World War II relic discovered during excavations

The discovery was made last month and is near, but outwith the debris field, of two known wartime plane crashes which occurred further up the glen near Beinn Nuis.

Initially the contractor suspected that he may have discovered human remains as the propeller is approximately the same length as an average human and because it was wrapped in potato sacks with a length of rope.

Derek Alexander, NTS head of archaeology said that it is too early to tell which crash site the propeller comes from but added: “We are determined to get to the bottom of it.”

The propeller is most likely to have come from one of the crash sites involving a B17 Flying Fortress and a B24 Liberator, however, since both aircraft may have used that type of propeller, it is difficult to narrow it down at this stage.

The B24 Liberator which crashed on August 24, 1943 with the loss of all 11 crew is the nearest to where the artefact was found.

Senior NTS ranger, Kate Sampson said: “The findings were made during our charity’s work to restore peatland in Coire a’Bhradain.

"Our peatland restoration programme not only helps to reinstate our beautiful landscapes but is also vital in helping to restore the peat’s carbon-storing properties to help mitigate climate change.

“I think our contractor was shocked when he saw the end of the potato sack sticking out of the bog, as his first thought was that it could be human remains.

"However, with careful excavation, the wrapped propeller was revealed with a rope still tied around it, and we suspect someone might have been dragging the propeller down the hill when it sunk deep into the peat, not to be recovered until now.”