Councillors Back Portballintrae Air Force Memorial

Councillors have approved plans for an Air Force memorial in Portballintrae, subject to ratification by full council and the granting of planning permission.

The proposal was agreed on Tuesday evening at the council’s Leisure and Development Committee, allowing the group Bushmills Through the Wars to proceed with plans to place the memorial on council-owned land.

The memorial is intended to commemorate six airmen who died in 1943 when their aircraft crashed into the sea off Runkerry Beach during a training exercise.

A council report says the memorial would consist of two granite stones, one outlining the circumstances of the incident and the other bearing the names of the six airmen. The proposed location overlooks the site of the crash and would be positioned on an existing concrete platform, previously used during the Cold War period.

The application has received support from local organisations, elected representatives and relatives of the airmen. Bushmills Through the Wars has confirmed funding is in place and that it will be responsible for insurance and ongoing maintenance.

The decision will now go to full council for ratification, with final approval also dependent on planning permission being granted.