Blackburn Botha W5103
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Blackburn Botha W5103
A Winter visit to a crash site on Bleaklow in the Dark Peak. This is a bit of a wing.
First Officer Thomas William Rogers, Air Transport Auxiliary, was killed in the crash on 10 December 1941. This was a new Blackburn Botha being delivered from the factory near Leeds, to RAF Hawarden, near Chester. The exact cause of the crash is unknown, the official report suggesting First Officer Rogers had encountered low cloud but flew on, trying to maintain visual contact with the ground.
Summer visit.
Autumn visit.
A Blackburn Botha. There wasn’t much up for the poor Botha. Wikipedia says the aircraft "had several major problems. It was considered to have poor lateral stability, while the view to the side or rearward was virtually non-existent owing to the location of the engines… making the aircraft useless as a general reconnaissance aircraft (and it) was also underpowered"
Image from wikipedia commons en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blackburn_B-26_Botha.jpg
nice shot Ian
Those cloud enshrouded hills were unforgiving to aircraft over the years weren’t they.
Nicely done mate, that cloud had certainly built up during the day.
Those ATA folks certainly had a tough job flying so many different types of aircraft around under so much pressure too. Hat’s off to them – very much an under remembered contribution to the war effort I feel and thanks for bringing it to our notice.
i like that you have seasonal visits and shots 🙂
great to see the different colours, and light. you dress very tidy for a man out on the moor!
i’d never heard of a Botha [sounds South African – stereotype? maybe] … so great to have the historic aircraft shot too. looks quite the cumbersome machine and not ideal for stooging around the hills.
love the top shot, the red poppy is wonderfully vibrant against the snow.
Excellent work.. As ever and well done for doing it..
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/gastephen] Thanks Graham
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/27955898@N07] Yeah, Kinder and Bleaklow and Black Hill caught more than their fair share.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/31878512@N06] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/48184275@N08] Thanks for adding as faves Neal & Collette.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/highy] Yeah they don’t get much of a mention. Many of the ferry pilots were women, as you know.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nondesigner/] Thanks Malcolm.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/angwickham]
Ang, thank you. Photo by Paul, Hair by Ian D B, Clothes by covering self in glue and running through an Oxfam shop.
No idea about the name, I will have to look it up. Here is another Botha site we have visited, this one in Wales.
Never heard of this plane Ian so I Wiki-ed it, looks a bit like the Blenheim…there is always a poignant beauty to these sites where so many ended their very short lives.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/maycontaintracesofnuts] thanks for that trip back in your stream, some great stuff i hadn’t seen back there.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/maycontaintracesofnuts] p.s you must live in a posh area if yr Oxfam shop has clothes like that 😉
God bless officer Rogers and his family. You go to great lengths to bring us these spectacular shots, you deserve a medal my friend.
Not all aircraft that make it into production should have done so. It sounds as though this particular model was one of those. It was probably considered to be necessary to the war effort.
nice work ian looks a bit cold up there on the moors
Wonderful stuff Ian – never did like the look of the botha – one of those misguided designs that struggled off the drawing board for no real reason as far as I can tell!
The top shot is superb with the winter light, contrasts and the added vivid Poppy. You do these so well and nice to see that ‘Top Man’ tailoring lives on up there in the wilds. Love that analogy of applying glue and running through an Oxfam shop!! Brilliant idea …hahaha ;-))
Most excellent work Ian ….this is so good ….. the winter just adds the coldness to this tragedy of war ….. great work my friend
Have been watching some old programs digging planes out of the moor somewhere. That always reminds me of you
Fascinating, always learn something new here 🙂
Great wee dash of red on the poppy, quite fitting
Great shots, and history Ian.
brings a beautiful serenity to death..
Superb view of this site Ian . It looks so different from in summer , obviously its the snow butr I am still quite suprised by the look of the shot . i would struggle to have named the location.
Great composition and light, such emotion in these photos.
Good picture, Ian. The small remembrance cross looks poignant in the snowy barren landscape.
I didn’t hear about Blackburn Botha before.
Ian, that’s an amazing picture even without the tragic remains of the crash. Great work as usual, regards, John
Very atmospheric shot.
The Botha had an appalling track record, but in low cloud it doesn’t matter what you’re flying.