Anglo-Celt 13th July 2006

Second World War air crash in Bawnboy to be commemorated next Sunday

The Irish Adventure of Richard Kukura and Tommy Hulme and the fate of their Beaufighter JL710.

By Eamonn Gaffney

SUNDAY next 16th July 2006 is a special day for St Mogue’s Island, Bawnboy, Co Cavan where celebrations will be held to mark a remarkable event —St Patrick’s Night 1943 for which the small population of the area will never forget as they woke up to the noise of the crash of an RAF Bristol Beaufighter JL71O plane at Port Lake. The crash may have been only minor in the greater sense of things during the Second World War but it aroused great excitement locally and was a talking point within the small community for many years after.
To mark the occasion a book has been published about the exploits of the two pilots involved entitled “The Irish Adventure of Richard Kukura and Tommy Hulme and the Fate of their Aircraft”. Unfortunately 89 year old Richard Kukura who resides in Perth, Western Australia, is unable to attend this special event on Sunday as his wife is ill but his nephew Brian and his wife will be present to represent the family. Tommy Hulme died on 28th June, 1995 aged 81.
The publication of the book is to put on permanent record as much as possible of the history of the crash. Dennis Burke who runs the website listing the belligerent air crashes of WW2 in Ireland www.skynet.ie/-dan/war was able to obtain at David Earl’s suggestion the pilot’s name from records at the RAF Museum in Hendon. John Patterson who researched genealogical websites searched for a name Kukura and eventually found a Stephanie Kukura who some years earlier had asked on a genealogical forum for information about her husband’s ancestors. John wrote to her, where, surprisingly, she used the same email address and replied that she was married to a nephew of Richard the pilot of the aircraft.
The book tells the rest of the story.
On St Patrick’s night there was a dance in the hall of the workhouse in Bawnboy and an aeroplane was heard circling progressively lower, making circles of about five miles diameter between Corlough and Templeport. After the noise of the circling plane ceased abruptly many of the revellers realizing that it had crashed and went searching and some were nearly lost on Gowlagh bog where they thought the air-craft had come down.
The next morning the Garda & LDF (Local Defence Force) arrived and shortly after security was taken over by the Irish Army who brought in a raft to remove all they could. The operation took up to three weeks during which time some of the soldiers billeted in the family home.
Two amateur divers Willie Seaman and Eddie Brogan worked hard to recover the engines over the weekend which it was believed were still in the lake. Oil and a number of broken engine parts were buried in clay below the roots and mud. It seems that soon after the aircraft hit the water it nose-dived and made a trench in the clay three or four feet below the water level approximately the length of its wing span. Much of the trench was filled with mud and had weed roots matted together which Willie Seaman cut. He found what he thought were three deeper places in the clay with a higher bank in front (towards St Mogue’s Island) which may have been pushed forward by the diving aircraft. He had been convinced that the middle of the deeper and larger holes was the nose while the other two were Port and
Starboard engines. It is assumed that either the very badly-damaged engines were removed by the Irish Army in the Spring of 1943 or by treasure-seeking scrap metal hunters after the site had been abandoned by the authorities. There was real disappointment that no complete engine was recovered and no single large pieces visible.
Further research
In order to finance further research the JL71O committee are organising a Horse Racing Night on this (Friday) 14th July in the Keeper’s Arms, Bawnboy at 9pm. On Saturday night there is a Percy French Evening in The Viking Pub, Aughawillan at 9.30pm.. The presentation of the raffle prizes will be held in Templeport Resource Centre on Sunday next 16th July at 5pm after the boat trips to the Ecumenical Service on St Mogue’s Island which will depart from the Island’s Council Boat House, Port Lake at 2pm. The Service takes place at 3pm.
The organising committee believe that this event will add significantly to the tourism potential of the area and be another facet of the very rich history of this part of Breifne. Any profit from this event over and above the direct expenses will be given to St Luke’s Hospital along with the contribution from the Bawnboy Festival 2006 committee.

Photograph
Caption: Willie Seaman recovers wreckage from the striken Beufighter JL710 fighter plane.

On this piece of Newspaper there is also an article about the newly elected chairman of Cavan County Council Peter McVitty with his photograph and part of an advertisment.