Joint Warrior Time

It's that time of year for another Exercise Joint Warrior. If you've never heard of it you've probably had an inkling that it was on if you lived anywhere near the Lower Clyde, Moray, Leith or the Western Highlands and the Islands. It's always a good opportunity to see some of our own warships and warplanes and those of our NATO allies. 

Here's a couple of images from previous exercises

HMS Diamond

KNM Gnist

RAF Lossiemouth

And here's what the Royal Navy say about it 

Major military exercise comes to Scotland

Around 5,700 military personnel from armed forces across the world will take part in the UK-led training which will run from 8 to 20 October.

Thirty-one warships and submarines, as well as some 67 aircraft will be involved, with much of the activity taking place off the Scottish coast, at RAF Lossiemouth, at Prestwick and on military ranges across the country.  

At the same time as Joint Warrior, the world’s first large scale, multi environment demonstration of unmanned technology will also take place in the Western Isles.  Unmanned Warrior, as it is known, will give industry an opportunity to show the latest systems at military ranges in Benbecula, Stornoway, Applecross and Kyle of Lochalsh

Operation Joint Warrior in Scotland

Large numbers of UK and allied armed forces will be training on land, at sea and in the air in and around Scotland later this month. It has been mentioned in a couple of newspapers...

From Glasgow's Evening Times

Faslane Naval base will be at the centre of one of the largest training exercises in Europe later this month.

HM Naval Base Clyde will play host to Exercise Joint Warrior – a tri-service, multinational exercise designed to train troops for anti- terror, anti-drug and anti-piracy operations.

Conducted in the spring and autumn every year, the exercise provides high quality training for all three armed services and visiting forces from allied nations, including the USA, Germany, Holland and France.

A variety of UK and Allied land forces will also be involved, conducting basic and mission specific training on training ranges across Scotland.

Some of the exercise areas overlap with environmentally sensitive conservation zones, but the MoD has said environmental considerations will be taken into account when planning exercises.

During the planning, close relationships have been fostered with land owners, as well as local communities, to minimise any impact on the natural environment.

From the Stornoway Gazette


Largest military exercise in Europe heads to Hebrides

The largest tactically focused military exercise in Europe will be heading to the Hebrides from April 16-26 when Exercise Joint Warrior begins.


The tri-service and multinational exercise is conducted in the spring and autumn of each year with HM Naval Base Clyde on the west coast of Scotland hosting the Royal Navy and RAF personnel from the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS) who manage and coordinate events.

The upcoming Joint Warrior is set to be bigger than ever with 32 separate naval units from eight different countries taking part, as well as a considerable military air presence and multiple land forces.

Many of the naval and air units will be operating in the seas and skies around the Hebrides with the UK, USA, Germany, Holland, France, Norway, Denmark and Canada all contributing.

Royal Navy Flagship, HMS Bulwark, is hosting The Commander United Kingdom Task Group and Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group 1.

Meanwhile the UK’s Joint Force HQ will deploy to practice its command function afloat on the High Readiness Helicopter and Commando Carrier, HMS Illustrious.

The aim of the exercise is to provide the highest quality training for all three Armed Services and the numerous visiting forces from allied nations.

Some of the exercise areas overlap with environmentally sensitive conservation zones and the MOD has said that environmental considerations will always be taken into account as a primary consideration when planning exercises.

During the planning of Joint Warrior environmental impact assessments have been produced where required, such as for the use of Active Sonar and live weapons.

Exercise planners have also forged a close working relationship with landowners and key national stakeholders, as well as engaging with local communities to ensure that environmental mitigation procedures are put in place and adhered to. 

From RAF Lossiemouth's webpage


16^th – 26^th April - Exercise Joint Warrior
‘Joint Warrior’ is the largest international defence exercise held in the UK. The exercise – which takes place in locations ranging from Faslane to the north west tip of Scotland at Cape Wrath - is intended to test NATO forces across the full spectrum of 21st century conflict, from fending off air attacks and hunting mines and submarines to putting - and, crucially, supporting - troops ashore
The following aircraft are expected to operate from RAF Lossiemouth for the duration of the exercise:
6 x P3
1 x P8
2 x Atlantique
4 x Hawk
3 x Sea Hawk 60
7 x DA200

During the exercise flying will take place throughout the day and night.

Honouring a war hero

We came across this letter to the Edmonton Journal, and thought it worth featuring here.

Craig Anderson of Banffshire has for the last three years been researching and planning a memorial to Donald Banbury Douglas of Ontario, the pilot of a Second World War crash near Banff.

For further information, and to contact Craig if you have any information, please take a moment to read his letter to the Journal.

Our Armed Forces post-2014

It's still two years until we get to vote on our country's future and what that will mean to the armed forces. It is seldom out of the news and just yesterday it cropped up again in First Minister's Questions.

