View Full Version : Spitfire pilot's death in the Highlands to be marked
ricardian
2nd May 2013, 10:29
BBC report (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22364826)
The 70th anniversary of the death of a young Canadian pilot in a Spitfire crash in the Highlands is to be marked later this month. Flying Officer John McDonell, 21, was returning to RAF Fraserburgh from a photographic reconnaissance flight over Scotland's west coast on 16 May 1943.
Ricardian, Good to know this WW2 Pilot is being remembered locally in Scotland //WicK & Leuchars were used as WW2 satellites of PRU1 at Benson. They flew to the Norway fjords etc. Have seen your thread about the WW2 digitised film about Pilot Blyth whom we saw, I think on the recent TV documentary on Op. Crossbow. I contacted his son on another website. The RidgeWay Society would be interested in the above as they have quite a lot of info on Mount Farm, now Berinsfield and even saved a piece of wall with cartoon from that WW2 old airfield. Adrian Warburton was advised to fly in one of these Spits in April 1944 before he was lost but decided to fly P38 instead and never returned.The mystery of his last flight as you will know was solved. It was very difficult to exit a crashing P38 and I wonder why he flew in it? I wonder also would he have survived with his penchant for dicing.? He'd been flying before that final flight tho supposed to be medically unfit. Pilot Blythe would have heard of him being there when Col. Elliott Roosevelt was in charge.Fascinating film so thanks all those involved. Wonder what else there is as many other films seen in box ??Glen Miller played at M.Farm before they moved to Chalgrove. Suppose the WW2 films processed near the M.Farm airfield as here where I live on the processing site of PRU1.Benson. They must have all been sent to the CIU at Medmenham where Sarah Churchill dau. of Winston was and Constance Babington Smith,. Also folk from Disney Films.The Ruhr dams raid (anniv 16/17 March films were processed right where Im sitting and next door at Old Mansion the damage was seen for 1st time taken my Pilot Gerry Fray of 542 sqd. over the road. Alas he is no more but was lucky to have met him. Without them that raid wouldnt have been possible. 10,000 personnel were taken out immediate war work to repair dams. something some modern historians forget. I met some of 617 sqd, those who had bombed Tirpitz and asked whether they knew who had hunted and filmed that ship, the dams they had to bomb and the important water levels. But they hadnt!!!! Interesting to see veteran of 617 sqd at dam site recently. Never heard of tunnel under Mohne dam into which children ran. Good that we only see World Wars on films in these uncertain times, hope old 'dinnerjacket' will not get ideas!!
Hi Again Ricardian. Could this Canadian Pilot have been John Donald McDonell RCAF s/n J /13408 aged 21 in Spit X4326 who crashed 16th may 1943 nr. Fort William on a cross country exercise. ? He was buried in Inverness. Good to think he is still remembered.
Eclectic
2nd Jun 2013, 08:53
A Spitfire pilot's monument in Scotland: BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tayside and Central | WWII hero pilot statue unveiled (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6671703.stm)
A statue honouring a heroic World War II pilot who was killed in action has been unveiled in the Stirlingshire village where he died.
New Zealander Carlisle Everiss lost control of his Spitfire over Cowie in 1941 but managed to steer it towards a local wood before crashing.
Related to the longest serving football manager of all time, Fred Everiss of West Brom!!!