The mountainous areas of the Brecon Beacons National Park are without question a paradise for all those who love walking in the hills and include the highest peaks in southern Britain. However, the rolling hills and gentle landscape hide a harsher and more sinister side to their existence. In bad weather conditions, this area can be as harsh and unforgiving as anywhere in the world. It is not just by accident therefore, that the Special Air Service (SAS), choose this part of Wales for much of their training and selection process. Over thirty aircraft crash sites are recorded within the Park, and a booklet containing the location and brief history of each is available from offices of the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. Tragically, many have been fateful and some sites are marked by memorial cairns and plaques inscribed with the names of those lost.
Brecon Beacons Walk Ideas – Western Brecon Beacons
Today, at many sites, there is little or no evidence of wreckage and crash sites can be found only by map reference and individual story. The crash site of Wellington Bomber MF509, at Garreg Goch (Red Stone), in the western Beacons, (Grid Ref: SN817168) still has a great deal of wreckage and the history of this crash is both interesting and heart rendering. On the night of 20th November 1944, Wellington MF509 from 22 Operational Training Unit, Wellesbourne, Mountford, on a cross country exercise, developed trouble in the starboard Hercules XVI engine and flew into shower clouds, building up heavy layers of ice on the wings. With insufficient power from the port engine, the aircraft lost height and crashed into Garreg Goch killing all six Canadian crew members
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