DeHavilland Vampire FB5 VZ106

The main pile of the still-extensive wreckage from this early jet-powered Fighter/Bomber which crashed on the slopes of Fan Hir, in the Black Mountains in Wales in 1953.

The pilot apparently let down through thick cloud without getting a fix on his position or requesting a radar-controlled descent, resulting in his death.

The wreckage constituted a more or less complete aircraft until 1986, since when the usual suspects have taken it upon themselves to "recover" some of it.

Location: SN 82641 20037

(There are also some big chunks of wreckage in a nearby gully around SN 8258 1990)

DeHavilland Vampire FB5 VZ106

The Vampire's distinctive twin booms are well preserved at this site

DeHavilland Vampire FB5 VZ106

The Goblin 2 turbojet engine from the aircraft is still in place, rather than serving as a garage ornament for some sad anorak as so many engines now do.

Location: SN 82641 20047

De Havilland Vampire T.11 XE854

Neglected Crash Site Memorial
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

By an industrial estate in Rawmarsh, there is an unmade lane. Down this lane there is an empty house. Behind the empty house there is derelict half-acre of waist-high nettles.

100 yards through this there is a scruffy thicket of trees. Inside the thicket there is a low, gated wall.

Inside the wall there is a tangle of brambles, and in this tangle there are two memorials and a bench commemorating the fatal crash of a Vampire jet in 1959.

We'd never have found this without Pat Cunningham's 6 d.p. coordinates.

The standing memorial is from the pilot's aunties and uncles, and the one on the ground from his parents. The neglected state of these memorials is a sad sight.

UPDATE the memorials and the pilot's ashes have been moved to new locations

DeHavilland 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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Armstrong Vickers Wellington Mk.X MF584

MF584
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

With Mick away on hols, an easy outing with the B-Team to this Wellington site near Marchington.

There was a fair bit more wreckage from MF584 than has been found by others, which had been thrown by the farmer into the hedge. He told us we could have it if we liked!

The farmer also told us that there is to be a 'plane wreck recovery operation going on in August not too far distant from this site.

Location:SK 12508 29853

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DeHavilland Vampire F. B. Mk.5 VV601: Cwm Eigiau

Vampire:Cwm Eigiau
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

We attempted to clear the Cwm Eigiau sites in Snowdonia yesterday, but we were cheated of the Canberra at the end by the onset of thunderstorms as we ascended Llwellyn to its Ffynnon Llyffant resting place.

We did however find three sites, including this one of the sister ship to one we found previously in the Peak District, VV602.

This shows the crash site crater, with a collection of scraps proving that this is indeed the crash site.

Location:SH 72934 64739

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DeHavilland Vampire T. Mk.11 XE866

Vampire: Stanage Edge
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Lots of bits from the crash site of this Vampire on Stanage Edge. One is marked with the part number: Z27166/1. The site is a long way from the coordinates given in Ron Collier's book.

Location: SK 22429 85704

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DeHavilland Vampire F.B.Mk.5 VV602

Vampire:Wildboarclough
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

We found this surface wreckage on the walk back from the Vampire wreck site. It was almost one hundred yards from the commonly given location, and no-one has reported surface wreckage before to the best of our knowledge.

There seems to be a problem with Flickr, hence the slightly different appearance of this picture. A click on the pic still works...

Location:SJ 98545 71965

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DeHavilland Vampire F.B.Mk.5 VV602

Vampire:Wildboarclough
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Scraps of aluminium found by metal detection at the 1954 crash site of this Vampire jet.

This site has unfortunately been raided and stripped of all metal since our visit by self-styled investigators with a Volvo mini-digger and heavy duty detection equipment.

Location:SJ 98612 71937

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DeHavilland Vampire F.B.Mk.5 WA400

Vampire Crash Site
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

The congealed remains of DeHavilland Vampire F.B.Mk.5 WA400 on Strines Moor. Last of the day.

Location: SK 21842 89802

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