Bomber drama will be filmed at iconic Loch Ness to mark the 80th anniversary of its crash

Filming is set to take place on Loch Ness later this month as part of the preparations to mark the 80th anniversary of the crashing of a bomber aircraft.

The short film, which will include Typhoon Jets, a helicopter and RNLI lifeboat, will mark the spot where a Wellington bomber, carrying eight men, ditched into the ice-cold waters at 3.15pm on Hogmanay 1940. It is being produced for a dedication ceremony in Inverness Cathedral on New Year’s Eve.

It is also hoped to produce a 30-minute documentary next year if sufficient funding can be raised.

The anniversary plans are being put together by the Loch Ness Wellington 2020 Project which involves a core group of people with family connections to the Wellington or with a keen interest in aircraft.

The project’s leader, Jack Waterfall, said that the Wellington N2980, R for Robert, took off from RAF Lossiemouth just after lunch and flew into snow squalls over the mountains, which caused an engine to fail at 8000ft. The pilot ordered his navigators to bail out as there was no visible place to land and the aircraft was losing height.

Then an opening in the cloud revealed a long stretch of the loch which provided a relatively safe place to land and Squadron Leader Marwood-Elton and his trainee co-pilot had no choice but to ditch.

“They survived and escaped in a dinghy while the aircraft sank to a depth of 230ft where it remained for nearly 45 years before being recovered,” Mr Waterfall said. “Sadly, Sgt John Fensome was killed when his parachute failed, but the other five survived to fly again. Of these, most were killed in action later in World War II.”

The project has commissioned Ian Forsyth of DP Digital Media, Dingwall, to produce the film. Anyone wishing to support the project can donate at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lnw2020

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.