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Ceremony held on Bennachie to remember airmen

The cairn remembers three airmen who died on the hill
The cairn remembers three airmen who died on the hill

A ceremony was held on Bennachie yesterday to mark the 80th anniversary of a biplane crashing into the side of the Aberdeenshire hillside, killing two RAF airmen.

Ellard Cummings, 23, and Ronald Stewart, 24, died after they smashed into the hillside while flying through thick mist on a training mission on September 3, 1939.

They are considered the first British military casualties of the Second World War.

A cairn was erected in their memory close to the crash site near Bennachie’s Bruntwood Tap summit.

The memorial also honours Pilot Officer Brian Lightfoot, who died when his Gloster Meteor jet struck the hillside in 1952 during a snowstorm.

Yesterday, around 30 people hiked through inclement weather to pay tribute to the three airmen.

A small service was led by Reverend Joshua Mikelson, and traditional bagpipe music was played by David Fraser of the Kintore Pipe Band.

This year’s walk was organised by Ann Baillie, a trustee of the Bailies of Bennachie.

She said: “It was important to mark the 80th anniversary.

“As we reached the cairn, a squall blew up and we were all standing in the rain.

“Many people told me afterwards they thought this made it very atmospheric and memorable.

“It also brought home how easy our lives are today, compared to the generation which fought in the war.”