Contents Part I Introduction Part II Maps Part III Scotland West Aircraft Investigation Group (SWAIG) Part IV The Achievements Of SWAIG Part V Hatto Kuhn & Operation Whitehills Part VI The Investigation Process Part VII Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Wrecks Part VIII Mainland Wrecks Part IX Scottish Island Wrecks Part X Wreck Parts Part XI Colours & Markings Summary Part XII The Halibag Part XIII Plane Spotting Part XIV Aviation Stamps Part XV On The Hills Part XVI Martindale‟s Marauders Part XVII References Part I – Introduction Who were the Marauders? ver the course of over forty O years my father, John Martindale, found many aircraft wrecks on the hillsides of Scotland. If you were related to John or a friend, it is quite likely that at some point you would have muttered unprintable objections while being dragged kicking and screaming to either a summit of a hill or a hillside wreck. Nobody managed to find a suitable excuse to avoid being subjected to a trip up the hills in variable weather conditions. Even after over four decades he was still at Above (1): John Martindale in the 1970s. it, taking plane spotting buddies to find scraps of (John Martindale) planes on the hills. It is perhaps fitting that his final marauding trip extended to guiding not one of his own relations or friends but relatives of a crewman who had survived one of the crashed planes. In the 1970s John befriended other like-minded enthusiasts and together they formed a group known as Scotland West Aircraft Investigation Group (SWAIG). The group of friends researched and found many aviation wrecks in Scotland and were involved in the recovery of several engines Martindale’s Marauders Page 2 and aviation artefacts. In this booklet I would like to chart how the investigation process was conducted and some of the stories surrounding the activities of SWAIG. Their more impressive achievements are recorded, these primarily being involvement in an exhibition at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, the recovery of two Oxford engines and one Anson engine, and the saving of a Vampire forward fuselage section from destruction. It will also cover the fascinating story of their involvement in Operation Whitehills, when one engine and propeller from a Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 bomber was raised from the Moray Firth. A range of tales will be told in this booklet. There are moments of hilarity: of parking jet fighters at a petrol station, wreck parts being erroneously identified as washing machine parts, a couple mistaking a crash site for an eagle‟s nest and jet fighter nosewheel plantpots. And there are more surreal moments such as piracy in Timbuktu, bribing Russian Colonels, sitting on unexploded bombs and German Colonels at the front door. But for the most part the booklet covers the other extreme of human emotion when young men were tragically killed in aviation accidents. There is the tale of the crew who braved the barrage of flak from the Tirpitz only to die on an Ayrshire hill, of two separate cases of crews flying from a base in Northern Ireland who became utterly lost after protecting convoys in the North Atlantic, and several cases of non-operational flights which ended in disaster. Perhaps the most heart-breaking tale relates to those on board a B-24 flying home to the States after the war in Europe had finished. On board were numerous combat veterans who had somehow managed to return to base time after time after time. And yet, this time, during what should have been a routine crossing over the Atlantic, when there were no attacking Luftwaffe fighters and no deadly flak, when they had survived the war, they were so needlessly lost in a remote location so very far from home. Although many of the activities of SWAIG are covered, it must be stated at the outset that the primary goal of this booklet is to pay tribute to my late father and that is why there is an emphasis on his involvement. It should be recognised that John was only one of the members of SWAIG and did not take part in every activity, for example the Vampire recovery. One aspect which was key to the investigation process was the paint colours, squadron codes and serials of the crashed aircraft. Due to the importance of this research element, particular emphasis has been taken in this booklet to try to determine the paint scheme and markings of each and every one of the aircraft covered. A summary of these details is provided in Part XI, along with drawings of RAF roundel types. Another aspect of this booklet is in regard to aircraft models. John made a number of models in the 1970s, depicting the crashed aircraft in the scheme employed when lost. To support this booklet I have recreated this process by building ten 1/72nd models, all of which depict a Scottish hillwreck aircraft in their final scheme. I have also taken the opportunity to cover two other aviation-related topics - plane spotting and aviation stamps – which are essential in any work which focuses on the interests of John Martindale. When these additional topics and all the aviation and hillwalking stories are covered, the reader may be more inclined to understand the lyrics of the song Martindale‟s Marauders, which concludes this booklet. Written by several SWAIG friends for my parents‟ wedding, the lyrics relate how John would lead the Marauders through driving rain and over boggy moorland in search of wreck sites. Though it is an old song, it is a fitting tribute to John and the Marauders. A little reminder If somehow or other this booklet inspires you to don walking boots and take off in search of a wreck site, please do keep a few simple things in mind. Firstly, try not to get lost as the Mountain Rescue folks have better things to do on a weekend than winch you to safety. You might also consider donning suitable clothing as it is not unknown for rain to fall in the highlands of Scotland. You should also carry a map and compass and be proficient in the knowledge of how to use them both. Even the most experienced hillwalker has at some point become disorientated in mist and low cloud and uttered a few sweary words at their map. Martindale’s Marauders Page 3 On a more serious note, if you do visit a plane wreck it is essential to remember that it is an archaeological site. Writing your name or the year on a wall in your neighborhood is bad enough but doing so on an exposed piece of metal at a wreck site is the very worst form of vandalism. That piece of metal is an archaeological artefact and should be accorded with the same respect as any other historical relic. You would not think of disturbing artefacts at a Roman archeological site and the same philosophy must apply to an aircraft wreck site. This is especially true for relics from fatal crashes. In the vast majority of cases human remains have been removed for burial but there are some exceptions which have been declared as war graves. We should always be especially respectful, taking consummate care to only observe and not disturb what is a memorial to the young men who have died. Acknowledgements There are several individuals I would like to thank for their assistance in compiling the information in this booklet. In particular I would like to express my gratitude to former SWAIG members Ronnie and Valerie McKinnon, and George Pittendreigh, for the information they kindly provided as this has been essential in filling in the many gaps in my knowledge. Further thanks are due to George for touching up his Spitfire / Messerschmitt drawing for this booklet. I am also very grateful to my stepmother Barbara Martindale for information in regard to more recent times. My thanks are also due to Elliot Smock, an aviation historian who contacted me in 2015 to request information regarding John‟s hillwrecking activities. Indeed it was Elliot‟s request which instigated the research which forms the basis of this booklet. I would also like to thank James Towill, my co-author of Viking Down!, for allowing the use of his wreck photos and to John and Linda Hastings for the Bamburgh Castle engine photo. The contacts who have very kindly offered their time in answering my queries include Lauren Woodward of the Royal Air Force Museum London, Jan Keohane of the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton, Lisa at Bamburgh Castle, Ian Brown of the National Museum Of Flight at East Fortune, staff at the North East Aircraft Museum in Sunderland, Bob Cooke, Robert F. McKay, Alan Leishman and the late Iain Crosbie Sr.. Two websites have been of particular benefit in providing information regarding several of the aircraft crashes. I am particularly appreciative of Gordon Lyons of Air Crash Sites Scotland; each year more and more details are added to his website which has become a major resource in regard to Scottish wreck sites. I should also like to thank Alan Clark and his excellent Peak Air Accident Research website. Special mention should be made in regard to Shaun Moroney. Both Shaun and his brother Martin travelled from the Buckinghamshire area to attend an event held in April 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the crash of Vickers Viking G-AIVE. Their father Con Moroney was the BEA Steward who played a pivotal role in the events of that evening. At the end of the event (hereafter referred to as the „Viking event‟), John contributed with a slide show in which he discussed several aircraft wrecks.