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

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Anglo-Celt 20th July 2006

Bawnboy remembers WW II aircrash

Photograph at top of article
Caption:
Pictured are some of the people on St. Mogues Island Bawnboy last Sunday. [Photo. Paddy Ronaghan]

By Eamonn Gaffney

ST PATRICK’S NIGHT 1943 was a remarkable occasion for the people of Bawnboy, Co Cavan, when the small population of this rural area woke up to the noise of the crash of an RAF Bristol Beaufighter JL7IO plane at Port Lake, Bawnboy.
Bawnboy was the centre of activity on Sunday last when relatives of pilot Richard Kukura and his navigator Tommy 1-lulme were honoured guests at a series of commemoration events on and off St Mogue’s Island. To mark the occasion a book has been published about the exploits of the two pilots entitled “The Irish Adventure of Richard Kukura and Tommy Hulme and the fate of their Beaufighter JL71O’.
Unfortunately 89 year old Richard Kukura who resides in Perth, Australia, was unable to attend as his wife is ill but his nephew Brian and his wife were present to represent the family. Tommy Hulme died on 28th June 1995 aged 81.

Eventful night
The publication of the book is to put on permanent record as much as possible of the history of the crash. On the night in question there was a dance in the hall of the workhouse in Bawnboy and a plane was heard circling progressively lower. making circles about five miles in diameter between Corlough and Templeport. After the noise of the circling plane ceased abruptly many of the revellers realising that it had crashed went in search and some were nearly lost on Gowlagh bog where they thought the aircraft had come down.
The following morning the local Gardai and LDF (Local Defence Force) arrived on the scene 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. Two amateur divers Willie Seaman and Eddie Brogan worked hard to recover the engines which it was believed were still in the lake.
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 the wing span. Willie Seaman was convinced that 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 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.
Both pilot and navigator were able to bale out before it crashed. Both men were helped by local people before being taken over the border to rejoin their unit and continued to fly Beaufighters and Mosquitoes in North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Further research
In order to finance further research the Jl710 committee organised a Race Night in the Keeper’s Arms, Bawnboy last Friday night while on Saturday night there was a Percy French evening in the Viking Pub. Aughawillan.
Boat trips were arranged to the Ecumenical Service on St Mogue’s Island which departed every fifteen minutes or so from the Island’s Council Boat House, Port Lake.
The organising committee believe that this event will add significantly to the tourism potential of the area and become another facet of the rich history of the area.

Ecumenical Service
The Ecumenical Service of Remembrance for those who fought for freedom and for those who were kind to strangers in trouble was held on St Mogue’s Island and those who made the journey by boat were welcomed by Councillor Peter McVitty. The joint service was performed by Canon Tom Murray and Rev Geoff Wilson as well as prayers recited by Oliver Brady and Isabel Rofe. Councillor Sean Smith addressed the gathering and there was a message from Mr Brendan Smith, TD Minister of State at the Dept of Agriculture and Food who complimented the committee on their initiative in recording the events of the crash.
He said they were fortunate in Templeport to have a first-class history of the parish which was written by former teacher Chris Maguire some years ago and which provides an historical record of the area. He complimented Isabel Rofe and Nigel Rofe on the work they carried out in planning the event. Councillor Wilson Elliott from Florencecourt who witnessed the plane being moved across the border by the Irish Air Corps for handover to the RAP after the accident was among those invited.

Local involvement
Local people involved in researching information were amateur diver and marine archaeologist Willie Seaman from Enniskillen and his colleague Eddie Brogan, Arney. Willie has dived at the crash scene on a number of occasions and attended several meetings. Representatives of the magazine ‘Flying in Ireland’ will feature the event in a forthcoming issue.
Further information can be obtained on the website www.bawnboy.utvinternet.com/ Beaufighter-JL7IO or alternatively www.bawnboy.com where there are links to related web- sites.

Picture here
Jim McGolderick 93 years old . [Photo. Paddy Ronaghani

Picture here
• The last waltz on St. Mogues Island. As Isabel Rofe and Seymour Crawford T.D. hold hands. [Photo. Paddy Ronaghan]

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