Ghost Bombers

The Pennines are known as the backbone of England and  probably have more unusual phenomena occurring here than at any other location in this country. The Derwent dam complex was constructed between 1901-16 and Ladybower dam was added in the 1930s, this dam was made famous by 617 squadron during the second world war when Wing Commander Guy Gibson and the rest of his squadron trained for dropping a bouncing bomb on Germanys Mohne and Eder dams in 1943. There have been many sightings over the last 20 years of a Lancaster bomber seen skimming across the top of the waters of Ladybower resevoir, on a night in October 1982 a couple, Mr and Mrs Shaw were returning along the main road from Glossop which runs past Ladybower resevoir, when Mr Shaw caught sight of an object on his right moving above the waters of the resevoir, as it approached him there was a break in the clouds and the moonlight revealed a Lancaster bomber, it continued flying for another two hundred yards before it disappeared before their eyes.

Ladybower resevoir where a phantom lancaster bomber still flies. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

Vic Hallam who runs a small museum dedicated to the dambusters squadron and which is housed in one of the towers of the Derwent dam relates the following tale, a couple were in the lay by overlooking the Ladybower resevoir having a cup of tea one sunny afternoon when they saw out of their window a large Lancaster bomber fly past with its propellors turning but with no sound coming from the aircraft, they watched as it disappeared into the trees with no sound and no evidence of a crash. Although there has been no reported crashes of bombers into the dam in the past, the nearest reported case of a Lancaster crashing was on the hill known as Bleaklow west of the valley in which all six of the Canadian crew were killed on the 18th of May 1945.

There have been other reports of a silent aircraft which has been identified as a Douglas C-47 Dakota flying so low that the witnesses have been forced to duck, and even though emergency services have been called out no wreckage has ever been discovered.

There has been a report by a person walking past Derwent resevoir which is located above Ladybower early one morning of a second world war pilot dressed in a sheepskin flying jacket seen emerging out of the misty waters. The first thing the walker saw was a light beneath the waters, as the pilot emerged out of the water the source of the light became evident, the pilots jacket was on fire! He walked out of the waters of the dam and headed into nearby Hollingsend wood according to the walker.