Angus farmland has relinquished wartime remnants in the quest for a lost memorial to two tragic airmen.
A field near Forfar has this week given up parts of the Royal Naval Air Squadron Fairey Swordfish that plunged from the skies in late February 1943, killing the two-man crew in the crash less than 10 miles from their HMS Condor Fleet Air Arm base on the outskirts of Arbroath.
The bodies of Sub Lieutenants Brian Honeybun and Arnold Waterhouse, both 21, were returned home to England for burial but the young flyers were commemorated with a simple wooden cross and inscribed plaque in the Gask Farm field on the outskirts of Letham.
The memorial stood for decades near a twisted tree that is thought to have been damaged by the falling biplane, but the cross eventually fell to the ground and metal detecting enthusiasts have embarked on a mission to recover the plaque so it can be placed on a modern monument to the brave pair.
Glasgow metal detectorist Grant Maxwell led local enthusiasts on the first sweep of the area, after being pointed to the area where the plane came down by farmer David Lumgair, who remembered well the position of the marker.
Mr Lumgair, an Angus councillor said: “I was just a baby when the crash happened, but I remember seeing the cross and, as a young boy, going up to paint it with creosote to protect it.
“I only know of one person still alive who saw the plane coming down so it would be nice if we could find the original plaque for the families of these two men.”
The Angus quest was sparked by a request from the National Council for Metal Detecting which became aware of the memorial story and a personal connection to the poignant tale piqued Mr Maxwell’s interest.
“I was a medic in the Navy for 22 years and retired a few years ago,” he said. “I was based at Faslane, but during my time I also came to Condor, the base from which this plane flew.
“I also have an interest in aircraft and hopefully we can find the original plaque. There is also talk of putting up a new memorial, such as a cairn.”
Several local enthusiasts joined Grant at the farm and within a short time the crash site had given up fragments of the plane, including what is believed to be part of the landing gear of the Swordfish.