The hunt is on for the family of a Fife war hero, amid plans for a memorial in his honour 80 years after his death.
Sub Lieutenant Frederick Robertson Dobbie was one of three crewmen killed when their plane crashed just outside Londonderry in Northern Ireland on August 29 1944.
The trio were returning from the Fleet Air Arm base RNAS Maydown to HMS Peewit in East Haven, Angus, when tragedy struck.
Almost immediately after take-off, their aircraft was seen to dive into an area known as Blackhead Moss, near Enagh Lough.
Twenty-year-old Frederick Dobbie, from Dunfermline, died along with Sub Ltn Dennis Oxley, 19, and Leading Airman Derek Mew, 19.
Sadly, the plane sank before the men could be retrieved and a funeral service was held on site.
Their bodies were eventually recovered 27 years later when the aircraft – Barracuda DP872 – was pulled from the boggy ground.
And their remains were buried together in nearby Eglinton.
Dobbie remains a mystery as other families traced
Now, as the 80th anniversary of the crash approaches, a group of pupils from Foyle College, in Londonderry, are preparing a floating memorial to the three servicemen.
The school has been working on licensed digs of the crash site with aviation archaeologist Jonny McNee for almost 10 years.
And some of their work has featured on the BBC’s Digging For Britain, presented by Alice Roberts.
They have managed to find the families of Mr Oxley and Mr Mew and involved them in memorial events.
However, attempts to trace Frederick Dobbie’s relatives have proven fruitless.
This is despite having two separate historic addresses for his father.
‘Poignantly sad we don’t have a picture’
The youngsters are now at the stage of designing the memorial, which will also provide a nesting site for mallards and coots that frequent the swamp.
And they are making another attempt to track down any remaining members of the Dobbie family.
Jonny said: “It is always poignantly sad that we don’t have a picture of Sub Lt Frederick Dobbie when we are out at public events, raising awareness of the crash and seeking out eyewitnesses.
“We are very keen to trace his family and seek out a photograph of him too.
“All information we receive will be going into the archives of the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN).
“This year is the 80th anniversary of the crash and this is the target we have set ourselves.”
Details for Frederick Robertson Dobbie
Frederick was born in Fife and Jonny has managed to uncover two known addresses for his family.
The first dates from 1944, when Mr Alex H Dobbie is named as Frederick’s next of kin.
At that time, he wrote to the Admiralty from 30 High Street, Tranent, East Lothian, seeking a death certificate for his son.
However, by 1971 there is a hand-written reference to a Mr Alex Dobbie with the address 25 Elgin Street, Dunfermline.
Meanwhile, the NMRN and the Fleet Air Arm is working on the restoration of the Barracuda from the recovered pieces.
Of the 2,600 made during the war, not one survives intact in any museum in the world.
- Anyone with information about the family of Frederick Dobbie, from Dunfermline, can contact Jonny McNee by email: jonnymcnee@googlemail.com
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