Neglected Flying Boat base.

[MJC]

Tremendous. Please post all that you have.

[behblc]

228 Squadron loss.

228 Squadron spent a very short time at Castle Archdale in early 1943 before returning again to Pembroke Dock.
This Sunderland was their only loss .
Again rom the form 1180.
Sunderland W3995 228 Squadron. 10/01/43.

"A/C taxying for take off. Pilot taxied too far down-wind into prohibited area - ran aground on shoal.

O-C " Captain not sure of his position in relation to flarepath, instructed dinghy driver to lead him downwind. This the driver failed to do and captain caried on downwind without taking cross bearings to ensure he was still in the safe area".

The sunderland ran aground on "Troublesome Rocks" or as the local people call it " The Gay Island Shoal".

The aircraft wpuld sem to have been holed and badly damaged and the descision was made to salvage her in section removing fuel , munitions engines and whatever could be saved before removing the hull from the rocks. The following is a brief description from Mr. Edward Bowell a groundcrew member of 228 Squadron.


"We were called out the night the Sunderland ran aground ( 6.20 am )
We did hear that it had ran on to uncharted rocks. Not being able to do anything that night we returned to our accomadation.
the aircraft ws dismantled as far as I can recall and on our trip out to collect part of the fuselage we had a very rough trip in a pinnace due to the bad weather. I think quite a bit of the aircraft was salvaged and it was brought back in small boats like we did in turns.
The aircraft seemed to be on top of the rocks ( nose up and tail down), I think the hull had been ripped open.
( Might I add that we were called ( that night) down to the slipway and after a long wait we were sent back to our huts as there was nothing we could do).

I believe the barges or maybe the pinnace boats went to and fro for a day or two and inboard equipment was salvaged. then parts of the plane were taken apart. Some of us went out in the pinnace about three or four days after the crash , we lashed part of the aircrfat in the well of the boat. The Lough was very rough and we got tossed about also the llifting gear tackle broke loose in the pinnace , anyway that was swinging about and was hitting the tailplane. so having to dodge it wasn't that funny.
I only went out once to my knowledge , maybe others went out but I really don't think much else took place beacuse all theslavage work was called off due to the movement of the aircraft. It was unsafe to work on so it must have been on the way down due to the bad weather. All in all it could not have been long from the night it ran aground until it sank , my estimate would be not more than 4-5 days.

Troublesome rocks is a very exposed shoal - the winds mostly come in from the Atlantic right down the Lough and the aircraft would have been exposed and vunerable to the elements - that she sank is little wonder.
Parts of the aircraft are still there today and have been dived on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAIIY5SjDGI
Found this on U-tube - not LE , sank at malta.

The attached jpeg shows the alighting area , Troublesome Rocks can be seen in proxsiminity to both Gay Island and Castle Archdale.
1942 a flying control tower was set up on Gay Island , the legs of the tower remain there , then island cleared of scrub and woodland , not been reclaimed by nature - see the following post.

[behblc]

Gay Island

Gay island today .
In August 1946 the remains of an airman was found in the small bay in less than 6 inches of water. Sdaly the remaoins could not be identified and the poor man is buried as an unknown officer in Irvinestowns Commonwealth Plot. The remains of the uniform and a shoe worn identified him as being an officer , the body was estimated as hving been in the lough for approximately two years.
The small bay - when I was last on the Island there was a large amount or wire rope , a strong winch all ivy covered - you fell over it before you saw it.
A large mooring bollard and an iron girder set in concrete - 70 years ago there was a light here to identify the Island at night and assist the pilot and marine section to orientate themselves at night.

[behblc]

Al Bishops crew

Al Bishop and crew - they sank U-489 South of Iceland on 4th August 1943.

The sinking of the submarine has been well cocumented , Mr Norman Franks excellent "Search , Find and Kill " carries a detailed account of the action as do his books "Dark Sky , Deep water" and "U-Boats v Aircraft" ( All published by Grub Street).
The German crew scuttled their crippled Milk Cow and took to their life rafts - with them the Luftwaffe crew of a downed Blohm and Voss flying boat.
Attacked by a Hudson the submarine could not dive owing to a hatch seal being damaged.

