Tuesday 26 August 2008

Cwm Silyn : Henley L3334 and Ansons MG111 and N9562

Cwm Silyn : Henley  L3334 and Ansons MG111 and N9562
Cwm Silyn Henley and Ansons
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

We went up around Cwm Silyn yesterday, looking for the wreckage of the Henley and two Ansons (MG111 and N9562) reputedly in the area.

The Henley was a development of Hawker's successful Hurricane, but even crappier than the Botha and Defiant recently featured. It wasn't even a good target tug, with the engine frequently failing in service.

Like everyone else, we found the Henley, but not the Ansons, one of which is was supposedly lost around the point this pic was taken from. A cursory metal detector search of this area turned up nothing.

The high heather (especially in the area around the Henley crash site) hides holes up to 8 feet deep. The scree is slippery and unstable when wet, and has sharp edges.

If you are thinking of a visit, we suggest you do not go in 40mph winds and driving rain as we did. This was the hardest four mile walk we have done in a long time.

Hawker Henley Mk. III L3334

Hawker Henley L3334 Cwm Silyn
Henley: Cwm Silyn
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

The highest bit found, and an idea of the visibility on the day.

Location: SH 51689 50283

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Hawker Henley Mk. III L3334

Hawker Henley L3334 Cwm Silyn
Henley: Cwm Silyn
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

The lowest and biggest bit we found, maybe 600mm long. This might not be the most illustrative pic we took, but I like the look of it...

Location: SH 51630 50377

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Tuesday 19 August 2008

Ponies: Llwytmor

Ponies: Llwytmor
Ponies: Llwytmor
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

A big walk yesterday, 12 miles again, up and down Llwytmor in Snowdonia. As a walk it was great, nice mountain, not too pointy, gorse and bell heather very prettily in flower.

As a wreck hunting expedition, not so good.

Found nothing at the supposed Junkers site in the Snowdonia wreckologist's list. No-one thinks there is a Junkers there, but they give a scatter area as well as a location. Surely there must have been something there once? The nearby Heinkel would presumably be the prime suspect.

We however found nothing around the Heinkel site location given in "High Ground Wrecks" either, and ran out of time before managing to find more than one Botha wreckage pile.

We will be back, coming up from the Aber Falls direction to save time.

Did see wild ponies though, was we often do on the Carneddau. Photographed them for a friend's teenage daughter. Ahhh.

Blackburn Botha Mk.I L6202 coded 6-20

Blackburn Botha Mk.I L6202 coded 6-20
Botha: Llwytmor
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

A group of wreckage from the Llwytmor crash site of this Botha.

Location: SH 68135 69279

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Tuesday 12 August 2008

Bleaklow: Defiant and Botha

Training outing yesterday, twelve and a half miles off-path over Bleaklow's groughs and cloughs took us almost exactly twelve hours. We went to visit a couple of sites more or less on the top of Bleaklow, which we had visited last year.

The sites are those of a Defiant and Botha, two planes united by being frankly a bit rubbish, both models ending up being used as target tugs.

The Defiant was like a Spitfire with a rear firing gun-turret. This tricked a few German pilots at first, but once they knew it had no forward firing guns, it came to seem to the unfortunate aircrew like a much less clever idea.

The Botha was very underpowered and unstable, and consequently crashed a lot. The military therefore withdrew it from active service. They then seemingly thought that these characteristics would make it an ideal training aircraft, which obviously did nothing good for its continuing safety record.

We had resolved previously to revisit the Defiant as High Peak Bob records a further wreckage pile downhill from the commonly visited major one. We actually found quite a number of collections, within a widespread scatter of small bits.

We saw nothing to prove or disprove the sometimes advanced theory that this 'plane was subject to "friendly fire": the fabled radiator with 0.303 bullet holes was not in evidence. There are in any case many things on these moors with such bullet holes in, as they were used for military training for many years. We'd have been none the wiser if we had seen it.

We revisited the Botha because it was close by, and also because visiting both sites allowed us to better investigate the hypothesis frequently put to us that publishing wreck coordinates encourages looting.

We are pleased to say that both sites seem untouched since our last visit. Whilst far from conclusive, this supports our view that publishing coordinates facilitates a harmless navigation exercise for walkers.

Blackburn Botha W5103

Blackburn Botha W5103
Botha
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

The Botha wreckage was just where we left it in May last year, and looked just the same too. Our co-ords are also good.

