Mystery of Second World War propeller found inside potato sacks baffles experts
A PROPELLER thought to be from a Second World War plane has been found wrapped in potato sacks in a peat bog, triggering an investigation.
A contractor initially thought he might have discovered human remains when he came across the sacks while carrying out peatland restoration work at Coire a’bhradain on the Isle of Arran.
Work is now under way to discover where the propeller came from. Experts have narrowed down the types of plane to a B-17 Flying Fortress or a B-24 Liberator, which both crashed on Arran and used the same sort of propeller blades.
Derek Alexander, head of archaeology for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which cares for the land where the propeller was found, said: “There are two previously known plane crash sites further up the glen on the steep cliff side of Beinn Nuis, but this object was found outside the mapped spread of debris from both of these, which has caused some uncertainty around which aircraft they belong to.
“The plane part was discovered when our contractor’s excavator bucket hit something solid and metallic. On closer inspection, it had been wrapped and tied in a potato sack, which has added further intrigue to the find that lay some distance from the spread of the wreckage of the former crash sites.”
Kate Sampson, senior ranger at the NTS on Arran, said: “I think our contractor got a bit of a shock when he saw the end of the potato sack sticking out of the bog as his first thought was that it could be human remains. However, with careful excavation the wrapped propeller was revealed with a rope still tied around it, and we suspect someone might have been dragging the propeller down the hill when it sunk deep into the peat, not to be recovered until now.”