A Dalry man is to mark the 80th anniversary of a young pilot’s tragic death – at a mountain memorial miraculously rediscovered by forestry contractors.
Bob Peace will trek into the hills on Monday to lay a wooden cross and poppy at the stone which lies on the north-east flank of Cairnsmore at Carsphairn.
The retired police officer, 71, had believed the monument lost when he found to his horror that a new forestry road had obliterated the site.
The contractors agreed to carry out a search – and by luck found the stone buried under construction rubble.
Bob told the News: “If I bump into the contractor I’ll say thanks very much for doing this.
“The little bit of wreckage attached to the plaque is gone and the plaque is scratched but that’s all.
“The stone is still in situ and you can still read the inscription.
“I think they appreciated they made a balls-up.
“That’s why they made an effort to find the original stone – and they came good.”
The metal plaque reads: “Near this spot on 23rd May 1942 Spitfire MK VB AD. 540 Blue Peter crashed whilst on convoy duties in the Clyde Estuary, PO David Hunter Blair being killed in the accident. The aircraft lay hidden for 51 years to the day it crashed, until discovered by Ralph Davidson of the DGAG on 23rd May 1993.”
Bob first visited the site in March, 2020, as a guide for the Newton Stewart Walking Festival – and saw nothing amiss.
Post-pandemic, he returned to the remote spot on a recce for the 2022 event – only to find the little monument gone.
He said: “When I got near the site I thought hang on a minute, that looks like a road – what the hell’s going on?
“The stone wasn’t there and I thought they must have scooped it up and dumped it during construction.
“I was quite annoyed to say the least but the contractor offered to dig around.
“It’s not a massive boulder and I was not hugely confident.
“But the stone had only been buried, not moved, and when they took off the soil they found it in situ.”
Bob has researched the crash which happened only a handful of miles from the pilot’s home at Blairquhan Castle near Straiton.
He said: “That’s where he’s buried. His was one of two Spitfires escorting the Queen Mary in the lower reaches of the Clyde – the ship was full of American servicemen.
“Two Spitfires left from Prestwick air base then both pilots were diverted to investigate an alleged sighting of German aircraft.
“They were flying at over 20,000 feet and investigators reckoned his oxygen supply malfunctioned and he lost consciousness.
“His plane spiralled downwards and when he reached a low level he came to and baled out.
“But he was too low and his parachute did not properly deploy and he hit the ground.
“The plane continued for another mile and then crashed.”
“So there are two memorials – one where the body was located and the other where the plane came down.”
Bob added: “I’m planning on going back up to both sites next Monday, the 80th anniversary of the crash.
“Hilda McAdam from Dalry has knitted red poppies for the wooden cross, one for each site.”
Last Wednesday, Bob led a walking festival party of six to the memorial.
All paid their respects to PO David Hunter-Blair.
The engine of the Blue Peter Spitfire is in Dumfries Aviation Museum.
