Son visits Cairngorms wreckage site of World War II hero dad he never knew

The son of a World War II pilot born six weeks after his father perished along with crew mates in a Wellington bomber crash in the Cairngorms has paid a poignant visit to the site of the wreckage 71 years after the tragedy.

Mr Phil Paterson, who lives in Worsley near Manchester, was accompanied by his sons John and Julian as he surveyed the remote beauty spot near Bynack More.

Flying Officer Philip Paterson and five fellow crew members of the Vickers Wellington HF16/A of 20 OTU had taken off from RAF Lossiemouth on a night cross-country training exercise on August 14 in 1944 but never returned.

The bomber crashed on moorland close to An Lurg with the loss of all those on board in the late night accident.

Oxygen bottles, landing gear, engines and other parts of the aircraft remain scattered on the high plateau to this day.

It was only after the Paterson family had started to carry out more research into the tragedy as the 70th anniversary arrived last year, that they located the exact spot of the crash.

Son John had been investigating further when he came across an online blog by David Heavy Whalley, former ex-RAF Mountain Rescue Team Leader for RAF Kinloss and Leuchars, detailing the Wellington crash and made the link.

All that work came to a poignant conclusion last Sunday when the Mr Paterson and his two sons, guided by Mr Whalley and some friends from his RAF days, visited the site.

Mr Paterson said: "It was a both a pilgrimage and an adventure for myself, John and Julian to visit my dad’s crash site. The visit to the crash site was an experience to be remembered and valued forever.

"We wouldn’t have known quite where in the Cairngorms the crash site was if John hadn’t seen Heavy’s blog and we would never have found it or got to it without his guidance.

"Thankfully we were all fit enough to get there and back – although my legs ache now."

He continued: "We were certainly blessed with the weather – perfect conditions for the walk and fantastic views from the paths and from the top.

"The quiet and solitude on the mountains and the desolation of the crash site was something not experienced in our everyday lives."

One of the highlights was when a new search and rescue helicopter came into view whilst the group was at the site.

Mr Pateron said: "When we first heard the helicopter but couldn’t see it the engine noise was atmospheric. When we heard it again and it came into view it was like a fly-past in honour of the fallen crew.

"I was pleased to be able to leave six poppy crosses with the wreckage as tributes to my dad and the other five men who were killed there in the course of their wartime service.

"The vision of the site will stick in my mind, filling in a hole in my family’s history, and I am sure my sons will remember the day for the rest of their lives."

Mr Whalley said he was pleased to be able to help Mr Paterson visit the crash site to pay his respects to the father he never met.

"We must never forget that these are tragic places where young men died. RAF Lossiemouth lost nearly 150 aircraft during the war," he said.

"In past visits to An Lurg we had gathered some of the wreckage that was scattered around and made a small memorial cairn and this is what we first saw.

"We left Phil and the boys to have some privacy and to have a look round. This was their time and we left them as a family.

"They produced six crosses with the details of all the crew on them and placed them by the cairn. It was a moving moment for us all. Phil’s wife had put on each cross the details of each crew member it was a lovely thought and very humbling.

"No matter how many times I visit these places they are to me special humbling and moving places but this was even more so with the family being there."

Mr Whalley was delighted to be able to share some special memories with the Patersons and learn more about the Second World War pilot.

He said: "Phil showed us his dad’s medals still in the box and as they were the day they were sent to the family.

"He also had his dad’s pilot certification from his pilot training in the United States all as pristine as the day they were issued.

"We also saw his Dad’’s service knife that Phil had treasured all his life with the date 1940 stamped on it."

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