WW2-era relic mysteriously unearthed in peat bog on remote UK island

Builders carrying out restoration works in Scotland have found what is believed to be a propellor from a World War Two-era plane.

Its blades, believed to have come from a B17 Flying Fortress or a B24 Liberator, were found trapped inside old potato sacks.

Experts were working on peatland restoration at Coire a’Bhradain on the Island of Arran, Scotland, when they stumbled upon the rare snippet of British history.

Aircraft is known to have crashed in the area during the war, though the relic falls outside of previously known sites.

Heritage bosses in Scotland have now launched an investigation into the find, which, if approved, could turn up yet more artifacts.

The constructor who came across the propellor was initially worried he had found a body, but the fact that what was inside hails from World War 2 isn’t all that surprising. 

There are six plane crash sites from the conflict across Arran which are protected sites. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is now working alongside several organisations before any further excavations can be carried out.

In a statement, Derek Alexander, the Trust’s head of archaeology, described the find as “interesting”.

He said: “There are two previously known plane crash sites further up the glen on the steep cliff side of Beinn Nuis, but this object was found outside the mapped spread of debris from both of these, which has caused some uncertainty around which aircraft they belong to.

“The plane part was discovered when our contractor’s excavator bucket hit something solid and metallic. On closer inspection we found it had been wrapped and tied in a potato sack, which has added further intrigue to the find that lay some distance from the spread of the wreckage of the former crash sites.

“It may have been gathered during the clean-up of the site in the 1940s, immediately after the impact, or through subsequent work by the trust in the 1980s. It’s too early to tell but we are determined to get to the bottom of it.”

Peatlands are a distinctive group of wetland ecosystems in which conditions prevent material from ever fully decomposing. Decayed organic matter collects inside it, and in the process forms layer upon layer or peat.

Around the world, unique conditions have preserved various things from the past, perhaps most famously the Old Croghan Man, whose near-perfect remains were mummified after his body fell into the peat during the Iron Age.

Not only do the ecosystems provide the perfect ground for preservation but also carbon capture, and will, the experts say, play a vital role in helping to fight against climate change.

Plane crash sites on Arran are well documented, and so it has been possible for researchers to easily track down the type of plane involved to two American heavy bombers: a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress or a B-24 Liberator designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego.

What has made things tricky is that both planes used the kind of propellor blades found in the peat.

A nearby crash site was discovered in 2013 during an archaeological survey which held the propellor of a B-24. That plane descended on the island on August 24, 1943, with all eleven people on board killed. The experts believe the newest discovery could similarly be a B-24. 

“The bodies were recovered from the crash site shortly after, but the locations are still protected today under the 1986 Protection of Military Remains Act,” Mr Alexander noted. 

“We are not permitted to remove wreckage from such sites without first obtaining permission—so the accidental discovery of a propeller blade, without the known spread of fuselage debris, that had obviously been previously moved is quite an unusual situation.

“We are working with an aviation and aircraft expert to identify the objects, and there is potential to match up the serial numbers of the parts to historical records held by the Military. This will help us get closer to the origin of this fascinating discovery, continue to share these stories, and remember those who lost their lives.”