by Linda McGrory
A SPITFIRE fighter plane that crashed in an
Inishowen bog during WWII is to be excavated next
week with the help of an Army bomb disposal team.
The plane was piloted by an American who parachuted
from the aircraft before it ditched at Glenshinney
bog, Moneydarragh, on the Inishowen peninsula in
November 1941.
The pilot, believed to be Roland 'Bud' Wolf, was
subsequently held for two years at the Curragh
detention camp amid a diplomatic row between the
Irish and British governments.
Locals in the rural area are preparing themselves
for next Tuesday’s operation involving the defence
forces, gardai, archaeologists and haulage lorries.
The excavation is being undertaken as part of a BBC
programme.
The plane was carrying ammunition and up to seven
Browning machine guns when it crashed.
Defence forces spokesman, Commandant Neil Nolan,
yesterday said the bomb disposal unit was being
deployed to make safe any live munitions. "A bomb
disposal team will attend when the plane is dug out,
to ensure that any ordinance or munitions that were
on board the aircraft, don't pose a threat to public
safety," said Cmdt Nolan.
"They will check the weapon systems to make sure
they are not loaded or if they are loaded, to unload
them and make them safe. They will check the
condition of the munitions because, despite the fact
that ordinance might have been buried for many
years, it can still be live or active and can still
pose a threat to public safety."
It is understood 'Bud' Wolf was recruited to fly
Spitfires in Northern Ireland and was based at RAF
Eglinton in Co Derry.
It is thought his plane suffered a coolant leak but
the Nebraska native managed to bail out before it
crashed.
A Buncrana garda spokesman yesterday said there may
be traffic restrictions between Redcastle and
Gleneely for the operation that will begin at first
light on June 28. The excavation team, who found the
plane in the last few weeks using metal detectors,
are expected to be in the area for three days. It is
understood the plane will then be taken to Derry to
be cleaned and conserved for future display.
Tommy Lafferty (72) from Moneydarragh, who was just
over two years old when the plane went down,
recently helped pinpoint its location.
As a child,he remembered locals going out to see
where the plane crashed. "They used metal detectors
to find it and they think it's about 17 feet below
the moss. They'll have a fair bit of digging to do,"
he said. And while he has "no interest in items of
war", curiosity will bring him out next week to see
the plane raised after 70 years from its peaty
grave. |