The 'Telegraph' is like a dog with a bone and has been lining up old colonels to take a pot-shot at Alex Salmond over the SNP's post-independence plans. Their comments are then being picked up by opposition parties to fuel this seemingly never-ending saga. Do we really have another two years of this? I hope not because I'm already heartily sick of it but without taking sides I'd like to discuss some things which have occurred to me about the armed forces debate. These are just my thoughts so I would welcome any challenges to my opinion. Although a lot of the jaw-jaw is about the army I'll start with the senior service.

The Royal Navy is a blue water navy, one which can react to incidents anywhere in the world. Would Scotland need that capability? No, we would have a green-water navy; similar to one we had in 1707 (one frigate and two sloops) which would only need small ships capable of protecting our oil-rigs, fishing fleets and support the police and coastguard. Would we need marines -unlikely. Would we need submarines, again unlikely. Would we need aircraft carriers - no of course not. So what would happen to Faslane and Rosyth? What about building the frigates and destroyers for the future Royal Navy; could the Clyde bid for them? Unlikely that a British MoD would award contacts for them to Scotland when there are English shipyards who can build them. There are about 30,000 people employed in Scotland working for the MoD and defence-related companies. How many of them would be needed post-independence?

What about an air force? The SNP plans are for one air base so which one is retained and what would be based there? Kinloss is being converted to hold a UK infantry battalion coming back from Germany but with four infantry battalion barracks in Scotland already (Redford, Dreghorn, Glencorse and Fort George) would Lossiemouth need to be retained. In fact if we have only three battalions of infantry (the brigade proposed by the SNP) would one of  existing barracks close too? The answer would probably be no, because our artillery, signals, engineers and logistics troops would need a home too. But would all of those units actually need to be full-time soldiers? Assuming the SNP get their way and Scotland gets the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Scots Guards would we need those six battalions of infantry. Why would we need six full-time battalions of infantry, why couldn't a territorial force do the same job with just a few regulars?

If Scotland didn't get the Royal Regiment of Scotland and Scots Guards could they use old regimental names. Would the Cameronians return? The Scottish Rifles came into existence in 1881 but the old Cameronians were raised before 1707 and disbanded in 1968 (although a TA unit lasted until 1997). Would the MOD object to the use of the name? How about the Gordons and Seaforths and HLI? The 2nd and 4th battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland still carry on their traditions if not their names, so could they be re-used. How about Jacobite regimental names instead. The Atholl Brigade or Bagot's Hussars? Since we won't be a republic or have a Stuart monarch then probably not.

Maybe the answer is a three battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland without any affiliations to former units. No battle honours or hackles to tie them to their past. The unit would be kilted of course because we've covered that in a previous article. In fact would all units become highlanders: The Highland Engineers or the Highland Logistic Corps? Probably not, but maybe a tam o'shanter would replace a beret in the corps. Given some folk like to trumpet the famous Auld Alliance would we ditch or embrace the French headgear if we separate from the Auld Enemy?

Unlike the politicians and the media I am now tiring of this subject and I've barely scratched the surface. I've still not mentioned the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (or dare I say it the Scots Greys). I've not gone into detail about the numbers of ships or planes we'd have. What about a Scottish SAS, we'd need that I'm sure, and for heaven's sake what about the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo!

There are the bombing ranges at Garvie, Tain and Benbecula used by the Royal Navy, RAF and NATO. Would we share them or close them, or use them ourselves? Would that be a good thing or bad thing for Scotland as a whole and what would be the impact to the locals who may benefit from their presence or be delighted to see the back of them? Just starting a list like this has given me lots to think about. Maybe you too. Don't worry though, the papers and internet will be full of it for the next thirty months - Lucky us!

Flight Engineer John Kinnear - Behind the name

In the Fife town of Newport-on-Tay the war memorial sits at the side of the Firth. The Second World War names are on two bronze panels flanking the mercat cross memorial erected after the First World War. The names are listed but there are no ranks or units to give any clues as to how they died.

One of the names is John Kinnear. A search on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database comes up with this man:

KINNEAR, JOHN
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Flt. Engr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
Unit Text: 617 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 17/05/1943
Service No: 635123
Additional information: Son of William and Helen Kinnear, of East Newport, Fife.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 21. D. 14.
Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY

Note his squadron and date of death. Flight Sergeant Kinnear was a Dambuster. He was lost when his Lancaster AJ-B 'Baker' flew into a pylon before reaching the target.

Nothing at the Fife memorial indicates that one of the men listed had been picked as the cream of the RAF to fly on one of the most difficult and daring air raids in history.

Sadly he was one of the fifty three men lost that night. Was his death worth it? The debate still continues to this day but nearly seventy years later he is still remembered in Newport.

