-4/R2 was fitted with a Rb50/30 camera. The R3 was the same as the R2 but fitted with two 300lt drop tanks. The Bf 109 G-4/U3 was a tactical reconnaissance variant, fitted with twin Rb12.5/7×9 cameras and with its armament removed.
By: boguing - 8th October 2015 at 10:32
I did find a three or four hole wheel of the type seen on Spitfires and Hurricanes on a beach North of Brodick in the mid-late 60s. Ex-RAF Father wouldn’t let me take it home though.
By: Mothminor - 8th October 2015 at 08:37
What was the date of this incident ?
Unfortunately no idea, Alan. The letter concerned a discussion that had been held with the brother of the lifesaver whose name was Duncan Craig. The incident seems to have taken place near Corriecravie on Arran’s south-west coast.
By: AlanR - 8th October 2015 at 08:30
What was the date of this incident ?
By: Mothminor - 8th October 2015 at 08:10
A bit away from Arran – but there were other single engined a/c types : )
Interesting story and I can’t rule that possibility out either!
By: Mothminor - 8th October 2015 at 08:02
Perhaps the pilot was in the sea as he had ran out of fuel.
Yes, possibly only intended a one-way trip. Making for Ireland maybe? Must admit I was surprised at the distances you give – my poor judgement was adding a considerable number of miles to that! Brings home how close the war was even to the furthest reaches of the UK.
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October 7, 2015 at 10:16 pm