Wings of fortune: Flight museum opens new exhibits

Published on Thursday 9 April 2009 10:05

THE early pages are filled with the hasty scribbles of an enthusiastic young pilot, training to take his place among the elite bombers helping to turn the tide of the Second World War in Britain's favour.

But the records charting the training flights over the North Sea by Sgt James Davidson stop abruptly on January 5 1944. That was the day he and his navigator, one Sgt Gardiner took off from East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian – and never came home. Another hand finishes the log book – and then an official Government stamp, marked "Death Presumed" ends the entries.

The log book is an exhibit in one of two new attractions set to open at the National Museum of Flight, at the former East Fortune Airfield. Part of a 2 million investment, Fantastic Flight will reveal the secrets of flight, while Fortunes of War traces the history of the airfield itself, from its early years as an airship base, through two world wars and the onset of the Cold War, using personal testimony, photographs, film and unique artifacts.

"The log book is one of the most poignant exhibits we have," says Stuart Allan, senior curator of military history at National Museums Scotland.

"East Fortune Airfield specialised in training pilots to fly over the sea, but many of them did not return and their bodies were never recovered."

More than 40 East Fortune trainees' remains were never recovered. And there were many more who paid the ultimate price – at St Martin's New Burial Ground in Haddington there are around 30 graves of pilots and navigators who died in training flights at East Fortune Airfield.

Stuart adds: "We were lucky enough to track down some of the people who served there who can give us their own recollections from the time."

Here are a few of those veterans' tales.

DONALD MACINTYRE Trainee navigator (1944-45)

TRAINEE air navigator Donald Macintyre got to see the dangers of flight training at very close quarters when his plane went down close to the East Fortune runway and he had to be dragged from the burning wreckage.

Donald, now 87, was sent to East Fortune to train as a navigator in the RAF's two-man Bristol Beaufighter aircraft and paired up with a pilot.

"We used to call it 'getting married' because you would be paired with your pilot for life," said Donald. "Sadly, our pairing didn't last long when the plane came down in a training accident.

"We took off with the tail trim set forward. The tail trim is supposed to be straight, but when we took off we went straight up into the air, much too sharply, and I realised something was wrong.

"The next thing I remember was seeing the control tower upside down, and then we landed in a ball of flame."

Records show that the pilot, 21-year-old Warrant Officer James Arthur 'Jack' Jeans, from Southall in London, was killed instantly on October 25, 1945.

Luckily, a member of the ground crew, Leading Aircrewman Cyril Fred Harbour, spotted the plane coming down and rushed to the scene.

Mr Harbour risked his own life by climbing into the burning plane, still laden with fuel and explosive ammunition, and was awarded the British Empire Medal for his gallantry.

Donald was taken to Bangour Hospital, near Dechmont, for surgery before being told the devastating news that his pilot was dead.

He said: "I remember feeling very guilty that Jack had died while I was okay. Not only did I lose my pilot, I lost my best friend."

Sadly, Donald has no memory of the East Fortune ground crewman who saved his life.

"It's sad that I never met him again to thank him," laments Donald. "I went back to East Fortune once I'd recovered to buy him a stiff dram, but when I returned he was already gone."

JEAN CRAWFORD Aircraft engineer (1943)

AS an air training base East Fortune was one of first airfields to see the latest RAF technology and it was up to a dedicated team of engineers to ensure they stayed in the air.

Jean Crawford joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and was sent to RAF Locking, in Somerset, to train as a flight mechanic.

"I eventually came to East Fortune in 1943 as an airframe mechanic," said Jean, who has lived nearly all of her 85 years in North Berwick. "There were two grades of mechanic. The 'E' mechanics dealt with engines, but as an 'A' mechanic I was involved in everything else from the tyres, to the flaps to the aelerons."

Jean adds: "I was just a link in a chain but we worked hard, and if we were ever caught slacking we got a talking to by the 'chiefy'. Our chiefy was Flight Sergeant Raynbird, who had been around for years and served on the airships, and he kept us all in line.

"It was sad when you saw the pilots coming down. You'd occasionally see a plume of smoke rising up from the horizon and feel sorry for the families.

"A lot of the boys that trained at East Fortune came from all over the world, and I remember watching a plane flown by this Australian lad come down one day and imagining what it would be like for the family receiving that telegram 12,000 miles away.

"But we were young, there was a war on, and people would be coming and going all the time. We knew we had a job to do."

RONNIE CRAMMOND Air cadet (1943)

FROM an early age Ronnie Crammond's head was filled with tales of Biggles and the great bi-plane flyers of the early 20th century.

So it was no surprise when he got his bursary to go to George Heriot's that he signed up for the school's Air Training Corps.

"It was absolutely fantastic," said Ronnie, who is now 82 and lives in The Grange. "We met every Friday to learn about map reading, navigation, aircraft recognition and most importantly went on camps to airbases.

"East Fortune was always my favourite. At East Fortune I went flying in the rear cockpit of a Fairey Swordfish, an open cockpit bi-plane of the type they used to bomb the Bismarck."

At the age of just 14 Ronnie was already becoming a crack-shot on the East Fortune rifle range, and had set his sights on becoming a Spitfire pilot.

"Ever since I heard the name Spitfire in 1938 I knew I wanted to fly one, and at East Fortune we got to see the latest models. The old ones had four Browning machine guns built into the wing but these new ones had two deadly 20mm canons sticking out in front.

"I was devastated when they later told me my eyesight wasn't good enough to be a pilot, but they offered me a position in ground crew. Join the RAF and stay on the ground? No thanks!"

Fortunes of War and Fantastic Flight opens tomorrow and runs daily from 10am to 5pm until October 31. Adult: 8.50 Concessions: 6.50 Child 12 and under free.