One of "The Few" remembered in Glasgow today

The BBC Scotland News Website reports on the funeral of 19 Squadron Ace Wallace Cunningham from Glasgow, who passed away in Lanarkshire last week.

Funeral for Battle of Britain ace Wallace Cunningham

A funeral service has been held in Glasgow for a Scottish World War II Spitfire pilot.

Wallace Cunningham, 94, was among Churchill's famous "few" who took part in the Battle of Britain.

During the summer of 1940 he destroyed five German aircraft and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He later spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war.He died at his retirement home in South Lanarkshire last week.

In a speech in August 1940 Winston Churchill famously said about the Battle of Britain pilots: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

Mr Cunningham, who was born in Glasgow in 1916 and attended Govan High School, joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938 and trained to fly at Prestwick.

On the outbreak of war in 1939 he was called up for service and after completing training was posted to 19 Fighter Squadron, based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire.

Dr Jeremy Crag, a historian based at the University of Edinburgh, gave a eulogy at his funeral.

He met the Battle of Britain pilot in the late 1990s and became good friends with him after persuading him to speak to some of his history students about his wartime experiences.

He said: "19 squadron was to become part of Douglas Bader's famous 'Big Wing' during the Battle of Britain and Wallace was in the thick of the fighting.

"During that epic summer he destroyed five German aircraft, making him an Ace.

"It's interesting that was the first Glasgow airman to be awarded the DFC in the Second World War. The citation actually reads that 'Pilot Officer Cunningham...has shown great personal gallantry and splendid skill in action'. "

In 1941 Mr Cunningham's Spitfire was shot down and he crash landed on Rotterdam beach in the Netherlands.

Dr Crag added: "He came to rest close to a German gun post and in the officers' mess there he was given a tomato sandwich and a glass of champagne, and a German major said to him 'for you the war is over'."

Mr Cunningham spent most of the next three and a half years in Stalag Luft III, the camp made famous by the Great Escape.

After the war he worked as an engineer, firstly in Kent, then he returned to Glasgow in 1960.

Dr Crag said: "They are not very many of the 'few' left. Wallace was a very modest and unassuming man. He would never have regarded himself as a war hero.

"But he was a hero and as long as the epic events of the summer of 1940 are remembered, he too will be remembered.

"I think we owe him and his comrades an enormous debt of gratitude."

After the funeral service at Linn Crematorium, near Glasgow, there was an RAF flypast in honour of Mr Cunningham.

602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron - On this day in Scottish Military History - 1925 and 1940

A slightly different On-this-day because it covers two events on the same date, fifteen years apart.

In the mid-1920s it was decided to form an air reserve equivalent to the Territorial Army and Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. It would be called the Auxiliary Air Force and several squadrons would be formed around the UK. The first auxiliary squadron to be raised was No 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron. It was formed at RAF Renfrew on this day in 1925. It was initially equipped with Airco DH9As. The DH9A was an aircraft which had served during the last months of the First World War and was effectively obsolete before it was even sent to 602 squadron.

Another Scottish squadron was raised shortly afterwards; No 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron was formed at RAF Turnhouse on 14th October 1925. Both squadrons went through various aircraft over the next fourteen years; Avro 504Ks, Fairey Fawns, Westland Wapitis, Hawker Harts, Hawker Hinds, Hawker Hectors, Gloster Gauntlets and Gloster Gladiators. Over that time they changed role from light bomber to army co-operation to fighter squadrons.

By late 1939 both squadrons were equipped with Spitfires and were on defensive duties in Scotland. In October 1939 603 squadron intercepted the first German raid against the UK when Luftwaffe JU88s attempted to attack the naval base at Rosyth. 603 were still at their base at RAF Turnhouse and brought down the first German aircraft to fall on British soil. 602 were based at RAF Drem in East Lothian and were also in the air on that day. Shortly after 603 shot down their bomber, 602 claimed their first kill. The Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command, Air Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding sent a message to the squadrons that night. "Well done. First blood to the Auxiliaries!".

By August 1940 the Battle of Britain was reaching a critical point. The Luftwaffe had switched to bombing London after a raid on Berlin by the RAF. Air Marshall Dowding replaced his tired squadrons in 11 Group in the South of England with squadrons from the Northern Fighter Groups. 602 Sqdn went to RAF Westhampnett in Sussex on 12th August 1940, and 603 Sqdn went to RAF Hornchurch in Essex on 27th August 1940. They were soon in the thick of the fighting and would be for the rest of the battle.

This day seventy one years ago was the turning point of the Battle of Britain. Both squadrons were in action on this day. 602 squadron shot down 10 German aircraft, and 603 Squadron intercepted two Luftwaffe raids, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Germany had launched 1,500 aircraft against London over the day but Luftwaffe losses were so great on 15th September 1940 that two days later Hitler postponed his invasion plan, Operation Sealion, until 1941. Luftwaffe tactics also now changed from day attacks to night bombing.

