US airman 'guest of the state' after Spitfire crash in Inishowen

A boggy hillside in Donegal and the dry plains of Kildare are linked in the extraordinary story of an American airman and his wartime adventures.

The tale of ex-Curragh internee, Pilot Officer Roland ‘Bud’ Wolfe, has came into focus recently with the archaeological excavation of his Spitfire from an Inishowen bog. The team, which included a BBC documentary crew, was led by Claudy aviation historian Jonny McNee - the man who tracked down the resting place of the fighter plane after many others had failed to do so.

An Irish Army bomb disposal team supervised the long awaited dig on June 28, a necessary precaution as hundreds of bullets were unearthed among the wreckage. Items of a more personal nature were found too including the leather helmet which ‘Bud’ Wolfe had discarded as he bailed out of the plane.

‘Bud’ Wolfe was one of many Americans to make common cause with the British war effort and join the Royal Air Force, before the US’s entry into the second World War. The determined young man was undeterred that, as a consequence of joining the defence forces of a foreign power, he would be stripped of his US citizenship.

The 23 year-old was flying a routine Sunday afternoon sortie as “top-cover” for a maritime convoy off the coast of Donegal when his plane’s Rolls Royce Merlin engine overheated and failed just eight miles from his RAF base at Eglinton - now City of Derry Airport.

The pilot yelled into his radio: “I’m going over the side” before sliding back the bubble canopy, releasing his seat straps and launching himself into the air.

Bailing out of the Spitfire would was no easy task. The air flow hit the pilot like a freight train - such was the ferocity that it tore his boots from his feet. Despite the conditions, he managed to deploy his parachute and landed safely in the peat bog. The aircraft smashed into bog half a mile away as churchgoers in Gleneely looked on in amazement.

It sounds like a typical wartime accident but it was anything but. It was the beginning of one of the strangest incidents of World War II.

‘Bud Wolfe’ was a member of 133 Eagle Squadron one of the famous RAF Eagle Squadrons which consisted wholly of American volunteers. These pilots were a mix of idealists and thrill seekers.

Unfortunately, the Nebraska native had touched down southern side of the border, therefore becoming a guest of the neutral Irish Free State at the height of what was known in Ireland as ‘The Emergency’. His dramatic arrival was something of a headache for the Irish authorities - as although he was flying for Britain’s air force he was an American and this added another complication to the delicate nuances of the 1939-45 neutrality policy presided over by the then Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera.

City of Derry Airport | Can Do Can Go!

The City of Derry Airport is one of Derry Airport. An average of half a million passengers pass through each year served by four major airlines and travel agencies, including Aer Arann, Ryanair, Spanair and Air Thompson that fly to eight destinations. Derry or Londonderry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland, and the fourth largest city in the whole of Ireland.

The City of Derry Airport is located 7 miles northeast of the A2 Derry Londonderry Coleraine main road.

From Derry: Take the main A2 Derry to Coleraine Road for 7 miles until you reach the airport, which is very well signposted. From Letterkenny: Take the N13 road to Derry and cross the border at Bridgend. Take the A6 road to the Foyle Bridge and from Caw Roundabout at the eastern end of the Foyle Bridge take the main A2 Derry to Coleraine Road for 7 miles to the airport.

If you have a satnav, you can input the postcode BT47 3GY.

Official website: http://www.cityofderryairport.com/

People with reduced mobility can request assistance by contacting the airport in advance. The airport caters for the disabled with low level kerbs, dedicated car parking spaces, passenger facilities all at ground level and wheelchairs available upon request.

The City of Derry Airport website has a designated section for its disabled passengers .

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