Location:SK 11077 97532

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378
Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

These pieces of aluminium sheeting were a good way from the piled wreckage commonly photographed at the site, in the direction of the Botha wreck.

Location: SK 10747 97072

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378


Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

A group of fair-sized bits of wreckage around 100 metres from the piled wreckage.

Location: SK 10643 97031

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378


Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

This looked like an impact and/or burn site to us, quite close to the pile of wreckage.

Location: SK 10657 96934

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378


Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

We think that this is the secondary pile mentioned on High Peak Bob's site.

Location: SK 10665 96991

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378
Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

The remains of this Defiant on Bleaklow appear all to still be intact, despite our publishing the coordinates of the site almost a year ago on here.

The dire warnings that publishing coordinates will result in sites being looted we have been receiving from wreckologists appear groundless.

But of course we knew that. It is the aircraft nuts who are taking bits, and they know where the sites are. What would walkers want a bit of old scrap metal for?

Tuesday 5 August 2008

Mynydd Mawr

Mynydd Mawr
Mick: I am the Law
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Mick's Judge Dredd expression: one of his favourites.

Even with the purple heather blooming everywhere on the slopes of Mynydd Mawr.

DeHavilland Vampire VZ874: Scraps

De Havilland Vampire VZ874: Scraps
Vampire
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Vampire VZ874 flew into Mynydd Mawr on 12th October 1956. All that is now to be seen are a few scraps like these scattered in the vicinity of the summit.

We understand that any bigger bits found their way to Caernarfon's Aviation Museum, where you might be able to see them for half the year at £5.50 per head, though their website says it is still closed for winter 2006 .

We note that the museum's website does not think important enough to mention a single one of the Snowdonia wreck sites we have been to so far, whose "recovered" parts supposedly ended up in this establishment (The ones that didn't end up melted down for scrap, or adorning someone's garden, that is). We would concede that however infrequently visited a museum might be, it is a preferable fate for bits of these old 'planes to becoming a private collector's toy.

We are sure that it is all very educational, and that its' seemingly amateurish and out of date website is unrepresentative of its world-leading position in aviation archaeology. Oh yes.

Location:SH 53981 54613

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DeHavilland Mosquito W4088: Impact Point

DeHavilland Mosquito W4088: Impact Point
Mosquito
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter


The few sad remains at the crash site of Mosquito W4088. This site has been plundered by diggers, albeit with MOD permission.

And what has become of the items "recovered"?Are they perhaps to be found at Duxford, or some other well-known and visited museum? Are they part of a rebuild? Was the recovery operation a scientific project which produced a useful report in some peer-reviewed scientific journal? Nope, none of the above. The engine has passed through many hands on its way to being a garden ornament in Somerset, and some other parts were melted down to make little model aircraft-see here.

Nice work lads. That's some great "rescuing". If Mountain Rescue shared your view of what constitutes rescue, you wouldn't want to get stuck on a mountain, in case they they added your skull to their rockery, or melted you down for down for glue.

There are some undercarriage remains and oleos a little down the hill, but time did not permit us to see them this time. Matt ZX photographed them earlier this year though.

Location:SH 54335 55127

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Saturday 2 August 2008

Hawker Hurricane Peartree Derby

Hawker Hurricane Peartree Derby
100 Peartree 006
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

After reading this article decided to investigate myself. I reckon the crash occurred somewhere along the left embankment. It is obviously too dangerous to get closer as trains constantly pass by. My father grew up during the war in the neighbouring streets to this park and railway track. He often played around here but has no recollection of this incident or the children involved. In his day there were no trees in the area so the story becomes more plausible

We decided to go for a walk around the area where he recounted his memories of an air raid on Derby. Unfortunately the street where he lived has recently been mostly pulled down and is being 'redeveloped', so I was unable to get any illustrative photo's.

To this day he remembers the exact spot where a bomb landed that blew a neighbours house to smithereens. " Did you hear it?" I asked him. " Not so much heard it as f%$nk felt it" was his uncharacteristic reply? Apparently the blast tore off the neighbours clothing but left him uninjured apart from not being able to hear for a few days and a bit embarrassed. At the time my father was an 11 year boy who endured the raids trembling under the stairs with what he called the augie? He later went on to serve in the RAF himself. I'm relieved not to be showing my kids the 4 mile crater where Derby used to be.