History up for sale as part of Hess plane goes to auction

The Messerschmitt crashed in Eaglesham in 1941 while carrying Hess, deputy fuhrer to Adolf Hitler — said to be meeting the Duke of Hamilton on a peace mission.

Hess was captured by local ploughman David McLean and handed over to military authorities — the Nazi was later tried at Nuremberg.

East Ren councillor Gordon McCaskill told The Extra: “It is at this point that the already strange story takes a bizarre twist. McLean hid parts of the plane in bushes — presumably as war souvenirs — and handed over a fuselage section to a farmhand, 18-year-old Stanley Boyd, as a reward for helping him recover them.

“Mr Boyd sold the fuselage section in the 1960s and it, together with authenticating letters, will now appear for auction at Bonhams Auctioneers in New York.”

The sale, taking place today (Thursday), is expected to fetch around £3,000.

Councillor McCaskill added: “While the Hess capture is well-known and other sections of the plan are on display at the RAF Museum and the Imperial War Museum, the strange story of Stanley Boyd has never previously come to light.

“This is an important part of East Renfrewshire’s history. It would be nice if someone could return these artefacts to their original location here in East Ren, thought I think it unlikely. We can live in hope.”