At 82 degrees north, 62 degrees west on the northern tip of Ellsmere Island in Canada's arctic is CFB Alert. It was initially established as a weather station and evolved into a high arctic monitoring post. On July 31, 1950, RCAF Lancaster KB965 was making a supply drop of badly needed spark plugs so that the small bulldozer could complete the new landing strip. The container also had other articles such as mail and news for the personel at the remote station. However, the parachute fouled the elevators after the container was pushed out the door and the aircraft nosed over from 400 feet and dove into the tundra just south of the station. The aircraft erupted into a massive fireball and the crew was killed. These airmen were F/O J.R.G. Dube, W/C D.T. French, Doctor D.W. Kirk, F/L L.M. Maclean, F/O T.D. Martin, F/O J.E. McCutcheon, LAC R.L. Sprange and F/L F.L. Swinton. Also onboard was Charles J. Hubbard, U.S. Weather Bureau, the man responsible for the setting up of all the early arctic weather stations. Their graves and a memorial cairn face the lonely Arctic Ocean.
I was in Alert this September with our Hercules helping the Canadian Military with their resupply of the station in an operation called 'Boxtop II' and managed to take these photos of the remains of the Lancaster. It is considered a war grave and remains basically untouched since that day in 1950. Station personel are quite protective of the remnants.
Thought you guys might like to see these snaps.
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