Bud Wolfe
Encyclopedia
Roland 'Bud' Wolfe was an American pilot
who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat
bog
on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal
, Ireland, on November 30, 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland.
The 23-year old, a member of No. 133 Squadron RAF
, originally from Nebraska
, was on convoy patrol when his engine overheated, eight miles from his RAF base at Eglinton -- now City of Derry Airport
. Realizing he would certainly crash, he radioed back to base with a last message: "I'm going over the side." He then pushed back the Spitfire's canopy, released his safety harnesses and jumped out of the plane.
The plane penetrated deep into the peat when it crashed. Seventy years later in 2011, historian Jonny McNee began searching for the missing Spitfire, following numerous failed attempts by others, and in June 2011 discovered the wreckage near Moneydarragh, Co Donegal.
A team of archaeologists from Queen's University Belfast also found the plane's six Browning
.303 machine guns and about a thousand rounds of ammunition buried 30 feet deep.
Because he joined the British war effort while the US was still neutral, he was stripped of his US citizenship. The RAF pilot was interned at the Curragh
army camp in Southern Ireland. On December 13, 1941, he walked out of camp, caught the train from Dublin to Belfast and was back at his RAF base at Eglinton within hours. He was subsequently arrested and held for two more years while the authorities in the UK and Ireland debated how to handle his escape. In 1943 he escaped again and this time was sent to the US Air Force where he served for the rest of the war.
He later served in Korea and Vietnam, and died in Florida in 1994. He retired as a lieutenant colonel
.
The dig was filmed by Derry
-based TV company 360 Productions for a BBC
series on military archaeology, and the Spitfire plane is preserved at the Tower Museum in Derry.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, Ireland, on November 30, 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland.
The 23-year old, a member of No. 133 Squadron RAF
No. 133 Squadron RAF
133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle squadrons formed from American volunteers serving with the RAF during World War II.-History:133 Squadron was first formed in 1918 at RAF Ternhill. It was a training unit for the Handley Page O/400, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, that was...
, originally from Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, was on convoy patrol when his engine overheated, eight miles from his RAF base at Eglinton -- now City of Derry Airport
City of Derry Airport
City of Derry Airport is an airport located northeast of Derry, Northern Ireland. It is located on the south bank of Lough Foyle, a short distance from the village of Eglinton and from the city centre...
. Realizing he would certainly crash, he radioed back to base with a last message: "I'm going over the side." He then pushed back the Spitfire's canopy, released his safety harnesses and jumped out of the plane.
The plane penetrated deep into the peat when it crashed. Seventy years later in 2011, historian Jonny McNee began searching for the missing Spitfire, following numerous failed attempts by others, and in June 2011 discovered the wreckage near Moneydarragh, Co Donegal.
A team of archaeologists from Queen's University Belfast also found the plane's six Browning
Browning machine gun
Any of the following designs by John Browning, a prolific weapon designer, may be referred to as a Browning machine gun:*M1895 Colt-Browning machine gun*M1917 Browning machine gun, a family of water-cooled machine guns in .30-'06...
.303 machine guns and about a thousand rounds of ammunition buried 30 feet deep.
Because he joined the British war effort while the US was still neutral, he was stripped of his US citizenship. The RAF pilot was interned at the Curragh
Curragh
The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
army camp in Southern Ireland. On December 13, 1941, he walked out of camp, caught the train from Dublin to Belfast and was back at his RAF base at Eglinton within hours. He was subsequently arrested and held for two more years while the authorities in the UK and Ireland debated how to handle his escape. In 1943 he escaped again and this time was sent to the US Air Force where he served for the rest of the war.
He later served in Korea and Vietnam, and died in Florida in 1994. He retired as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
The dig was filmed by Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
-based TV company 360 Productions for a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series on military archaeology, and the Spitfire plane is preserved at the Tower Museum in Derry.