Kingussie WWII bomber wreckage goes on show

Retrieved parts of a World War II bomber which crashed near Kingussie during a training exercise have been given centre stage at an RAF base.

The Avro Lancaster from 463 Squadron (RAAF) had been based at RAF Waddington, and is believed to have broken up mid-flight at 10,000 feet on the night of August 31, 1944, with the loss of all seven crew on-board.

Part of a rear bomb bay, an aircraft camera, the flight engineer’s instrument panel and a section of the rear gun turret were amongst almost 50 items recovered from the wreck in the past couple of years and taken to the aircraft’s former base.

Flt Lt Mike Chatterton, Lancaster PD259 Project Leader at the RAF base in Lincolnshire, said: "There have now been two very successful recovery operations from the crash site near Balavil, resulting in some very large and many very small sections of Lancaster PD259 being returned to her home base.

"Working with the recovery project and examining the displays gives our current servicemen an insight into what their predecessors in the RAF at Waddington were doing six decades ago.

"It gives them a sense of pride to be treading in their footsteps on the airbase, whilst continuing the Royal Air Force’s finest tradition of service to the country.

"Some of the recovered items are still in the process of being carefully cleaned, preserved and catalogued by the project team, but many parts are now on display in our revitalised and recently expanded station heritage centre."

The PD259 display can now be visited by members of the public by prior arrangement at the RAF base.

Flt Lt Chatterton said: "The display has already been seen by many hundreds of enthusiasts, including youth groups, school children and ex-servicemen‘s associations from all around the world.

"Some of our VIPs have travelled all the way from Australia and have included one of the pilots who flew the aircraft before it crashed, and the son of the navigator who was tragically killed when the aircraft was lost.

"The exhibition of PD259 provides a suitable commemorative centre-piece for the RAF Waddington Heritage Centre.

"This allows family members and visitors to understand the dedication, bravery and sacrifice of personnel that have served at this station since it opened in 1916."

He added: "We would like say a very big thank you to the landowner, Mr Allan Macpherson-Fletcher, for his endless support over the last few years and for protecting the site ever since the crash.

"We hope to return to Balavil and Kingussie for many years to come, and when possible continue with the recovery of this famous aircraft."

The Lancaster only had 57 flying hours under its belt, and was being flown by a "sprog" crew – the affectionate nickname given to newly-qualified fliers – when it went down.

The Royal Australian Air Force crew who died were pilot, Flying Officer Robert Beddoe (21), from Elsterwick, near Victoria; navigator, Flight Sergeant Frederic Walker (32), St Ives, New South Wales; mid-upper gunner, Flight Sergeant Stanley Abbott (21), Cottesloe, West Australia; wireless operator, Flight Sergeant Terrence Dent (21), Walkeston, Queensland; rear gunner, Flight Sergeant Bevil Glover (23), Malvern, Victoria, and bomb aimer David Ryan (30), of Fairfield, Victoria.

One theory is that the bomber was struck by lightning while on a mission the previous night over German-occupied Koningsberg, now known as Kaliningrad in the Western Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania.

Another possibility is that the plane was hit by lightning after encountering a fierce storm over the Highlands, leading to the catastophic failure of all four engines while on the training exercise.

Also on board was Glaswegian RAF flight engineer, Warrant Officer George Middleton, (37), who may have parachuted to safety in time from the doomed plane, but tragically could then have fallen to his death while trying to fetch help.

An open parachute was found at the crash scene by rescuers, and his body was recovered from the bottom of a cliff.

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