The Sunderland was hit and seriously damaged on her attack run and whilst she critically damaged the submarine the Sunderland was forced to ditch close by , the smoke from the burnig wreck of the aircraft would save their lives as it was seen on the horizon by an alert watch keeper on HMS Castletown.
The Crew rom the Sunderland were more thrown out than did they manage to get out Murray Wettlauffer went through the cockpit window and several were wounded or sustained injuries in the crash.
At the time of the attack a meal was being prepared in the galley - Art Mountford was to be doing the cooking but instead of steak they had been issued with kippers - he had no idea how to cook them so "Ginger Horsborough" went to the galley and Art stayed "on the set" ( Wireless Op.), as Art Mountford told me "no one came out of the body of the aircraft alive and to this day I can't stand the smell of kippers" , a simple thing like kippers decided the fate of who would live and who would die.

The German seamen having been attacked and sunk - they ignored the aircrew who supported themselves and their wounded crewmates aided only by their "may wests" unaware that the navy was coming to the rescue , growing weaker by the minute and close to death by the time the U-Boat crew had been picked up and then they in turn were plucked from the water.
The navy thought they were all germans until one crewman saw the RAF/ RCAF birds on their shoulders, taken to sick bay / the wardroom the crew went to work on them to restore body heat and keep their circulation going massagaing them and trying to get them to pass urine.
Art recalls some sailors "taking me to the head" and supprting him as they encouraged him to "pee" , " Christ Canada arn't you ever going to p***" was something which he could still recall 50 years later.


( I will reproduce Al Bishops account and that of Murray Wettlaufer later tonight both are quite long and detailed).

The crew photo.
Front row : Sgt Gossip Fl./Eng. / A/G. ( RAF +) , F/O. Art Mountford.
( Wearing white shirt) ( Bare chest)

Second row : Sgt Hadcroft Rigger / A/G. ( Buried at Sea) + ,
P/O. Harry Parliament , Navigator F/O. Murray Wettlaufer 2nd Pilot.

Third row : Flt/lt. "Ginger" Horsborough W.Op. +
Flt/Sgt. Kelly A/G. +
F/O. Al Bishop. Pilot.
Back row : Sgt "Hack Finn W.Op/A/G.
Sgt "Red" MacDonald Eng./A/G.

When you look at these lads they are only youngsters , consider their opposite numbers Wolfgang Leu - who had asked for his friend to be assigned to his boat and who after seeing them down closed the hatch behind them.
Collectively the young lads in this photo Wolfgang Leu , the Commander of U-625 who flashed up to Sid Butler "Fine Bombish" - such a waste , such a rotten waste of lives.

"Life to be sure is nothing much to lose,
But youngmen think it is
And we were young"

For my part it was / is so important to be able to put faces to the names and sadly faces to headstones or the names which bedeck the Runnymede Memorial - remembering these lads should not 10 minutes in one day a year job - I will leave that to the politicians.

The German crew scuttled their crippled Milk Cow and took to their life rafts - with them the Luftwaffe crew of a downed Blohm and Voss flying boat.
Attacked by a Hudson the submarine could not dive owing to a hatch seal being damaged.

