A song and video recalling a unique moment in aviation history – the daring landing of a wartime Sunderland flying boat ON land – will go ‘live’ on the actual 83rd anniversary of the momentous landing, Friday May 29th.
The Bufferlanders, a Pembroke Dock-based trio, tell the story of Sunderland T9114, captained by an Australian, Gordon Singleton, and its successful landing on Angle Airfield after a dramatic rescue in the Bay of Biscay.
Singer/songwriter Tim Facer wrote the words and music for “The Last Flight” after becoming fascinated by the story when visiting the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. Tim, on guitar and vocals, is joined by bass player and vocalist Peter Mitchell – a Volunteer at the Heritage Centre – and Andy Brindley on harmonica and saxophone.
Fittingly the video, also containing original photographs and film footage from the 1943 drama, was filmed in the replica Sunderland cockpit at the Heritage Centre, which includes an actual control panel from Sunderland T9114.
After landing on the open sea to rescue several airmen the Sunderland was towed by a French-manned warship before Gordon Singleton and a reduced crew elected to take off, sustaining a large hole in the hull. Unable to alight on water and with no parachutes on board, Singleton chose to do something the aircraft was never designed to do – to land on Angle Airfield, close to the RAF Pembroke Dock flying boat station. He pulled off a masterly landing of the huge wounded plane. All on board escaped uninjured.
Said Tim: “I became aware of this remarkable story when looking around Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre and thought to myself ‘there must be a song in this’, so l started to research it. Pete Mitchell pointed me in the direction of a book called Singleton’s War, written by Gordon Singleton, which gives a first hand account of the events of that day. The more l read the more I realised how absolutely amazing the story was; I don’t think that even the best Hollywood film writers could come up with better. So I set about putting pen to paper and, to be honest, the song virtually wrote itself.”
All The Bufferlanders’ music can be found on their Facebook page and YouTube channel and also on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. The new song and video will be online 29th May. There are also plans to have “The Last Flight” available for visitors to the Heritage Centre.
Sunderland cockpit venue for The Bufferlanders. From left to right: Tim Facer, Andy Brindley and Peter Mitchell. PICTURE: William R. John