The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Peat bog spits out a war plane propeller mystery
A propeller thought to be from a Second World War plane has been found wrapped in potato sacks in a peat bog, sparking 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, as its location falls outside two previously known crash sites nearby. Experts have narrowed down the types of plane to a B17 Flying Fortress or a B24 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: “We are intrigued by the discovery of the propeller blade, which certainly looks to be from a WWII plane.
“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 we found 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.
“It may have been gathered during the clean-up of the site in the 1940s, immediately after the impact, or through subsequent work by the trust in the 1980s.”
NTS said there were six Second World War plane crashes on land NTS now cares for on Arran, which are protected sites.
It is working with relevant organisations and following procedures, such as informing the Military Crash Register, before any further work can be carried out on the latest discovery.
The crash site closest to where the propeller blade was found is that of the B24 Liberator, which came down in 1943 with the loss of all 11 crew and passengers.