The Battle of Britain had reached its climax but there was still a lot of hard fighting to be done by both Scottish fighter squadrons over the next five years.

We should also not forget No 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron. It was formed at RAF Dyce on 1st June 1937 during a pre-war expansion of the Auxiliary Air Force and soon took on a reconnaissance role. It served throughout the war in the vital but not very glamorous maritime reconnaissance role as part of Coastal Command.

In 1957 all three Scottish reserve squadrons along with all other Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were disbanded.

In 1999 it was decided to reuse the old RAuxAF squadron numbers for non-flying RAF part-time reserve units. No 2 (City of Edinburgh) Maritime Headquarters Unit became 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron. In 2006 the mission support element of the Edinburgh Squadron was split away to form another squadron in Glasgow and No 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron was back on the RAF books after a hiatus of nearly fifty years.

Eighty five years after it was first formed, Glasgow's own is still going strong. It now has an ISTAR (Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) mission support role. In recent years Its members have served at RAF Kinloss and on attachment to RAF units in Iraq, Cyprus and Afghanistan.

Cave Leonem Cruciatum

Armed Forces Day 2010 - Edinburgh event details:

Recent updates from Edinburgh City Council gave the impression that today's events were taking place in Holyrood Park. It looks like that is tomorrow and today's events are mainly happening in West Princes Street Gardens:

From: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/93/thousands_to_show_support_for_armed_forces_past_present_and_future

13:00 Armed Forces Day Parade will depart from Edinburgh Castle Esplanade and proceed down the Royal Mile, past the City Chambers and the Saluting Dais and down to Princes Street Gardens, halting at Mound Precinct, National Galleries.

14:00 The Ross Theatre in Princes Street Gardens will host:

Tea in the Marquees. A chance for members of the armed forces, veterans and the general public to mingle over a cuppa

Information stands will display information about Veterans Associations, the Armed Forces and Armed Forces Day.

Various activities will be taking place along in Princes Street Gardens throughout the afternoon, including an inflatable assault course, face painting and a bouncy castle.

Performances from the Royal Regiment of Scotland Band

14:15 Official Speeches

14:30 Military Music set at Ross Bandstand

16:30 Ceremony of Beating Retreat

Hess lands in Scotland - on this day in Scottish military history - 1941

On this day seventy years ago one of the most famous flights of the Second World War took place. Rudolph Hess flew 1000 miles to Scotland from Bavaria on 10th May 1941 trying to find the Duke of Hamilton in the hope of brokering a peace between Nazi Germany and Britain.

He flew from Augsburg Airfield in a converted Messerschmitt Bf110 with extra fuel tanks. He first crossed the British coast after 10 pm at Holy Isle just south of Berwick in Northumberland. A few minutes later he was flying over Scotland and was spotted at a Royal Observer Corps post at Ashkirk near Selkirk. Night-fighter Boulton Paul Defiants from RAF Ayr and RAF Prestwick were sent up to intercept the German intruder but failed to catch up with them before he crashed.

Flying over Southern Scotland, Hess managed to miss his target of the Duke's airfield at Dungavel House near Strathaven and flew over the Clyde near West Kilbride. He then flew down the Ayrshire coast and back inland near Ardrossan. After another 10 minutes flying he mistook Eaglesham castle for the Duke of Hamilton's Dungavel House and bailed out at ten past eleven. His plane crashed in Bonnyton Field on Floors Farm near Eaglesham.

The first man on the scene after Hess landed next to the farm, and injured his leg in the process, was farm hand Davy McLean. With a pitchfork in hand Mr McLean captured what he thought was just a Luftwaffe pilot. Hess used the assumed name of Alfred Horn at this point and after the offer of a cup of tea in a farm cottage he was escorted to Busby Home Guard Company's drill Hall at Lodge St. John, Busby.

It was there that a local Royal Observer Corps officer, Major Graham Donald identified 'Horn' as Deputy Reichsfuhrer Hess. He was taken to 3rd Renfrewshire Battalion Home Guard HQ which was in Giffnock Scout Hall.

Once they were sure he was Hess he was quickly taken out of Home Guard hands and moved to Maryhill Barracks in Glasgow under the escort of men from 11th Bn Cameronians.

After getting his injured leg seen to he was very quickly taken to the Tower of London and would never return to Scotland. His plane was soon taken away too. As a make of the Bf110 which had never flown over the UK it was wanted by the RAF for examination. From the field in Floors farm it was first taken to a rail siding in Busby and then transported south.

Today there are few mementos of the infamous night left in Scotland. There is nothing at the scene of the landing at the farm, and the crash site is next to the busy A726.




Most of what remains of his plane is now in the hands of the Imperial War Museum or the RAF Museum, however the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune in East Lothian has two large pieces of his Bf110; one of the Daimler-Benz DB601A engines and also a tail fin which had been privately held in Renfrewshire for many years before being donated to the National Museum of Flight.



