Acknowledgment
Information and accident data regarding this aircraft
 was kindly provided by Dougie Martindale.
Updated photos of remaining wreckage & GPS
 references were kindly provided by James Towill.

Registration or Serial: PP566

Operator: Royal Navy / Royal Naval Air Squadron / Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

Operating Base: RNAS Abbotsinch; 1830 RNVR Squadron (Base also for RAF Abbotsinch / RN HMS Sanderling)

Base Location: Glasgow (Abbotsinch), Scotland

Current Airport Status: Operational Civil Airport

Current Airport Name: BAA Glasgow International Airport (EGPF)

(Principal airport data courtesy of John Woodside, A Catalogue of UK Airfields)

Aircraft Nickname: Firebox

Aircraft Type & Background

A two-seater (pilot and observer) fleet reconnaissance, anti-submarine, night fighter and strike aircraft used by the Fleet Air Arm / Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy. Successor to the Fairey Fulmar, the Fairey Firefly was considered a superior aircraft and was powered by a Rolls Royce Griffon engine. The Firefly was equipped with folding wings for use on aircraft carriers.

The aircraft continued in service until 1950, when it was retired from the FAA. Aircraft production continued, however, until 1955; and the Firefly was still being used elsewhere for several years after this.

Firefly fighters were engaged in action against the German battleship, Tirpitz, and against targets in Norway, Palembang and Japan.

Aircraft Squadron Details

During the war, 1830 Sqdn. had been active in Sabang (1944), Palembang (1945) and Okinawa (1945).

1830 RNVR Squadron was formed at Abbotsinch (Glasgow) in 1947. Under the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), it operated as a  fighter and anti-submarine squadron until 1957.

Aircraft Accident Details

To date, it has not been possible to trace any details of this accident. All that is known is that the Fairey Firefly was reported missing, and that it was the subject of a BBC radio appeal for information.

Ultimately, the wreckage of the Firefly fighter was discovered close to the summit of Meikle Bin in the Campsie Fells, Stirling. The bodies of the two occupants were found nearby.

The two airmen who died in this accident were:

• Lt. J. Arthur Robertson (RNVR), Pilot. (from Glasgow)

• Naval Airman J. Smith. (from Paisley)

Accident Date

8 January 1950

Accident Site

Meikle Bin (570m / 1870ft)
 (Campsie Fells / Kilsyth Hills)

Region: Stirling

Nearest town or village: Lennoxtown & Campsie Glen

OS Grid Ref: 63 / NS 666 822

Garmin GPS (wing section):  NS 66646 82200 ± 5m, 551m ASL

Garmin GPS (engine): NS 66434 82225 ± 5m, ~500m ASL

Present Condition

Wing section, hydraulics, Griffon engine and other wreckage still to be found onsite.

Related Links

• Fairey Firefly Profile and History

• Fairey Firefly at British Aircraft Directory

• Fairey Firefly at Warbird Alley

• Fairey Firefly at Wikipedia

• British Aircraft of World War II

Museums

• Firefly at Canadian Aviation Museum

• Firefly at the Fleet Air Arm Museum

• Firefly at the Imperial War Museum (Duxford)

• Firefly AS Mk 6 at Warbird Depot (Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum)

Other Links

• Firefly at Frans Bonné's website

• Firefly photo at BocaJuniors website

Below: Fairey Firefly similar to that featured here.

Photo: source unknown

Unless otherwise indicated, all photos
 in this section were kindly provided by
 James Towill
and are used here with permission.

Below: A section of one of the Firefly's wings lies not far from the summit of Meikle Bin. (The trig pillar is just visible at the summit.)

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: The wing section from a different  perspective. One of the landing gear struts can be seen lying along the top surface.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: Viewed from the opposite side, this image shows the landing gear strut (to the right of the wing) still attached to the wing section.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: Another view of the wing section, taken from the side.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: This view shows the landing gear strut attached to the wing.

Note the end of the snowline just before the forest.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: An outstanding photo from the wreck site on Meikle Bin, showing forests, valley, and mountains in the far distance.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: A close-up view of the wing section and landing gear strut.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: All that remains of the 20mm / 0.78in Hispano cannon are these two rusted barrel housings. There were four cannon in total (two in each wing).

On the aluminium panel midway between the barrels housings, the graffiti reads:

390 (Paisley) Sq. Air Training Corps 30/9/72.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: Close-up of one of the hydraulic landing great struts and wheel axles.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: Close-up of worm gear and actuator assembly.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

NOTE: The remaining wreckage photographs below are of the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. To help identify the various sections or components, a photograph of a preserved Griffon engine is shown first.

Below: A Rolls-Royce Griffon power plant. Variants of this engine were fitted to Fairey Firefly, Supermarine Spitfire, and other fighter aircraft.

Photo: [n/d] Released by the author under GNU Free Documentation License

(See also the later Rolls Royce Griffon 65 engine photos at Aircraft Resource Center)

Above: A side view of the wrecked Fairey Firefly's Rolls Royce Griffon engine. Practically nothing removable remains on the engine.

This view shows the cylinder block with associated parts. Sections of the crankshaft can be seen also. (To identify some of the missing components, compare this photo with the preceding one.)

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: The end view of the Griffon engine showing the propeller shaft section partly buried in the ground.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: An overall view of the Firefly's engine.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: Top view of the Griffon engine, showing camshafts, cylinders, etc.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: Close-up showing camshafts and top of piston rods.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Below: Close-up of crankshafts from side of engine.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: The position of the engine in relation to nearby trees.

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Above: Relation of engine from trees to hill summit.

(GPS refs. provided near top of this page.)

Photo: 2008 J. Towill

Photo in this section used courtesy of
Callum Black
under Creative Commons Licensing agreement

Below: Part of a wing from the RN / FAA Fairey Firefly that crashed in 1950 close to the summit of Meikle Bin

Photo: © 2006 Callum Black.
Released by the author under Creative Commons Licence 2.0

To view other aircraft, please go to the Crash Index page.