Aircraft enthusiasts

“Regarding the correspondence about the scrapped aircraft at Friockheim,” emails Ross Wilkie, “my father purchased the yard at Friockheim during the Second World War. The aircraft in the aerial photograph was a one off, and no planes were buried in the quarry.

“The plane in the photograph had been purchased by a group of aircraft enthusiasts, who employed Wilkie’s to firstly cut off the main wings at Condor, then transport and store the plane at Friockheim.

“Detailed instructions were sent as to where the cuts were to be made as this plane was to be reconstructed. Ed Jarrett, blacksmith at Wilkie’s, carried out the cutting off of the wings. However, he failed to cut a blade off the propeller as the material was too hard to be cut with the oxy-acetylene blow torch.

“The plane was eventually loaded on to AEC Monarch lorry DWG 807, driven by Art Walker, accompanied by myself, and taken to an aircraft museum, to the north west of London.

“The only problem on the journey was the height of the propeller, which was pushed through the lorry floor at a low bridge – remember this was before the luxury of motorways.”

“Further to the article about my grandfather’s diary collection,” says Denis Thornton of Broughty Ferry, “here is one of the postcards, showing the headmaster William Andrew and pupils working in the horticultural section of Kettins School Garden, that...