WIX Archives

Re: There are still large sections to be found

Posted by Richard Woods on Wed May 22, 2002 09:09:25 AM

In reply top Re: There are still large sections to be found posted by Cees on Wed May 22, 2002 08:11:36 AM

Cees

A 'backyard' B-29 would be something, and there are certainly enough pieces kicking around. Unfortunately, the Peak National Park authorities won't let people get the bits that still exist, and the Lancasters consist of small piles of aluminium and deeply buried Merlins, so I have to look further afield. The Stirling was, I believe, on private ground just outside the national park so permission was not needed other than the MOD and the landowner.

When the recovery scene started to kick off in the 70's and 80's, fledgling museums came in their droves, taking engines undercarraiges allsorts of bits. At one point there was still half a B-24 cockpit sticking out of a hillside, and the tail of the B-29 was intact.

The nose art of the B-29 is in a private collection, and Newark Air Museum have a shedload of engines from these sites (why couldn't a Whirly have pranged up here!), so the authorities said "stop".

So the B-29 tail was axed to bits due to people reporting it to Manchester Airport as a fresh crash site, and the wrecks are corroding and been broken by vandals. Last time I went up, the No 4 engine on the B-29 had been attacked with a hacksaw, and the wing with a crowbar. The No 4 was the most intact of the engines, with the accessory section still intact, spark plugs, the prop boss, one propellor blade, and a chunk of engine mount. Until now.

No prop blade, the hub smashed off (god knows how), and several cylinders gone. The wing had been gat at with a crow bar, the area where there had been a fuel filler cap with markings had been ripped off. The wing is the starboard outer section so I think there should be a star and bar on its lower side. I left it alone though because I don't want some yob to rip it off.

There was a bunch of idiots walking down the hillside with parts of the tunnel, and some undercarraige bits, so I threatened to report them, and took the bits back.

All this despite the fact there are wreaths and poppies on the wreckage and a cairn telling the story. Okay, if you are going to use it to make a memorial to the guys, or put together what will be the only survivor, good.

The people who get to me are the ones who come down off the hillside "Look Dad this is what I pulled off that old plane crash!!" and then sling it in the garage when they get home.

And we aren't supposed to quiz the villagers of Derwent about the Dambuster Lancaster in the reservoir........people get annoyed!

Richard
(trying to find a map of the Dutch mountains)

Follow Ups: