Ben Eighe Lancaster Crash – At last the casualties are all recovered.

The team arrived back at Kinlochewe on  the 20 April  and were there till the 22 April, there was still plenty of snow and still too deep to find the rest of the crew. Sadly they had to return back to Kinloss again after a lot of searching and digging with little to show for it. Joss who was there said these were hard times for all concerned.  They were mainly involved with the wreckage below the summit but the snow depth was still hampering them, it had been a hard winter. They left again after a difficult three days, there were still 4 crew members missing, this would be an awful time for relatives and family of those missing. The snow was that deep that the team were crossing the loch by walking across it such was the depth of snow and ice, incredible.

The RAF Kinloss Team digging at the wreckage near the top of Beinn Eighe in April 1951 – a grim task. Photo Joss Gosling Collection.

Unfortunately this happens even today when walkers and climbers go missing in the winter and aresometimes not found till the snow abates in the Spring. Three more of the crew were located on the 18 -20 May and it was not until the 27 -28 August that the last body was located. It was after this that the Fuselage was pushed down gully by the team. That must have been some effort and a propeller jammed in the gully now called Fuselage Gully by climbers.  It had taken nearly 5 months to find the last of the crew. The enquiry that followed made sweeping changes in the RAF Mountain Rescue System and Johnnie Lees a well-known mountaineer was given the responsibility of improving training and equipment for all the RAF Mountain Rescue Teams. Summer and winter climbing Courses were run and Joss attended the first rock climbing course in North Wales. There was also a Team Leaders Course to train potential Team Leaders.  Lessons were learned from such a terrible tragedy and the RAF pioneered many changes in Mountain Rescue within the UK.

This photo shows one of the Team in Far West gully or Fuselage Gully as it is now known during the search for casualties in 1951. Look at the depth of snow in the gully and kit worn. Photo Joss Gosling Collection.

Nowadays it is very hard to imagine how long this recovery took. The Scottish Mountain Rescue Service has well-trained and equips teams covering each area. The Torridon and Kinlochewe Team are an example of this and a few have relations who were part of this story who helped the Kinloss Team in 1951. Climbers still use the gully with its propeller jammed in as access to some of the really hard routes on this huge buttress. Recently two well-known climbers were avalanched and were stopped from serious injury by one hitting the propeller on the way down!

Joss Gosling at the memorial in Beinn Eighe.

One of the propellers is now at the Mountain Rescue Headquarters of the Lossiemouth Rescue Team ( used to be RAF Kinloss MRT) positioned outside the building at Kinloss Barracks.  The propellor was moved from the top of the ridge by RAF Grantown  Outdoor Centre and then by Sea King to RAF Kinloss. It is a reminder to all of to the Tragedy that took place all these years ago and the lessons learned from it.

It was a great night to listen to Joss and Willie tell their tale from the coal – face of all those years ago. They were so humble and unassuming yet told a hard story which effects them both to this day. They spoke about the kit it was so basic and incredible that was all they had.  The military has its way of decorating people after such an event. A BEM was awarded to the team leader, the Officer in charge got an MBE  and the troops put there names in hat for another BEM! Incredible stuff.

Thanks to Joss Gosling, Willie Stuart and all who helped with this tale from the past.

The plaque at the memorial at Kinloss Barracks.