Virtually all the wreckage on the north-west slopes of Arenig Fawr was salvaged by 34 Maintenance Unit (MU0 and only pieces of melted aluminium lie in a patch of stony ground where the aircraft burned out. From here, small fragments are scattered down the slope. A slate memorial plaque is built into the wall of the stone shelter at the summit.
The remains of this aircraft are designated as a Protected Place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. The Act makes it an offence to interfere with the wreckage of any crashed, sunken or stranded military aircraft without a licence. For further information on this Act and its administration with regard to aircraft, please contact the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, RAF Innsworth, Gloucester, GL3 1RZ.
Event and Historical Information:
This B17 was assigned to this B-17 was assigned to the 8th Bomber Command of 8th Air Force, 303rd Bomb Group, 427th Bombardment Squadron. The incident occurred on 4 August 1943 at 01:00. The crew comprised pilot 1st Lt James N Pratt (killed), pilot 2nd Lt William A Bowling (killed), navigator 2nd Lt Allan M Boner (killed), engineer staff Sgt Walter J Johnson (killed), radio operator T Sgt Frederic J Royar (killed), gunner sgt Walter B Robinson (killed, gunner Sgt Phillip (NMI) Simonte (killed) , and PFC Alfred B Van Dyke (killed). The pilot had some 401 hours of flying experience, 241 on this model. The pilot's mission was a routine flight across country and the cause of the accident was given as crashed into high ground. The plane had taken off at 23:54 hours on 3 August 1943. The course had been checked by the navigator and pilot with Flying Contol for any obstacles. No communications was sent or received by the ground station. At 02:50 Flying Control at AAF Station 107 reported the aircraft overdue. At 03:00 hours, information was received that an unidentifed aircraft had crashed on the peak of Arenig Fawr (52 54 08N, 03 44 03W). At 07:30, a report was received confirming that the aircraft was a B17, that it was burnt out and that four bodies had been recovered. Eight bodies were later recovered and identified. The aircraft had struck about 50ft below the summit in a slightly nose-up position and had then continued to the peak where it burst into flames. The crew had apparently made no attempt to escape - parachutes and safety equipment were found with the wreckage. Three damaged propellers were observed where the aircraft impacted and the tail section remained intact following the fire. The Home Guard took two hours to climb to the wreck, but there was nothing they could do with exploding .50 in calibre ammunition strewn around. Most of the wreckage was removed by 34 MU from Bethesda and the 2nd Strategic Air Depot from Abbots Ripton. A memorial plaque was placed on the summit and replaced in 1983 after being damaged. A memorial plaque was also placed on the face of the Old Town Hall at Bala in 1996.
Sources include:
Doylerush, E, 2002, No Landing Place: A Guide to Aircraft Crashes in Snowdonia, pg91
Doylerush, E, 1999, No Landing Place Volume 2: More Tales of Aircraft Crashes in Snowdonia, pg24-6
US Air Accident Record 44-08-04-503, RCAHMW Digital Collections
Wotherspoon, N, Sheldon, M and Clark, A, 2009, Aircraft Wrecks: The Walkers Guide - Historic Crash Sites on the Moors and Mountains of the British Isles
Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, December 2013.
Site visit 9th March 2025 showed that a new brass memorial plaque was now mounted at the summit cairn, replacing a worn slate plaque which had been on site in 2017 (replacement date unknown). Remains on site comprise sections of aluminium and steel piping, plates and mechanical fittings, plus a slate-framed photo of the lost crew.
Dr Toby Driver, RCAHMW, March 2025