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Registration
or Serial:
TX264
Operator:
Royal Air Force
(120 Squadron)
Operating Base:
RAF Kinloss
Base
Location: Forres, Morayshire. 3 miles from Forres; 12 miles from
Elgin; 27 miles from Inverness.
Current
Airport Status: Operational
Military Airport
Current
Airport Name:
RAF Kinloss (EGQK)
(Principal airport data courtesy of
John Woodside,
A
Catalogue of UK Airfields)
Aircraft Nickname:
Lanc; Lankie
Aircraft Type & Background
The Avro
Lancaster was designed initially as a heavy bomber.
(More
details at
lancaster-archive.com.)
It was developed
from the Avro Manchester bomber, but the unreliable Rolls-Royce
Vulture engines of the Manchester were replaced on the Lancaster
with 4 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. However, the Lancaster G.R.III variant
featured here was fitted with 4 American built Packard Merlin
engines.
During
WWII, Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron RAF were used to
carry out the 'Dambuster
Raids' (Operation
Chastise) over the Möhne, Sorpe and
Eder dams using Barnes Wallis' bouncing bombs.
Aircraft Accident Details
This post-war converted Lancaster, now
operating in a Maritime Reconnaissance role, had taken off just
after 18:00 hours on the evening of 13 March 1951 from RAF
Kinloss for a Navex in the vicinity of Rockall and the Faroe Isles.
The aircraft was due back at RAF
Kinloss
around 02:25 hours the following morning. However, while on the return
journey, the aircraft experienced atrocious and freezing weather
conditions, together with a strong N' Easterly wind.
Some time after transmitting its last
radio message, the Lancaster crashed just 4.6m / 15 feet below the summit
of Beinn Eighe, and at the top of the almost-inaccessible Far West
Gully ('Fuselage Gully'), west of 'Triple Buttress' and above Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair.
Unaware of the crash location, the
search teams could still find no trace of the missing aircraft after two
days. However, at the time of the accident, a boy in Torridon
had seen a
red glow over Beinn Eighe. Believing this to be coming from one of
the fishing boats on the loch, he thought nothing of it. However, two days
later, on hearing about the missing aircraft, he remembered what he
had seen and reported it. RAF Kinloss were notified of the boy's
report, together with the reports of several other witnesses who
also had seen the red flash over Beinn Eighe.
As a result of these reports, the RAF
redirected their search efforts to the extensive ridge which
included Beinn Eighe. On March 16, an Airspeed Oxford aircraft located the
crashed Lancaster on the mountain and reported its to position to
the ground search teams.
The rescue team arrived at the base of
the mountain on 17 March and began their attempted recovery from the
18 March onward. However, because of the very difficult
terrain and atrocious winter weather conditions, the teams could not reach
the Lancaster, even after several attempts. Although experienced
civilian mountaineers offered to help, the RAF declined their
assistance initially. This was unfortunate, as—unlike today, and
unlike the civilian mountaineers of that day—RAF
recovery teams were not fully trained or equipped for arduous mountain rescues. Indeed, it was as a result of this incident, that the
modern RAF Mountain Rescue Teams (RAF MRTs) were formed.
Eventually, two Royal Marine Commandos reached the crash site and recovered one of the bodies. A few
more bodies were recovered by the end of March—two weeks after the
accident. However, it was not until nearly 6 months later—on 28 August
1951—that the
remaining bodies of the eight crew members were recovered from the
site.
Casualties
Those who died in this tragic accident were:
-
F/Lt Harry Smith Reid DFC
(29), Pilot, RAF.
-
Sgt Ralph Clucas (23), Co-Pilot, RAF.
Buried at Kinloss
Abbey.
-
Sgt Robert Strong
(27), Navigator, RAF.
-
Sgt Peter Tennison
(26), Air Signals, RAF. Buried at
Kinloss Abbey.
-
Sgt James Naismith
(28), Air Signals, RAF. Buried at
Kinloss Abbey.
-
Sgt Wilfred D. Beck
(19), Air Signals, RAF. Buried at
Kinloss Abbey.
-
Sgt James W. Bell
(25), Air Signals, RAF. Buried at
Kinloss Abbey.
-
Sgt George Farquhar
(29), Flight Engineer, RAF
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Accident Date
14 March 1951
Accident
Site
Beinn Eighe
(1008.6m
/ 3,309ft)
Region: Highland (Wester
Ross)
Nearest
town or village:
Torridon or Kinlochewe
OS Grid Ref:
N/A
Present Condition
The
wreckage of the Lancaster was destroyed in situ by explosives,
resulting in wreckage parts being strewn down the
mountainside. Although more widely scattered now, substantial parts still remain, including
the four Packard Merlin engines, landing
gear, propellers, etc. A memorial plaque is fixed to a
blade on one of the propellers. The plaque reads:
In memory of
the eight crew members of
Lancaster TX264
Which crashed at this site
in the early hours of
14 March 1951
Hillwalking
/ Mountaineering Notes
Caution
Depending on the season and prevailing conditions, this can
be a difficult and potentially dangerous site to reach.
Access to some of the wreckage may require the use of ropes,
ice axes, etc. This climb should be
attempted only by experienced and well-equipped hillwalkers
or mountaineers. (See Steve Pardoe's Torridon Page
under 'Other Links' below.)
Related Links
RAF Links
RN Link
Lancaster Archive and Forum
Other Links
Below: An Avro Lancaster Mk. 1
bomber.
Photo: [Pre-1957] United Kingdom
Government.
Formerly, Crown Copyright. Now, public domain. |
