Still In Business

We are still going out, though as we haven't done any new sites for a while, I don't bother posting anything. All any pictures would show is the gradual erosion of wreckage at the sites, and its replacement with a proliferation of signs, crosses and poppies, even at sites where there were no deaths. Some of the outings can be seen at MatZX's site here.  I'm planning on starting to visit some new sites soon, lockdown permitting...

Short Stirling Mk.III LK502

Stirling:Lake Rudyard
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2
Previously molten chunks of aluminium, scraps, and a marked negative terminal at the impact site of the Stirling bomber which crashed near Rudyard Lake. There are also many scraps around this location, and an adjacent patch of bare earth riddled with minutiae. Hard to believe it hasn't been kept bare by generations of souvenir hunters scratching around for bits.

Location:SJ 93949 59825

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Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV Z5870

Crowden Brook
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Further to some recent correspondence, we decided to search up from Crowden Brook towards what is believed by some to be the terminal site of this still unlocated Blenheim Bomber crash.

Like all others we are aware of, we failed to find any trace of the 'plane on the mountain.

On the other hand, we did get to be overtaken by little old ladies (amongst many others) on what seemed to be the most well-trafficked route up Kinder we have yet been on.

Location:TBC

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Reims Cessna F.150M G-BFRP

Cessna: Kinder
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

After the Wellington Memorial we started the day's job of revisiting sites where we had received enough additional information since our last visit to be fairly confident of clearing them.

This is a view down the gully where the Cessna crashed on Broadlee Bank Tor, above Edale.

Whilst we are happy we have found the site ( a fair bit up the gully from the photo location) by photo-matching, metal detection showed there to be not a scrap of tin left at the site.

We don't want our site to degenerate to the state of some others on the 'net where we take a picture from half a mile away of a field and claim to have identified the site, but this pic will help you find the site if you are looking, and we really cannot find any physical evidence at this site.

This was the last remaining site on Kinder which we considered to have a good chance of definitively locating without in-depth research.

Location:SK 11375 86122

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Airspeed Oxford Mk.I R6271

Oxford: Waterhouses
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Our second visit to the Waterhouses crash site of this Oxford yielded this scrap of debris.

Access to the site was facilitated by the river being unexpectedly completely dry.

Pat Cunningham's information is a bit poor at this site, probably for the main reason we had such difficulty locating it: the trees on the steep bank block the GPS signal pretty effectively.

His given coordinates are for example 50m below his given elevation data, and on the wrong side of the river.

Our location info at this site is at least on the right side of the river, but it will not be as accurate as usual, maybe +/- 50 ft.

Location:SK 09323 50138

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Blackburn Botha W5103

Botha
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

The Botha wreckage was just where we left it in May last year, and looked just the same too. Our co-ords are also good.

Location:SK 11077 97532

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378

Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

These pieces of aluminium sheeting were a good way from the piled wreckage commonly photographed at the site, in the direction of the Botha wreck.

Location: SK 10747 97072

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I N3378

Defiant
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

The remains of this Defiant on Bleaklow appear all to still be intact, despite our publishing the coordinates of the site almost a year ago on here.

The dire warnings that publishing coordinates will result in sites being looted we have been receiving from wreckologists appear groundless.

But of course we knew that. It is the aircraft nuts who are taking bits, and they know where the sites are. What would walkers want a bit of old scrap metal for?

Uttoxeter Crash Site

Brookend
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig
We walked the banks of the River Dove near Uttoxeter between Crakemarsh and Combridge, where we had previously heard there was due to be a wreck site excavation around now.

No sign of anything, though the bridges and footpaths in the area were pretty comprehensively blocked, so we couldn't follow our planned search route. This is apparently all too common in Staffs. We will be having a word with their rights of way complaints department.

We do not know the identity of the aircraft. We have found reports of many 'planes crashed in this general area, but none close to the given location.

