Seafire Mark XVII 1949
 

Hey :)

Does anyone have any information about this incident?

Thanks

T

Do you know if this was in County Donegal?

Bill

This is the only thing I can find which might be related.

Bill

Going on info from link posted this may be the plane.

From the original photo I assumed it was on a monument or cairn but have found a dfferent view.

Photo: © Copyright Kenneth Allen

Shore Road Culdaff


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Hi all :)

Thank you :) my friend took the pic on holidays a few years ago and meant to look at what happened ill send him the link and the pic

T X

There are still more questions than answers , there is no mention of fatalities so why have a commemorative plaque about a plane making a crash landing ?

Also this was post war , so was it a 'routine' flight or training exercise ?

There is no first name given , if you are going to 'remember' someone why not put their full name ?

The crash sites also in Ireland :?

T X

As a man who has family in Donegal and visited on many occasions I can tell you that if something remotely interesting occurs in the rural areas (most of it) it’s worthy of a plaque and story recital down the local pub for the next 30 years... perhaps longer for a really good story like this.

I’ve no knowledge of this incident but being 1949 the Seafire has crash landed in ROI so not so routine I’d imagine ending up there.

OK , found some info about the incident in "Fly Navy: The View From the Cockpit 1945-2000" by Charles Manning.(pages 17 & 18)

"The main runway at RNAS Lossiemouth was being extended , their Fireflies and Seafires had to be moved to RNAS Eglinton on the shores of Lough Foyle in Northern Ireland , and Anthorn Ferry Flight got the task."

NB. Weather - Low cloud and drizzle with thick layer of cloud up to a significant height.

"It wasn't long before I heard on the radio that the Fireflies , who had taken off first , were in a spot of bother . Still in cloud , they had flown past Eglinton who gave them an erroneous radio bearing which took them even further away."

"A few minutes later , among all the Firefly chatter , a Seafire called running short of fuel and contemplating a forced landing somewhere in Donegal , over beyond Eglinton in the Irish Free State . Shortly afterwards , he said he was down OK in a potato field , unhurt".


Unfortunately there are no further details about Flight Lieutenant Whittaker.


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