Wellington bomber DV718, wing fragment
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Wellington bomber DV718
Wellington DV718 was taking part in a night navigation exercise which was called off due to bad weather. Lost above the moors and trying to descend through cloud, the bomber flew into Riggs Moor and blew up on impact when a fuel tank ruptured. 3rd September 1942.
Of the four men on board, only one survived, Navigator P/O D H Lyne RAFVR. The bomber was piloted by 20 year old New Zealander Sgt George F Ridgway RNZAF. Also killed were Bomb Aimer – Sgt Willie Allinson RAFVR, Wireless Operator Sgt Howard W Spencer RAFVR and Rear Gunner – Sgt Paul McLarnon RAFVR. See comments belwo from crew member’s relatives.
At the same time as this crash, another Wellington of the same flight, Z8808, also crashed on these moors. Z8808 was also piloted by a New Zealander, Flight Lieutenant P.R Coney. He and his crew all survived, the Wellington, a well built aircraft, remaining almost intact.
Amazing shot Ian
it amazing that these pieces were not removed by trophy hunters and the like years ago, nice shot.
very nice my friend
very nice my friend
Thanks guys. Over the years the wreckage has dwindled down to not very much at all for the reason you say Nigel. That’s one of the reasons I spend so much time photographing them, before this stuff disappears altogether.
You are always on an adventure ^.^
More good stuff Ian . Its archeology really.
The classic Barnes-Wallis criss-cross structure shows up well here. The Wellington could take a lot of hits and still stay structurally sound.
Keep up the good work Ian, great stuff !
That’s a fair sized chunk –
Nice example of the geodetic(?) make up of the wellington, nice to have someone photograph the remains of these wartime crash sites for posterity.
6 mile trek you say, that means a 12 mile round trip to get back to this aircraft site before heading home, I’m sure that’s more than the required 10,000 steps a day for a healthy living!
Good on you anyway.
My Uncle Paul Mclarnon died on this wellington. He was 24 years old and from belfast in Northern Ireland. He is still very much missed by my Aunty who was around eight or nine years old when he died. He is buried at home in miltown cemetery if anyone is interested.
Thanks for the photos though!!
John McKeever
Thank you very much indeed for your comment John, great to hear from you.
any idea where the tail section is now? from a family perspective we’d be very interested in it.
My great uncle was the pilot on this flight. Im hoping to travel to the site next year on a visit to the UK. Thanks very much for the photos.
Get in touch Steven. I would be very interested in meeting you.
Johndregg@hotmail.com
Sgt Paul McLarnon. Its the best photo i can find at present. Will try to find more and have them scanned properly.
Thanks for that John.
Seen in Military Airplane Crash Sites
Smaller than on Allenby’s 2005 shot, but bigger than it was on Friday last…
Not good to hear.
I would never have thought that bits would just stay there – you assume it would be cleared away.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/stickotopia] It surprises me still.