[behblc]

U489

From Murray Wettlaufer.
"Early on the morning of 4th August 1943, I was flying as second pilot with F/O Al. Bishop and a crew of ten on a anti-submarine patrol from our base at castle Archdale to Reykjavik , Iceland. About 200miles south of Iceland , we spotted a sub on the surface. The alarm was sounded , a first sighting report was dispatched , and we prepared to attack.
As we circled to approach from the rear , the sub turned in circles to keep his guns to bear on us. We found out that this was a mother ship which supplied other submarines with fuel , food and torpedoes, etc and that the armament cocsisted of a 4.7 in gun, four 20mm cannons and numerous machine guns. Our method was to attack from 50ft. using evasive action on the way in but the last part of our run had to be straight and level. The pilot dropped the depth charges which could be selectedin a string of eight or seperated into a stick of six saving two for later. We decided to attack and on the way in, all hell broke loose. Several hits were made in our aircraft and I distinctly remember the jagged holes in the metal floor under my feety and all the guages spinning around and round. Our controls were shot away but Al. Bishop was able to drop our depth charges after which we staggered on and crashed into the sea. I was thrown through the perspex windhield and found myself swimming to avoid burning oil and gasolene on the water. We made direct hits on the submarine which was severely damaged. The German crew, abandoned ship into rubber rafts some 100yds from us. We had some anxious moments because we were swimming in the water aided only by our Mae Wests but they paid little attention to us. The submarine heeled up with its stern high in the air and we saw it slip out of sight to its grave. As it disappeared, a severe explosion was felt which was probably was one of our depth charges. The german crew were heard to shout Seig heil , seig heil". About 45 minutes later, a British town class destroyer, the "Castletown" , launched a whaler and picked up 60 Germans before thy saw us. I was put in the bottom of the boat , rowed to the ship , and lifted high in the air by a crane and deposited on the deck. They took me to a Lieutenant's cabin where I was given emergency treatment for my wounds and for the shock of being in that cold, cold water. Five of the crew were killed but only one body was recovered. The next day we arrived in Iceland where I was taken to the local military hospital where I spent my 21st birthday. After a week I was flwon to England and hospitalized near London. After eight months of hospital and rehabilation , I returned to Castle Archdale and operations."
Murray Wettlaufer.
( Murray made reference to member of the crew of the UBoat being made up of members of the D.A.K. - I take it that some of the crew were wearing overseas / tropical uniform at the time and this is what he took for DAK uniform).

[behblc]

Murray Wettlauffer

Murray returned to 423 RCAF and took on his own crew June 44 , following jpegs show his crew.

[behblc]

On their Aircraft.

Some less formal photos of Murray's crew.

[behblc]

Murray Wettlauffer crew.

Some more.
Life at Castle Archdale was relaxed for those not on flying duites - good food could be had at a reasonable rate at "Ma Bothwells" and "Shutts" in Irvinestown - the local pubs soon becoming regular " eating houses" for off duty air crew.
Being close to "the republic" regular trips across to acquire rationed goods , clothing , meat , sugar etc - it became a way of life.
One pub which backed on to the termon river ( which marked the border which ran through Pettigo saw airmen wading across in unifrom to emerge minutes later from the front door of the pub as civilians , the "trip" being repeated to "get home".
Leave down to Dublin or over to London was a regular - men going cross channel tried to "hitch a lift" on an aircraft going to Stranraer or to Pembroke Dock which saved them a days travelling.
The local people took this multinational outfit to their hearts , Canadians , New Zealanders, Australians, British , the odd Rhodesian and South African all were made welcome and many beacme frequent visitors in local homes.

Wives often lived close to the base and for the lucky few it was possible to avoid the enforced seperation which came with the war and family life could continue.
Quite a number of local girls married aircrew and moved overseas when the war ended - dances on the base becoming very much part of the community social life , the base running a regular bus service to both Enniskillen and Irvinestown - later a pinnace boat provided a "water bus service".
The injection of both life and money into what until 1941 was a sleepy rural community is hard to imagine.
Crime related to the presence of the airbases - almost none existant - a few cases of drunk and disorderly but nothing of note - relationships with the local population was always excellent .
Don Macfie who was at first dispondent at having been sent to " this hole" quickly found that Lough Erne , the local towns and people were like a home from home - and like so many he hated leaving.

The base ran its own news paper - copies of which were copied and exist today only in the Appendies to 423 's Operational Record Book - sports evenst on the base - the canadian soft ball league - and some of the temas had ( colourful names ) , football , hockey , fishing , what was on at the base and local cinemas , dances , openning times at the "Sally Ann canteen" , local events , impending marriages - you name it it was in there.

