A memorial to fallen airmen

Subtly positioned by the path right behind the house, a small plaque caught our eye whilst on our walk earlier. It was a memorial commemorating an air crash close to Elgol on a dark night in December 1982, which cost the life of American airman Lt Col Burnley L Rudiger.

Researching some other websites I learned that Rudiger was from Virginia and was ranked Major, but as he was listed for promotion at the time of the accident he was posthumously promoted to Lt Col.

Rudiger was an experienced airman, having flown F-111s since 1969, and was on a traing exercise from his base at the American Air Force base at Lakenheath, Suffolk. The aircraft was equipped with low-flying technology which should have prevented the crash, but something went horribly wrong and the plane crashed straight into Sgurr na Stri, the rocky mountain a few miles to the north.

Although the memorial only mentions Rudiger, a second airman, 1 Lt Stephen J Pitt from New York was also killed in the crash and both men left a wife and two children.

Although the memorial plaque is small and off the beaten track, surrounding it are a few pieces of wreckage from the plane, which adds a real sense of poignancy to the location. Overhead a number of military planes have been zipping over the water on modern-day training exercises - I wonder how many of those pilots are aware of the crash at Elgol back in 1982?