Loch Ness bomber aircraft crash to be remembered

An ill-fated wartime training flight which ended with a bomber aircraft plunging into Loch Ness is to be commemorated on the 80th anniversary of the crash.

On New Year’s Eve 1940, Wellington N2980, carrying eight men, suffered engine failure during a snowstorm and was forced to ditch in the ice-cold water.

All survived apart from one – the rear gunner, Sergeant Fensome, whose parachute failed to open after bailing out – while the bomber, R for Robert Wellington, sank 230ft to the bottom of loch where it remained until being raised 35 years ago next week.

A group of enthusiasts are planning to mark the anniversary with a programme of events including the unveiling of a new plaque and a service of remembrance at Inverness Cathedral on December 31.

They have issued an appeal in a bid to find someone who served with Bomber Command during World War II to carry out the unveiling ceremony and would also like to hear from anyone, including families, connected with the ditching of the aircraft and its recovery.

The Loch Ness Wellington 2020 Project involves a core group of people who have family connections to the Wellington, or a keen interest in aircraft.

They include Vic Atwood, a retired international airline cargo operations manager who also chaired an international committee which devised the procedures and regulations for transporting animals by air.

Mr Atwood, who lives in Inverness, became involved through his 40-year association with another member of the group – Canadian-based Tim Harris whose father flew R for Robert during the Battle of the Heligoland Bight in 1939 and was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Mr Atwood said due to the coronavirus pandemic, the anniversary commemorations had been scaled back.

“We were going to have a major get-together with people coming over from Canada and the USA,” he said.

“We are now hoping to re-arrange that in October next year.”

Instead, plans are under way for an ‘anniversary lite’ event, including a service of remembrance at Inverness Cathedral on December 31, starting at 3pm.

A member of the RAF Lossiemouth Chaplaincy will be involved and there will also be the unveiling of a new plaque to be installed at a later date at the Wellington lay-by on the A82, about seven miles north of Drumnadrochit, close to where the aircraft went down.

“We thought it would be nice if we could find someone who served with Bomber Command in World War II to take part, although obviously they will be in their 90s now,” Mr Atwood said.

There will also be a guard of honour by the Inverness squadron of the Air Training Corps and the recitation of a poem written by Rhiannon Naismith when she was a pupil at the former Drumsmittal Primary School on the Black Isle, which took part in a project about the salvage of the aircraft in 1988.

The school also wrote and performed a play, R – Robert the Wimpy Finally Goes Home, which is set to be re-enacted during next year’s commemorations .

In addition, plans are being put together for an exhibition at Inverness Museum, after which it will go on permanent display at Morayvia Aviation Museum, Kinloss.

It will include wreckage of the plane salvaged and original documents of that time, displayed on a series of information boards relaying the various parts of the story.

Mr Atwood said the story of the Wellington continued to fascinate the public.

“Unlike many aircraft which have been lost and forgotten, this one was found and restored,” he said.

“The fact it was found during a Nessie hunt makes it a remarkable story.

“It is a complete story.”

Anyone wanting more information can contact Mr Atwood on 01463 239394.

Click here for more news

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.