Eye on Millig: Helensburgh memorial is tribute to MAEE men and women

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RAF HELENSBURGH was clouded in secrecy during World War Two.

Home to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, it developed ways of finding and sinking the U-Boats that threatened Britain’s survival.

MAEE also conducted trials of the Barnes Wallis bouncing bombs and a revolutionary bomb used to sink the German battleship Tirpitz.

All this was ‘hush hush’ work — and because RAF Helensburgh was a flying boat base there is little evidence today that it existed.

That is why on Saturday morning a memorial will be unveiled at Kidston Park, overlooking the Gareloch and the remaining Rhu Hangar.

This was where the flying boats once took off, sometimes destined to a watery grave.

The memorial is a result of a joint effort by Helensburgh Heritage Trust and the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, and has been paid for by the Airfields Trust.

The wartime role of RAF Helensburgh was brought to the attention of first Eye on Millig and then Helensburgh Heritage Trust by retired Merseyside journalist Robin Bird, whose late father Bob was the official MAEE photographer for two years.

Robin first visited Helensburgh to research a book about his father’s war. Since then the former newspaper editor has written two books

about the establishment and the men and women who worked there — and over 30 articles for the Heritage Trust website.

The worst single loss of life suffered by MAEE was when the Saro Lerwick flying boat L7248 crashed on October 21 1941. All seven people aboard were killed.

The death certificates give the site of death as Shandon, and the cause of death “Due to War Operations (Flying Accident)”.

However, because of wartime censorship and the secrecy under which MAEE operated, it was not reported in the Helensburgh and Gareloch Times.

Wilfred Harry Such was the only civilian aboard the aircraft.

On his death certificate Harry, who was buried in Rugby where his parents and his wife lived, was classified as a civilian employee of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, attached to RAF Helensburgh as an instrument repairer.

Before the war he had served in the RAF, and then he joined Short Brothers.

The six RAF personnel included the pilot, recently wed 22 year-old Flight Lieutenant John Collinson Alexander, from the village of Cranham, Gloucestershire, and Pilot Officer Charles H.Mills.

Only two of the crew, Leading Aircraftmen William D.J. McLaughlin from Glasgow and William S.E. Gianella from Bristol, had a full death certificate with regard to cause of death — “Multiple injuries sustained in flying accident. Instantaneous”.

The other five were “Registered on the information of G.R. Bruce, Wing Commander, acting for Officer Commanding Marine Aircraft Establishment, Royal Air Force, Helensburgh.”

Four of the crew are commemorated in row seven of Helensburgh Cemetery, Pilot Officer Mills in Radcliffe, Manchester, and A.C.2 Peter Beattie Hunter at Runnymede, Surrey.

It is likely that these bodies were not recovered or were unrecognisable.

Flight Lieutenant Alexander, the two Leading Aircraftmen, and A.C.1 Raymond T.M. Bullocke from Sanderstead, Surrey, may also just be remembered in spirit by their markers in the Burgh cemetery. Likewise Blackpool man Pilot Officer Mills at Radcliffe.

The court of inquiry into this so-called ‘flying accident’ concluded that Lerwicks were unstable, particularly on landing, and that the starboard engine failed on L7248.

The report stated: “The aircraft was unable to maintain height on one engine.”

The pilot was also said to be inexperienced when it came to flying Lerwicks.

However, a first-hand account by a witness obtained by Robin throws new light on the likely reason why L7248 crashed.

So, 76 years later, on the eve of the memorial unveiling, Robin and I can reveal that L7248 had lead shot ballast aboard from a previous trial.

This would have affected the handling of an aircraft which was a pig to fly at the best of times. It was the most likely cause of the pilot losing control and engine failure during a climb.

The centre of gravity determines how an aircraft handles — anyone who has launched a toy plywood glider will know this.

Flight Lieutenant Alexander was carrying out a calibration test. Yes, he was inexperienced in flying Lerwicks, but L7248 was fitted with an experimental twin fin tail at Helensburgh.

It handled differently to other Lerwicks, and the pilot would not have known how the ballast aboard would affect handling.

That is because the centre of gravity on a Lerwick was critical. Weight balance and redistribution of loads within a Lerwick had to be carefully calculated to avoid problematical handling in flight.

The lead shot had been put in for a previous test flown by another pilot. This ballast would have contributed to the bad handling and then the crash.

This was certainly the view of MAEE Flying Officer Neil Rutherford, an experienced aviator.

In an account of his life at RAF Helensburgh he said: ‘We carried out maximum load tests on the Lerwick flying boat. With all the lead shot ballast bags still aboard the plane took off next day from Rhu.

“I am not sure if the pilot knew about the ballast, or about the maximum load position. Maybe not.

“He took a very long run up the Gareloch before becoming airborne. The flying boat staggered into the air. It climbed very slowly towards Faslane.

“Alexander made a climbing turn, but he was too low to clear the hills. A climbing turn at low speed in a Lerwick is potentially fatal. In this case it was!”

But the court of inquiry does not appear to have factored the ballast weight into the cause of the tragedy.

MAEE had spent many flying hours trying to solve the handling problems of the Saro Lerwick, which had a fateful record of crashes in the hands of Coastal Command.

Unfortunately Lerwicks only killed and injured the people who flew in them -— and not the enemy.

The first Lerwick flew early in November 1938 as the factory prototype. This was L7248, the aircraft that was to crash near Faslane.

It was used by the MAEE in an effort to solve its many design flaws, but they had been given a poisoned chalice.

Even during early test flights MAEE test pilots warned that the Lerwick was not suitable for the role of an operational flying boat. Several faults included severe hydrodynamic instability.

There was overbalance of the elevators. The aircraft’s roll and yaw was unstable at times. Hands-off flight was impossible.

L7248 was then fitted with experimental twin tails. Between February 1940 and October 16 1941, nine Lerwicks crashed with loss of life. L7248 was about to become the tenth when it took off loaded with ballast.

This could have contributed to an engine overheating or failing during the climb. Another contemporary account by MAEE Engineering Officer P.G.G. Knight stated that he should have been aboard L7248 that fateful day. A last-minute problem in the instrument shop saw him replaced.

July 1 2017 will be a timely moment to remember the men and women who served at RAF Helensburgh and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Lest we forget.