The eight man crew of USAAC B17 "Badger Beauty" were very fortunate on the night of the 29th of May, 1944, when their aircraft was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean six miles northwest of Brandon Creek in stormy conditions.
Amongst the crew was Air Observer Sergeant William Young from Edinburgh. A great tribute must be paid to the people of Ballydavid who rowed out in their currachs and towed the exhausted airmen to shore where they accorded them most welcome Irish hospitality. One should not forget the heroic efforts of the units of the Irish Army, LDF, LSF, Lighthouse Keepers and LOP's who carried out vital work for our nation during the dangerous moments of The Emergency 1939 - 1945. It has been my privilege to know many of these unsung heroes who went about their work in a most unselfish way. During my years of non profit research I interviewed many Veterans who provided much valuable information and I also interviewed Lighthouse keepers who provided vital information regarding the movement of Aircraft and Submarines. Most of those interviewed have now passed to their eternal reward. Having covered virtually all of the WWII Air accidents in West Cork from 1983 to 1987 one particular Army unit is still very close to my heart. The Second Cyclist Squadron (The Piddling Panzers) were based at Bantry House from the 29th of June, 1940 to the 4th of February, 1945. This 130 strong unit were under the command, initially, of Captain Jack Butler of Youghal and later under the command of Captain Pat Buttimer of Dunmanway. They patrolled the rugged coastline of South West County Cork to deter the immediate threat of invasion from whatever source. They attended the scenes of utter carnage where foreign aircraft crashed on the mountains and foothills of West Cork. They carried out the unenviable task of recovering human remains from crushed fuselages and burying the remains, with full military honours, near where they fell. They accorded them dignity, but of course it was not all doom and gloom for these unique Army personnel drawn from every county of Munster. There were humorous times also like when Trooper Danny Minogue, the Store Clerk from County Clare, nailed the tea chests to the floor to give his Commanding Officer the impression that the cheste were full; or the time when the Squadron received a delivery of new Hotchkiss Submachine Guns. After the parts had been removed from their crates they were assembled. Later that night a local coming home from a late night card game observed lights in Bantry Bay and notified the Gárdaí in kDurrus. A general alarm was sounded at 2.00 am in Bantry House as German Paratroopers had been seen in Bantry Bay! The brand new guns were loaded onto the lorries and off they headed for the Mizen Head area. At Barleycove beach the guns were off loaded and the Squadron were prepared to devour whatever enemy came ashore, but as dawn broke nothing was seen and disappointment reigned in every face. The guns were loaded once again and returned to Bantry House. The following day the guns were taken to the firing range. Not one would fire a bullet because there was a fault in their mechanism! Can one imagine the consequences of a real invasion and before I forget, the lights later transpired to be the phosphorescent lights of the shoals of herring in Bantry Bay and the Squadron won the battle. I was privileged to co-organise the first reunion of my beloved personnel. Only 56 survived and 30 attended on that glorious day. Certainly a day which I will remember forever.
Gerard O'Regan
''Blath Na Greine''
Ballinlough Road,
Cork.