More helpful Sheep.
Bristol Blenheim V5801 on Mildewan Hill.
I'd Already been to the 3 crashsites in Glen Isla; a Hawker Hurricane, HP Halifax and an AW Whitley, but then I found out that one of the Halifax's engines and remains of it's tail lay further up the hill and also there was a fourth crashsite. Another visit needed!
I don't get to meet up with my walking buddy and 'Head Researcher' Stuart from Northern Ireland as much as we used to due to work commitments, but the opportunity arose in may of 2024, so we arranged to meet up to go and look for the 4th Glen Isla crashsite and the other three, as Stuart had not been to those before.
Lovely views down Backwater Reservoir at
5.00AM.
As we'd arranged to meet at the site of the old Backwater School 30 mile north of Perth at 7-00AM I decided to travel up the night before and do a spot of car camping, the alternative would have been to leave home at 2:30AM. I was awake at 5-00am but as I was parked up and asleep by 9pm the night before I'd had a good nights sleep and was raring to go.
Mildewan Hill, not too high a one to start the day.
While waiting for Stuart to arrive I managed to flag down the Farmer who was passing on his Quad bike. I asked him if Mildewan Hill was his land and if he'd ever come across any wreckage up there. He was quite adamant that the Blenheim remains were not on Mildewan Hill but in fact lay on a hill a couple of miles south, in his words "It's not up there, it's on the hill directly in front of you when you drive over the dam, and there's not much left of it". That meant if he was right the Blenheim must have crashed on Creigh Hill and the grid reference we had would be useless.
Looking for the easiest route to Mildewan.
After a quick discussion with Stuart once he arrived, about what the Farmer had told me, we decided that somebody had probably been told the Blenheim crashed on a hill over the Dam and over the years that had become 'crashed on the hill directly over the dam' then 'On the hill directly in front of you as you cross the Dam'. We therefore decided to ignore what the Farmer had told me and set off up Mildewan Hill. If we didn't find anything then we could then start looking into Creigh Hill.
above and below:-Not too great a distance to reach this one (if it's there.)
Before we came here I had a look on satellite images and spotted something that looked exactly like an area of wreckage at exactly the right spot, when we arrived at the location there was no sign of anything, not even white stones; probably just a load of sheep who had now moved on. The actual crashsite turned out to be about 300 metres away.
Nice view down to Backwater Reservoir.
After searching the grid reference we had for quite a while, we were starting to think the Farmer might be right, but then Stuart found a small piece of melted aluminum, not much, but enough to tell us we were on the right hill after all. A sweep of the hill with the metal detector found a rusty bolt lying under some heather further up the hill, so we started searching further up the hill, where eventually our perseverance was rewarded.
We did find something, a small lump of molten
aluminum.
Where we found the small lump of aluminium.
Crashsite of Blenheim V5801, the whole area in this photo contained a multitude of hits on the metal detector.
The three sheep scratchings were full of small pieces.
Judging by the amount of pings on the metal detector the majority of the Blenheim was buried on site but there were three scars which looked more like they were caused by the sheep scratching out a shelter than the actual crash. Or perhaps the Sheep had been carrying out an unauthorised excavation of the site, because they had done a good job of uncovering lots of small pieces of the Blenheim and a battery and cockpit instrument.
View of Mildewan Hill from the Dam at the southern end of Backwater Reservoir.
After leaving Backwater we moved our cars one Glen to the west and set off along Glen Isla to visit the Halifax, Whitley and Hurricane again. After visiting the Halifax Stuart and his Daughter Chloe went off to go and have a look at the Whitley crashsite to the north of Finalty Hill; as I'd been to that one I instead searched up the slopes above the Halifax site for the engine and Tail wreckage that I'd heard about. I then met up with Stuart and Chloe on the summit of Finalty Hill after finding absolutely nothing on the way up, they however found something about 200 metres from where I was sitting waiting for them.
above below:- Glen Isla.
above and below:-Wild ponies in Glen Isla.
The Whitley lies right up the end of the Glen on the other side of the hill.
Climbing up the steep slope past the Scar made by the
Halifax.
On the summit of Finalty Hill, having
slogged my guts out searching back and forwards across a very steep slope for Halifax pieces
it turned out they were actually up here.
An engine fell off the Halifax and landed here, unfortunately it has
disappeared, leaving just these fragments.*
After meeting up on Finalty Hill we followed a Landrover track to the south so that Stuart and Chloe could have a look at the Hurricane site on the cliffs of the Bawhelps; by the time we got there it was too late in the day, so after pointing out to Stuart where it was located on the cliffs we stayed on the Landrover track and continued on our way back to the cars.
*--More photos of Halifax engine parts.