Part from crashed aircraft finds spiritual home in Montrose

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Part of a military aircraft which has lain undiscovered in an Angus glen for 80 years is to go on display at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre.

The plane crashed in 1944 with the loss of all crew, and the fragment was discovered during a peat restoration project at Tulchan of Glenisla.

Neil White, a regional manager with Perth-based forestry company Scottish Woodlands Ltd, was working on-site last year when he found a shiny smooth piece of metal buried in the turf.

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He said: “I was a reservist in the Parachute Regiment, and I’ve spent a bit of time around planes, so I knew instantly that it was part of an aircraft.”

​Neil White is pictured handing the aircraft part over to Sian Brewis, (left) and Stuart Archibald, Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre chairman. (Pic: Jamie Dryden)​Neil White is pictured handing the aircraft part over to Sian Brewis, (left) and Stuart Archibald, Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre chairman. (Pic: Jamie Dryden)
​Neil White is pictured handing the aircraft part over to Sian Brewis, (left) and Stuart Archibald, Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre chairman. (Pic: Jamie Dryden)

Further inquiries revealed it was from a Handley Page Halifax LL414, which took off from RAF Sandtoft in Lincolnshire on May 31, 1944 for a training exercise - but never returned.

Eight airmen - six Canadian and two English - were on board when it crashed. The Canadians were buried in a Commonwealth War Graves site at Sleepyhillock Cemetery, near Montrose.

After alerting the Ministry of Defence to the find, Mr White handed the part over recently to the heritage centre. During his investigations, Mr White discovered that the former air station had a very close link to the aircraft.

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Sian Brewis, display co-ordinator, said: “The mountain rescue team from RAF Montrose recovered the bodies of all the men and brought them back to the air station.

"The military funerals of the six Canadians would have been organised and held by the air station. Therefore, the museum has a very relevant link to what was found and was very pleased to accept the part.”

Mr White added: “It was important to me to follow the proper procedures, so I contacted the Ministry of Defence for a licence to excavate the crash site.

"After obtaining the correct paperwork, we carried out further excavations, but no other parts were found.”

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It was during the excavation that Mr White contacted the centre. During his visit, Mr White wrote a message of remembrance on a poppy and pinned it to memorial wall: “Remembering the Crew of LL414. We will remember.”

Ian Robinson, managing director of Scottish Woodlands Ltd, said: “This story illustrates how seriously and professionally we take all aspects of our work. It was an exciting find for Neil, and he was determined to go through all the right channels to ensure the site work proceeded appropriately.

“Peatland restoration is an increasingly significant part of our work, which complements our forestry operations. We were the first mainstream forestry company to appoint a specialist Peatland Project Officer in Erin Stoll and her work as part of our wider carbon team is a very important part of our business.”

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