Alan Clark says he knows the identity of the plane but would rather not say. He tells us that several previous requests to "recover" the wreck have been refused by the landowner, and that none of the usual suspects are admitting involvement in the dig. Even more secrecy than usual. And as ever, a certain amount of ner ner ner ner ner.

Approximate location:SK 100 370

Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV T1884

Blenheim
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Other visitors to this site have reported a number of items which allowed clear identification of this as a Blenheim crash site. Perhaps they took them away with them, as this old and none-too- convincing bolt was as good as it got for us, though there was a cluster of strong signals about 10m from this location which we didn't investigate.

Location: SJ 98118 96493

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North American P-51D Mustang 44-64084

Mustang
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Bits of this Mustang which was part of the same ill-fated flight of twelve 'planes as Mustang 44-72181, which we visited earlier.

Others have reported no visible wreckage at the location, but a close search showed quite a bit of small surface wreckage like this.

Location: SK 02617 91379

More info(PDAAR)
More info(SLA)

Armstrong Vickers Wellington Mk.III DF611 coded W

Wellington: Scraps A515
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Proved the site of the crash of this Wellington next to the A515 near Newhaven. 30 yards behind the bodged wall shown in the pic of our first attempt, the ground is apparently full of metal scraps like these.

Location:SK 15671 61630

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Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV V6078

Blenheim: Scrap 2
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

One of a couple of unexciting scraps found at the site of the 1943 crash of this Blenheim near Matlock.

Location:SK 34310 66231

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Armstrong Vickers Wellington Mk.III BJ652 coded Z

Wellington: Scraps
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This is the most recognisable of the scraps at this Welllington crash site. It is from a Type B Electro-Magnetic Fuzing Unit Ref.No. 5D/606. It's part of the Universal Bomb Carrier. At least, that's what we were told here.

Location:SK 19956 62069

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Armstrong Vickers Wellington Mk.III BJ652 coded Z

Wellington: Bomb Release and Cover
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This item identified as a bomb release and cover by posters on the Aero Part Identify Board as being from the Smerrill Wellington would have been our best find of the day, if it were indeed part of the 'plane.

Location: Quite a distance from the impact site...

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Armstrong Vickers Wellington Mk.1C R1538

Wellington Crash Site
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This memorial marks the exact spot where this Wellington Bomber crashed in 1943, killing two and injuring three of those on board.

We found a few scraps in the surrounding well-harrowed fields, but we understand that although aluminium is regularly turned up by the farmer, the area has been well picked over by enthusiasts...

Location:SJ 95143 45878

More info: none available online, seems this is the only mention of this site on the 'net.

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V Z9189

We found a glob of formerly molten aluminium, and a flake a bit less less heat distorted at the crash site of this Whitley which had a short, unsuccessful flight from the nearby Darley Moor airfield.

The ground here is full of aluminium, and the greenish corrosion which often accompanies it at crash sites.

Pat Cunningham's coordinates were unusually far out here, enough to put you in the wrong field, and on the wrong side of the road. Luckily the urbane Mr. Basile, (owner of the relevant land), happened by on horseback and was able to give a few pointers.

Location:SK 17754 42867

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Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V EB338

Whitley Crash site
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This Whitley crashed just over the wall from the Tissington Trail. A bit of corroded steel found on the surface, with many more bits detected underground.

Location: SK 15033 55671

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Hawker Hurricane Mk.I V6793

Hurricane Crash Site
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Someone has been doing some serious, metal-detector assisted digging in and around the crater left by this Hurricane on Fleet Green. This smallish stuff left by the side of the crater looks like the things they found too uninteresting to take away to us...

Location: SK 04742 61315

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Boeing RB-29A Superfortress 44-61999

Took my brother and his kids out to the Superfortress yesterday. Had to turn back, as it started snowing heavily, and they were not as well clothed as might be desired. I noted however that the gun well/crawl tunnel previously recorded was nowhere near where it was at my last visit. If someone has indeed moved it, I hope that it is in the direction of the main wreck site.

Location: Unknown-hopefully not in someone's garage "museum"