Isle of Arran: 'Shock' as Second World War plane propeller found wrapped in potato sacks in peat bog in Scotland

A propeller thought to be from a Second World War plane has been found wrapped in potato sacks in a peat bog in Scotland. The discovery has sparked an investigation into where the propeller came from as its location falls outside two previously known crash sites nearby.

A contractor initially thought he might have discovered human remains when he came across the sacks while carrying out peatland restoration work at Coire a’Bhradain on the Isle of Arran. Experts have narrowed down the types of plane to a B-17 Flying Fortress or a B-24 Liberator, which both crashed on Arran and used the same sort of propeller blades.

National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said there were six Second World War plane crashes on land it now cares for on Arran, which are protected sites. The crash site closest to where the propeller blade was found is that of the B-24 Liberator, which came down on August 24, 1943, with the loss of all 11 crew and passengers.

Derek Alexander, head of archaeology for NTS said: “We are intrigued by the discovery of the propeller blade, which certainly looks to be from a WWII plane. 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.”

He added: “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.”

The propeller was found in February during peatland restoration work which is helping to mitigate against climate change. Kate Sampson, senior ranger at the NTS on Arran, said: "I think our contractor got a bit of a shock when he saw the end of the potato sack sticking out of the bog as his first thought was that it could be human remains. However, with careful excavation the wrapped propeller was revealed with a rope still tied around it, and we suspect someone might have been dragging the propeller down the hill when it sunk deep into the peat, not to be recovered until now."