About this booklet and the web site

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About this booklet and the web site.

The purpose of this booklet is to put on permanent record as much as possible of the history of the Crash of the Beaufighter JL710 beside St Mogue’s Island on 17th March 1943.

Although I’ve always been interested in the ‘plane crash on the Island and collected many small pieces of it I knew very little of the truth about the event.
The interest was re-sparked when neighbours who had a wide interest in WW II aeroplanes asked questions which I couldn’t answer. The meeting with John and Sue Patterson was the start of a lasting friendship.

Dennis Burke who runs the website listing the belligerent air crashes of WW II 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 Hendon. (page 37)
John Patterson who was used to researching genealogical websites diligently searched for the 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, surprisingly she still used the same email address and replied that she was married to a nephew of Richard the pilot of the aircraft.

This booklet tells the rest of the story as far as we have so far found out.

If you can add anything please contact us and we’ll put the information on the website at www.bawnboy.com/Beaufighter-JL710 where you should be to find the latest information as well as many colour photographs. Alternatively, you may visit www.bawnboy.com where you’ll find links to Bawnboy related web pages.

NR 4^th June 2006

Since I wrote the piece above a great deal has happened and so much more information is still coming in that this booklet has had to be expanded several times and is still not large enough to include all the stories, information and photographs we have.

Some photos (page 45) were already in this booklet before the engine recovery operation. It yielded many more parts and photos than were previously available. Unfortunately it was too close to the print deadline to attempt to layout the booklet again.
Regrettably; as it has to go to the printers today it can’t be as comprehensive as I would have liked but I’ll try to put the additional information and pictures on the website.

NR 7^th July 2006