Published: Tuesday, 30th December, 2008 1:05pm

Solving the mystery of Ochils Spitfires

by Jamie MacDonald

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Brian Imrie is researching the Spitfires' crash in the Ochil Hills.
Pic by: Jan van der Merwe

A TILLICOULTRY man researching the fatal Second World War crash of three Spitfires in the Ochils is asking the Clackmannanshire public for their help.

Major Brian Imrie has been looking into the events surrounding the triple plane crash on the southern face of King’s Seat Hill on 16 January 1943 and he hopes there may be people in the area with memories of the incident.

Both pilots killed in the crash were Canadian with the third pilot – Sergeant Vincent Daly from Australia – the sole survivor.

Brian told the Advertiser he is keen to learn more information about the accident whilst it is still in living memory.

He continued, “It happened on our door step in the Wee County but we don’t really know too much about it.

“After the crash the wreckage was guarded and taken down to Dollar. They did not report on it in the paper because information like that was not put out at the time.”

Brian has been in contact with Dollar Museum over the accident and he plans to pass everything he does discover on to the museum.

What they do know is the weather on the day of the crash was cold, with wet sleet, snow on the ground and low cloud.

According to Brian the planes were flying from the base at RAF Grangemouth but were diverted, due to the bad weather, to another landing strip at Balado Bridge.

On the way to Balado Bridge the pilots received a call to say the airfield was closed – due to a “prang” according to the Alloa Advertiser several years later.

It is assumed they were heading north to Perth when the crash occurred.

Flying officer Hugh ‘Bud’ Reynolds and Sergeant Gordon Duda died in the crash.

Brian said, “They flew into King’s Seat Hill with F/O Reynolds and Sgt Duda impacting first.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that Sgt Daly saw their impact and pulled back on his control column which caused his aircraft to contact the hill at an oblique angle – this saved his life.”

He added, “Sgt Daly managed to extract himself from the cockpit and use his scarf to tie his broken legs together in a rough splint.

“He dragged himself downhill towards Dollar Glen and found refuge in some bracken.”

Sgt Daly was found the following day and taken to Larbert Hospital with double pneumonia and broken legs.

After recovering Sgt Daly continued with his service at RAF Grangemouth until October 1945 when he was discharged as a Warrant Officer.

All three men were 21-years-old at the time of the crash. Both F/O Reynolds and Sgt Duda are buried in Grandsable Cemetery adjacent to Beancross, Grangemouth. Their names are included on a Memorial Wall in Grangemouth commemorating Spitfire casualties.

The map co-ordinates of the crash are known and Brian visited the scene with friends but the weather came in and they could find nothing to indicate a crash all those years ago. They also visited the pilots’ graves, leaving flowers and spending a moment of reflection.

Brian serves as an aircraft engineer with the Army Air Corps and, as a serving member of the armed forces, is keen to pay tribute to men who were fighting for freedom far from home.

He said, “We owe these men a debt of remembrance. The only guy that would know for sure what happened is Vincent, who went back to Australia, but other people might know some of the story so we could piece it together.

“Hopefully we will get some correspondence and there is more to come, if we don’t capture it now we might never find out what happened.”

Brian would like to thank Janet Carolan of Dollar Museum, Alex Johnston of Dollar and his sister, Anne-Marie, for their help in providing information.

Anyone who can pass on further details about the Spitfires’ crash can contact Brian on 01259 753152.