De Havilland Mosquito NF36 RL197 and Handley Page Halifax MkII DT578 Coded ZB? Great Whernside

Don't get many outings nowadays, but a comment on the post about Handley Page Halifax MkII DT578 by "MTSkull" implied that we had a couple of sites mixed up, and suggested a location for the impact site of the Halifax.

Me and Pat went and had a look, and here is what we found:

1. The site we thought might be the Halifax seems to be all Mosquito parts now, as evidenced by this stamp on one of the components. As any anorak knows, -98- is the prefix on all Mosquito components. Download and zoom in to see.

2. The site which we identified as De Havilland Mosquito NF36 RL197 has attracted the Halifax part which was some distance away at out our last visit. We know that this is a Halifax part because the stamp has a -57- prefix. Download and zoom in to see.

There were lots of unmarked bits of aircraft scattered all over the hillside around between these locations, which are themselves not far from the location of a Flying Fortress crash site. People clearly move the bits forming mixed wreckage pools.

We are happy that we have definitely found bits of all three 'planes. As far as the location of impact site is concerned, we looked fruitlessly  in the area indicated by our correspondent. That'll teach us to take advice from someone calling himself "empty skull"
   

De Havilland Mosquito NF.Mk.30 NT266

The much looted crash site of NT266 on Pockley Moor, Yorkshire still had these undercarriage parts as of last week. Look on ebay for the rest.

Location: SE 62039 92492

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Snowdon Revisit

Sean and Matt with 'Copter
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

A hot day on Snowdon yesterday. Imagine that.

Helicopters were all over keeping an eye on things, and in the case of the Sea King seen near the summit, presumably taking part in a rescue exercise. This littler one ( top right of frame) went back and forth up and down Cwm Llan for the better part of an hour.

We found the rest of the DH Mosquito we missed last time, as well as the scant remains of the Spitfire on Yr Aran, with the assistance of Matt ZX.

Now we have found it, we can reveal that you won't need our coordinates to find the Mosquito wreckage. Just follow the river, you can't miss it, throughout the stream bed, and around its banks.

The Spitfire is more elusive, and on steep unstable ground above a good drop. Even that has not prevented fresh looting, however, as we report lower down the page.

On a technical note, all pics are now taken with Micks' new camera, and have much better resolution than previously if you click through...

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Propeller boss

Location: SH 61048 52930

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Detail from collection further upstream

Location: SH 61085 52982

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

This engine bearer used to hold one of the Mosquito's Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

Of course even if engine and bearer had survived the crash together, this would have been discarded by the scrap merchants when they took the Merlin away to their "Museum".

Mick was telling me that Mr Doylerush was under the impression that the local magpies had told him the stuff they were scavenging was for a millenium museum in Bethesda.

We saw no signs of any such musem on our way through. Would anyone like to tell us what happened to the Bethesda Millennium Museum, and the engines looted on the basis that they were to be exhibits there?

Location: SH 61086 52980

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

This is the most upstream collection we found, mostly comprising undercarriage parts.

Location: SH 61086 52993

De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982

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De Havilland Mosquito Mk.III TV982
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

This undistinguished looking item around 100mm in diameter was our only reward for getting rained on for five hours in the vicinity of the Watkin Path to Snowdon's peak, on a very wet Bank Holiday Monday.

If you zoom in, you can see it is marked J98978/1. The "98" prefix makes it a bit of a Mosquito, specifically we believe Mosquito TV982, which crashed here in 1948 as a result of severe turbulence. We think it is a rubber damper from an undercarriage leg.

We had to beat a hasty retreat shortly after finding this, as Mick's fags had got wet. All other possible emergencies pale into insignificance next to the spectre of nicotine deprivation.

We will be back for the rest in the near future.

Location: SH 61119 52762

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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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DeHavilland Mosquito Mk. VI HX862

Mosquito: Drum
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

On the night of 25/9/44, a Mosquito from 60OTU flew into the ridge of Mt. Drum. The photo shows one of a number of fair-sized bits left in a grassy gully there. Not sure what this is, though it was found close to the remains of a prop. (We have since been advised by Alan of PDAAR that it is a gearbox which steps up the engine revs to feed the supercharger)

There is not as much wreckage left as there was in the seventies, according to our correspondent. We were particularly disappointed not to find the cannon which were there in '71.

Location: SH 71621 69138

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DeHavilland Mosquito Mk. IX LR412

Mosquito: Aran Fawddwy
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

We found quite a collection of wreckage at this location, far more than we have seen a a Mosquito site before. The lack of wreckage at a typical Mosquito crash site may have something to do the the Mosquito's predominantly wooden construction.

Location: SH 85660 21485

More info: nothing on the 'net

DeHavilland Mosquito Mk. IX LR412

Mosquito: Aran Fawddwy
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

A second collection of wreckage quite a way from the first contained this item, which shows the wooden nature of the Mosquito's construction unusually well.

Location: SH 85695 21523

DeHavilland Mosquito Mk. IX LR412

Mosquito: Aran Fawddwy
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Stamps found on this item from the first wreckage pile on the mountain show this to be a port wing component from a Mosquito. Not sure what the stamps to left and right of the part identification are though.

DeHavilland Mosquito Mk. IX LR412

Mosquito: Aran Fawddwy
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This Merlin Engine was cast in concrete to form a memorial to the crew of the Mosquito lost on Aran Fawddwy. It is an awfully long way (2.6 miles as the crow flies, and 600m of descent) from the wreck site on the mountain. Who knows how the farmer got it down.

Location:SH 81551 22403

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Halifax and Mosquito: Great Whernside

Awaiting Identification: Great Whernside
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

We went up to Yorkshire yesterday in search of some bigger bits of aircraft wreckage. There are at least seven 'planes downed on Great Whernside, above Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales, so we gave that a go. Nice village. Big hill, on such a warm day.

This bit was found on the far side of the Mosquito wreck site from the Halifax crash location. Serial numbers and inspection stamps we found on the part however suggest that it is from the Halifax. The wreckage fields for Mosquito and Halifax are therefore overlapping. They did crash very close to each other. Details of the Halifax and Mosquito in the following posts.

Location:SE 00070 73490

De Havilland Mosquito NF36 RL197

Mosquito: Great Whernside
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

A Mosquito undercarriage with various recognisable and and molten bits on Great Whernside on the North Yorkshire Moors.

A chunky home-made cross has been acquired since Richard Allenby's visit, but it seems that its accompanying plaque has been destroyed.

Location:SE 00024 73473

More info:Richard Allenby

DeHavilland Mosquito Mk.XVI PF395 coded 8K-K

Mosquito
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

These few shards are all that is left of the Mosquito above Dovestones reservoir at SE 02568 03186.

We had passed within ten feet of this before and not found it.

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New bit of Mosquito

New bit of Mosquito
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

We found this bit of cast aluminium engine block in the rocks well above the mosquito wreckage pile.

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