This is a delightful seven miles of road, mostly single track, which culminates in a spectacular viewpoint on top of the "Cliffs of Magho" nearly 1000 feet above Lower Lough Erne. The viewpoint is a small car park which ends at the almost vertical cliff to the fields and farms below.

Looking down on Hill's Island from Lough Navar Forest viewpoint

Memorials

At the back of this open area is a belt of pine trees and it was here that I discovered these two memorials to aircrew who crashed and died whilst operating in the area during World War Two.

Two airforce memorial stones at Lough Navar Forest

I note that the Catalina was based at Killadeas and assume the Sunderland crew were from Castle Archdale. Both bases were only a few miles across the Lough from where these tablets are erected.

Names on memorial tablet to 1943 Sunderland crash The wording on this tablet reads:- WAR GRAVE Sunderland W4036 Of 201 Squadron RAF Sank in Lough Erne on November 18th 1943 Flt/Lt Douglas J Dolphin RCAF (Skipper) age 23 Sgt. John B Green RAF age 23 Sgt Elvert Parry RAF age 20 Killed. Buried Flintshire. Wales. Remember all airmen based on Lough Erne who died in World War Two

Names on memorial tablet to 1944 Catalina crash The wording on this tablet reads:- CATALINA JX 242 OF 202 SQN. KILLADEAS CRASHED AT LOUGH AN LABAN ON NOVEMBER 20th 1944 EIGHT CREW MEMBERS DIED Flt/Lt. George Forbes-Lloyd RAF (Skipper) P/O William Sharpe RAAF W/O Ernest Slack RAF Sgt. Fred Deam RAF Sgt. John Geldert RAF Sgt. Peter Marshall RAF Sgt. Douglas Nater RAF Sgt. Gordon Tribble RAF

I have heard of the wartime base for sea-planes at Castle Archdale but didn't realize there was also one at Killadeas. Has anyone more details about this Killadeas base?

Ernesider has been writing about the Catalina crash - find out more.

Listen to a report by Breege McCusker broadcast on Your Place & Mine on 26th June 2004, in which she visited these memorials in the company of Joe O'Loughlin, Roger Corrigan and Bernard Deacon.