Lennoxlove House, the home of the Duke of Hamilton, has Hess's map of Scotland and compass.

Maybe in a few houses in Renfrewshire there are a few other small pieces of his plane. Perhaps they had been taken by guards, visitors or souvenir hunters in the farm's field or at the Busby railway siding? Little scraps of an old plane that commemorate the incredible night seventy years ago when a top Nazi dropped into Scotland.

(On a personal note two of my cousins did stints as guards at Spandau Prison in Berlin in the where Hess was held from 1946 until his death in 1987. One whilst serving with the Royal Highland Fusiliers and the other was with the Royal Corps of Transport)

WW2 crash sites in Scotland to be surveyed

From today's BBC Scotland web pages:

Archaeologists are to carry out surveys of nine World War II aircraft crash sites across Scotland.

They include a crashed US B-17 Flying Fortress on Skye and locations on Shetland and in Dumfries and Galloway.

Terence Christian, of the University of Glasgow, and volunteers excavated the wreck of a Mosquito MM244 near Inverness last year.

Items recovered included an oxygen bottle and parts of the aircraft's wooden frame showing an RAF roundel.

The artefacts will eventually be handed over to the care of a museum.

Permission to survey the nine new sites has been sought from the Ministry of Defence, which allowed the examination of the crashed Mosquito remains.

Mr Christian said the B17 bomber work was also being done in consultation with the crew's families in the US.

He told the BBC News Scotland website: "We plan to do the survey work in early May.

"The B17 was flying from Iceland to London on its way to Italy when it crashed on Skye."

'Unmodified time capsules'

Mr Christian's research aims to develop new aircraft archaeology-specific methodology as a means to record and manage World War II crash sites.

He said: "With a production total of nearly one million units, aircraft represent the largest composite artefact classification of the Second World War.

"Even with such vast production numbers, less than 5% of operational aircraft remain.

Terence Christian will survey the B-17 wreck site in May "Indeed, the majority of the extant 5% only exists in a wrecked state amongst the forests and fields of towns worldwide."

But the archaeologist said rather than being buried "unmodified time capsules" many crash sites have seen "large-scale human alteration" over the past 70 years through people handling, or removing, artefacts.

The Mosquito wreck crash site dig was carried out last July.

The aircraft of No 544 Squadron crashed on 25 November 1943 after experiencing engine problems during a training mission with six other Mosquito crews.

Pilot Flying Officer Joe Burfield and navigator Sgt Alexander Barron, a Glaswegian, baled out and parachuted down to opposite sides of Loch Ness.

Dubbed the Wooden Wonder because of its wooden frame, the Mosquito was operated on low-level bombing raids.

Lancaster bomber crash memorial service on Beinn Eighe

From yesterday's Press & Jornal

Moving memorial to RAF crew at the summit of Beinn Eighe - Mountain rescue team climbs to crash site to lay wreath

By Neil MacPhail

Published: 15/03/2011

A POIGNANT memorial service took place yesterday in Wester Ross, amid some of Scotland’s wildest mountains, to commemorate an RAF aircrew who died there in 1951.

The crash, near the summit of Beinn Eighe, happened in the early hours of March 14, 1951, after a Lancaster bomber from RAF Kinloss went missing off Cape Wrath.

The bomber hit the mountain and wreckage came to land in what became known as Fuselage Gully. In the harsh conditions it took days to get to the wreckage, and months to recover all the eight bodies.

The lessons learned from the recovery resulted in major improvements to the training and equipping of RAF mountain rescue teams, who have been responsible, with civilian teams, for saving many lives among the Scottish mountains.

It is for this reason that the event is etched in the collective memory of the RAF mountain rescue service, and yesterday members of RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue climbed to the crash site to lay a wreath in memory of their former colleagues.

Peter McGowan, a former RAF Kinloss team leader, said: “It’s important to remember the victims of this tragic crash and the dramatic effect this had on the development of the RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team.

“Back then the team was just in its infancy, but the Lancaster tragedy was key to it becoming the highly-equipped and trained unit it is today.”

The stunning sandstone and quartzite mountain, where the crew met their death is also home to some of Europe’s most precious wildlife, and the reserve is managed for the nation by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). There is a long history of involvement of SNH staff within the local mountain rescue team and current reserve manager, Eoghain Maclean, is leader of the Torridon and Kinlochewe Mountain Rescue Team.

He said: “Beinn Eighe is a very special place and, as a National Nature Reserve, attracts thousands of visitors every year. Most of the people who visit the reserve will not be aware of this sad, but important, story, and it’s fitting that we can pay respect to the airmen who died.”

Object of the Month - March 2011

This months Object of the Month is perhaps the most impressive exhibit on display at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

It is, of course, the Spitfire.