Accomadation - for those in huts - cold , never warm and rats proved a
huge problem.
So much so that at Killadeas the New Zealanders there scavanaged fuel from the tanks of the aircraft and poured it into the undercuts around the trees to burn out local rat populations killing them by the hundred - the officers on base ( 1941) having been unable to address the problem.
For men who recieved food parcels from home - everything had to be kept in tins and these were often hung from the frame of the hut , more than once did a man wake up to find a rat sitting on his bed or even to be in it.
The "Cannucks" at Castle Archdale had a grand rat hunt - its even recprded in their ORB - warning that all pets ( squadrons mascots , of which there were a few) had to be kept indoors as poison was set down and the base hunted for unwelcome guests.
As I said Don Macfie loved guard duty on his Sunderland !

The "Cannucks" could be insulted - if you called them "Americans" and from time to time they had "disaggreements" with US service men who poached the ladies. (This was never wholesale war - but some injuries did occur ).

Eddy edwards told me about a run in he had with a local policeman who was being rather " jobsworth".
Eddy's car was not "blacked out enough for the local constable who gave Eddy a lecture about a passing German aircraft being able to naviagte with the aid of his uncovered headlights.
Edwards did not take kindly to this lecture and informed the policeman that in that case he had been get back to Ballinamallard Station and get it covered in black paint as it could be seen fro miles around from the air.
Likewise the constable did not take to kindly to this and Edy assureed him that the next time he had a crew up for night flying exerices he would demonstrate how easy it was to find the RUC Satation in the middle of blacked out Ballinamallard.
The next night the police station recieved several low passes / "bombing runs" from a locally based Catalina.

Sadly the Lough would occasionally claim lives - several aircrew were drowned swiming and boating on the Lough and the worst loss of life ( non operational) would be caused by the sinking of a pinnace boat making its way from Killadeas to castle Archdale in bad weather - 8 men from 201 Sq. being drowned. ( I will have to double check this figure).

[behblc]

Tip to tip.

A view from wing tip to wing tip , Murray Wetlauffer's Sunderland.

[behblc]

A few more of 423 Crews.

Bottom right Claire Bradley's crew (as far as I can recall) , the other crew - their name is runnign aaround my head but for the life of me it won't come - I will try and correct this later.

[behblc]

201 Squadron circa 1942.

I would apologise for the rather potted prsentation - but its rather much as I find them , sequence is a little bit "all over the place" - free flow.
The jpegs below are from 1942 - 201 RAF Sunderlands and aircrew - again these came from the late Mr. Ray Hartshorn.

When ray returned to Killadeas as an instructor he was one of several aircrew who taxied a Catalina downstream to Enniskillen and moored it there for several days - local people for a shilling a time could get a guided look around the aircraft.This was part of a "Wings Week" to raise money for the RAF.
( Several years ago I was in the RBL hall in Augher , on the wall is a framed presentation plate which was awarded to the local community in recognition of funds raised - the fund raiser in that local area is recorded in 131 OTU "Summary of events".)
The pilot who took her down to Enniskillen - Eddy Edwards - flying boat circles are very small and always names keep appearing - the Lerwicks and 422 -another instructor was Ogle-Skan - a name which appears often when flying boats are talked about.

[behblc]

Sandy Powell

Sandy Powell - Ray Hartshorn's skipper , 201 RAF.

[behblc]

The cost.

The funeral of an airman to the War graves plot in Irvinestown Roman Catholic Cemetery.
Unfortunately I do not know the name of the man being buried.

[behblc]

The same funeral.

The same funeral.

[behblc]

The same scene today

The same scene today .
The pathway has been surfaced and the old work house opposite has long gone to be replaced by housing.
The small hayfield is now St. Mary's High School , beyond which is the local Church of Ireland .
The same trees are still there.