I can, and will if you let me, go on and on about my love for the Spitfire. It's a truly beautiful machine, and I thrill whenever I hear the sound of one in the sky above me. It was always a highlight of air shows when I was a child, and one of my dreams would be to one day be at the controls of one of these stunning planes.

There is a "thing" about the Spitfire which no other plane has - it's perhaps due to the image it has as the victor of the Battle of Britain (although as anyone could tell you, that particular honour strictly speaking belongs to the Hurricane) but whatever it is, the Spitfire seems to have an effect on people that's hard to describe.

This particular model doesn't have the "classic" look of a Spitfire - it's a later model - an F22 Spitfire with a Rolls Royce Griffon engine rather than the more famous Merlin. It changes the look slightly, but it's still recognisably a Spitfire.

This particular Spitfire is serial number LA198. It flew with 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron between 1947 and 1949. It crashed on landing at Horsham St. Faith Base and never flew again.

I believe it served as a "gate guardian" for some time, before returning to Glasgow in 1998. It was then sent to the Museum of Flight at East Fortune where it was restored. It has been hanging on display in the West Hall of Kelvingrove since 2005.

It's an incredibly impressive display. While some people say it should be at the Museum of Transport (and I can see their point) I think it fits well in its current surroundings. My only gripe is that it would be wonderful to be able to climb into that cockpit and get a feel of what it was like to fly.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is open 10am until 5pm every day (except Friday and Sunday when it opens at 11) and entry is free. Next time you're in Glasgow, make a point of visiting the museum. It's a great trip and you won't be disappointed.

BOAC begin flying from RAF Leuchars - On this day in Scottish Military History – 1941

70 years ago today a clandestine operation started from the Fife aerodrome of RAF Leuchars.

Swedish ball bearings were a valuable commodity for the war effort but since the Germans had occupied Denmark and Norway the supply had been cut-off .

A fleet of Lockheed Hudsons was assembled at Leuchars to fly under BAOC registration to an airfield outside Stockholm to collect them under the noses of the Germans.

Their first flight was on the night of 2nd March 1941.

Gordon Boyd Walker: The Story Behind the Name

Today we feature a name that isn't part of anyones research as far as we are aware, but instead highlights how one man honoured the memory of his best friend.

A recent new member of the Scottish War Memorials Project posted that he was looking for information on a Second World War casualty. He had been told that this man Gordon Walker had been the best friend of his father, and after Walkers death his father had named his son after him, to honour his memory.

Gordon, the SWMP member in question, had heard this story, and had met Walkers sister, but apart from that didn't know very much.

At this point the intrepid SWMP members used their considerable detective skills to find out more about Walker in order that Gordon could learn more about the man he was named after.

Gordon Boyd Walker was born on the 19th of May 1923, and was the younger son of Ernest and Margaret Walker, of "Dunolly", Kilmarnock Road, Newton Mearns.

Together with his brother Ian, he joined the High School of Glasgow in 1935. As he was fond of animals, he went on to the Royal Veterinary College in Glasgow, before leaving in 1940.

In September 1941 he joined the Royal Air Force, and underwent training in both Canada and the United States.

1943 would prove to be a tragic one for the Walker family. Ian, the eldest son, was killed on the 27th March when HMS Dasher sank after exploding in the Clyde.

Ten days later, Gordon Boyd Walker was on board Lancaster ED662, which was taking part in a Bullseye exercise in Suffolk. The bomber suffered a total engine failure and hit the ground at Kennyhill, 1 mile North of Mildenhall Airfield. There were no survivors.

The two brothers are buried together in Mearns cemetery.

Veterans return to wartime bases

This article in various forms appeared on several news websites yesterday. This version is from the Evening Times:

Two veterans have been able to return to the scenes of their wartime exploits in Egypt and the Netherlands with the help of lottery grants.

The pair benefited from the Big Lottery Fund's Heroes Return 2 scheme which provides funding to enable former servicemen to revisit locations of WW2 events.

Ben Yates, 88, from Dalmellington in Ayrshire, received £2,825 which helped him to return to Egypt, where he was based from 1941 to 1943, serving aboard the Royal Navy Destroyer, HMS Aldenham.

During this period the ship made 13 convoys to Malta to provide relief to the island, which was under attack, and struck a floating mine in December 1944, with the loss of 126 lives.

Mr Yates said: "The trip meant a lot to me as I have always wanted to go back but could never afford it before. Every year, for the last 12 years or so I have travelled to Aldenham, near Watford, to attend a memorial service.

"During the war people in the village used to knit the crew gloves and hats. Even though we couldn't use them in the Mediterranean we really appreciated that they wanted to do something to help us."

George Murray, 85, from Glasgow, was glad to have a chance to search for old friends when he travelled back to Holland after receiving an £875 grant. Towards the end of 1944 he was stationed for about eight weeks near Eindhoven preparing for the Rhine crossing.

He said: "We stayed in a town called Oisterwijk, it was a harsh winter and none of us wanted to sleep in the back of a truck. A local family put two of us up, they had eight or nine children, one was about 18, the same age as me, and I became very close to the family. After the war we lost touch and I've always wanted to go back and trace any members of the family who might still be alive.

"During my trip I wasn't able to trace anyone but I'm not giving up. I'm planning to write to the Burgermeister of the town to see if he can help me. I just know that I will go back to meet up with my friends again."

The Big Lottery Fund has committed over £1 million extra funding to the Heroes Return 2 scheme which will remain open until January 31, 2012.

New Nimrod Afghan crash memorial to be unveiled

From the Forres Gazette:


A memorial to the airmen and observers killed when their Nimrod aircraft exploded over Afghanistan on September 2, 2006 will be dedicated in Forres on Saturday at 1.30pm.

The ceremony is open to everyone, although the families ask that people come in civilian dress rather than in uniform.

The 14-sided cairn, which sits on whinstone and Hopeman sandstone, each side inscribed with the name of one of those who died, has been built on landscaped ground near Forres war memorial at the west end of the town.

At the request of the families, the names have been inscribed without rank and in a random order. The cost of the memorial has been funded by money donated by the public at the time of the crash.

A memorial with ranks was unveiled by the families at RAF Kinloss on April 15.

Mrs Chris Davies, who lost her husband Ady in the crash, said: “It has been a long journey to get this memorial in place but I think all the families will be pleased when they see it. We feel it is a fitting tribute to 14 very fine men. Also we would like to thank the many people involved in making this project possible, most importantly the people of Forres, Britain and around the world who have donated in our loved ones’ memories.”

Those who died were (in alphabetical order): Flight Sergeant (FS) Gary Andrews,(48); FS Steve Beattie (42); FS Gez Bell, (48); FS Ady Davies, (49); Corporal Oliver Dicketts, Parachute Regiment (27); Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Steve Johnson, (38); Sgt Ben Knight (25); Sgt John Langton (29); Flt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore (28); Flt Lt Gareth Nicholas (40); Sergeant Gary Quilliam (42); Flt Lt Al Squires (39); Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick (28); Marine Joe Windall, Royal Marines (22).

Remembering Today: Alexander McNay

As today marks the 70th Anniversary of the “official” end to the Battle of Britain, I thought today’s post was rather apt.


This rather innocuous item sits on the shelf above my desk. It looks like nothing special: it’s a mildly rusty spring.

It is in fact a valve spring from the Rolls Royce Merlin engine of a Hawker Hurricane. This one was flown by a man whose surname I share: Alexander Logan McNay.


On the 5th September 1940, at 3.30pm after aerial combat, Hurricane P3224, TP-L of 73 Squadron crashed at White House Farm, North Fambridge. It had been flown by Sergeant McNay.

McNay was subsequently listed as missing.

In September 1979 the crash site was investigated by the London Air Museum. During the excavation the shattered remains of the burned out Merlin engine were discovered. Other items found included head armour, the tail wheel, remnants of burnt parachute silk and compressed maps with the pilots name on them. The remains of the airframe were collected by the Essex Historical Aircraft Society. They still exist as Thameside Aviation Museum and I believe they still have some fragments of this Hurricane still on display.

Sadly, no remains were discovered so Sergeant McNay is still listed as missing, and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

I believe the case to try and locate Alexander McNay’s remains are covered in some detail in the book “Finding the Few”. I have ordered a copy of this book in the hope it sheds further light on this story.

Incidentally, to date I have been unable to confirm conclusively if Alexander McNay is in any way related to me: it’s a rare enough surname for it to be possible, but so far I can’t confirm it.

Glasgow's Own in The Battle of Britain

The West of Scotland Historical Association will be hosting a dual presentation by Flight Lt. P G Traynor, and Mr J Devine, Head of Multimedia at the Hunterian Museum, which looks at the contribution of 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force in this crucial period of British history.

The venue is Hillhead Library in Glasgow, on 14th October at 5.30pm.

(While I'm on the subject, I thought a quick plug for the 602 Squadron Museum Association website was in order: http://www.602squadronmuseum.org.uk/index.php - well worth a look!)

City-based war story goes Commando in comic

The following story appeared in the Scotsman newspaper last week. I loved reading Commando comics when I was younger, and this might make me start buying them all over again. It seems you only have to say "Gott im Himmel!" to men of a certain age to make them smile fondly as they remember reading these...

IT WAS the moment the war came to Edinburgh, and now a famous dog fight in the skies over the Capital has been used as the inspiration for the latest Commando comic.

The year was 1939 and RAF 603 Squadron was repelling 12 Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88s over the Firth of Forth. By the end of the engagement, one Junker had been shot down east of Dalkeith.

The historic encounter provided the basis for the latest graphic novel from Edinburgh writer Ferg Handley, a Second World War adventure called Divided Aces, released later this month by the famous Commando comics.

"A while back, I wrote a Commando book set during the Battle of Britain in southern England and it started to bug me that there was so little literature on the same battle in Scotland," said Handley.

"I was amazed to learn that the first German aircraft to be shot down by the RAF was in Scotland, a bomber which was involved in a failed attempt to bomb the Forth Bridge.

"Of course, there was a certain amount of research to do. The main problem was working out which type of airfield to use, as they varied in size and had different functions. RAF Kenmure, the one in the story, ended up loosely based on RAF Drem in East Lothian."

Divided Aces is also the story of a man coming to terms with his move to Scotland, where he learns to love Edinburgh. It's not just the Forth Bridge and Edinburgh Castle that feature either, with the Camera Obscura and Royal Mile also shown in the epic tale.

"I wanted to depict the beauty of Edinburgh, to suggest that it was so important to protect the city. We're lucky so many famous landmarks remain.

"Jose Maria Jorge, the artist, is Spanish, so kudos to him for doing such a good job. He got so many small details in."

First published in 1961, Commando comics have entertained generations. Divided Aces is one of four new adventures due for publication this month to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Handley also said that he hoped it wouldn't be the last time the Capital stars in one of his novels.

"I've already set a Spider-Man story in Edinburgh and a Commando book about the old Border Reivers, which had some Edinburgh scenes," he said. "Regular readers may also have come across a series called Ramsey's Raiders. One of the characters, Sergeant Derek Jarvis, was based on a close friend of mine, which led to a few more Edinburgh scenes. I reckon Edinburgh would be a good setting for more superhero battles. 'Hulk Smash Trams!' anyone?"

Battle of Britain veterans fly again

From the BBC News website:

Fourteen Battle of Britain veterans have taken to the skies in a special memorial flight.

The chartered airliner flew over parts of England and the English channel that saw some of the fiercest aerial combats.

The British Airways Airbus was accompanied for part of the way by a Spitfire and Hurricane from the period.

Spitfire fighter planes played a decisive role in the Battle of Britain

The battle for air supremacy between the RAF and the Luftwaffe in 1940 was a decisive chapter in World War II.

The daily dogfights in the skies of southern England saved Britain and averted a German invasion.

Flight Lieutenant William Walker, the eldest veteran at 97, told the BBC on his return: "It really was a great day, a very special occasion.

"I got a bullet in my leg and my plane was shot to pieces”

Flt Lt William Walker Spitfire fighter pilot

"It was a marvellous sight to see a Hurricane and Spitfire flying, the sun glinting on them above the clouds. The Spitfire is the most exciting plane to see. I would love to fly one again."

Bill Bond, of the Battle of Britain Historical Society, who organised the two-hour flight, said that with just a few remaining veterans still alive he had wanted to mark the 70th anniversary celebrations with "something a bit special".

Before taking off for the flight he told the BBC that with the Hurricane and Spitfire flying alongside the British Airways Airbus, it "would be the first time that any of the veterans had flown in formation since the end of the war".

Another of the veterans, Wing Commander Bob Foster, said the flight was an important reminder to those who were not born at the time as it "would bring home to (them) what happened way back 70 years ago".

"This is what we are trying to get over to the younger generation, the importance of the battle fought then."

The plane, which also carried 15 widows of Battle of Britain pilots, flew across the Home Counties, the Isle of Wight, northern France, the Netherlands and parts of the North Sea.

These areas were the main arenas of the Battle of Britain. It was over the English channel that Flt Lt Walker was shot down in 1940.

Based at an airbase in Surrey, Flt Lt Walker was often sent up two or three times a day. On one such mission he, along with two other planes, was scrambled to meet the enemy. They soon came under attack and his Spitfire was shot at by a Messerschmitt 109, the main German fighter plane.

"My leader was shot down and badly burnt, my number two was killed and I got a bullet in my leg and my plane was shot to pieces. I bailed out at 20,000 ft," he recalled.

As he gently descended he removed his boots, blew up his Mae West life jacket and landed in the water close to a wreck on the Goodwin Sands just off the Kent coast.

He was rescued by a fishing boat and taken to Ramsgate, where he was met by a crowd.

"They cheered as I came ashore and a dear old lady gave me a cup of tea," he said.

Suffering from hypothermia, he was taken to hospital where he underwent an operation to remove a bullet from his ankle. When he woke up, a doctor was by his side.

"He had a bullet in his hand and told me that when the surgeon prised it out of my ankle it flew out and hit the ceiling. He gave it to me and I still have it as a treasured possession," he told the BBC.