A secret Second World War project that saw the Isle of Wight help to secure victory for the Allies is set to be commemorated with the arrival on the island of a rare wartime relic.
The seven-tonne PLUTO (Pipeline Under The Ocean) pump – believed to be one of just three left in the world – formed part of a secret fuel pipeline for the D-Day landings. It has been saved for posterity thanks to a group of enthusiasts on the Isle of Wight and staff at National Grid.
In a hand-over ceremony yesterday (Tuesday 29 April), local PLUTO pump expert Robin Maconchy and his team officially took receipt of the machine from National Grid’s Phil Burgess and his colleagues Geoff Smale and Dave Chamberlain.
During the War the Isle of Wight became a key landing stage for the pipeline and was home to a chain of PLUTO pumps propelling fuel to Normandy and beyond. Following restoration by Robin and his team, this pump will stand on an original PLUTO pump plinth in the former Sandown Fort – now Isle of Wight Zoo.
Robin, who has already restored one of the three surviving PLUTO pumps, said: “I was astonished to discover the existence of a third PLUTO pump. With the help of Phil Burgess, his National Grid colleagues and the Isle of Wight Zoo we will be able to recreate a small piece of the island’s hidden wartime history and offer a fascinating insight into the ingenious feat of engineering that was the PLUTO pipeline.”
Charlotte Corney, owner of Isle of Wight Zoo, said: “We are delighted to offer a home to this rare piece of Second World War heritage. We are proud to be able to publicly highlight the Isle of Wight’s contribution to the Allied victory.”
The pump’s move to the Isle of Wight is the culmination of a decade-long search by lands officer Phil for a final resting place for the veteran machine. The pump was shipped to the Isle of Wight earlier this month and Phil and his colleagues travelled to the island yesterday from their base in Rayleigh, Essex, to present the machine to Robin and his team.
Phil said: “It was fantastic to meet Robin and his team. It is great to know that after 10 years of searching not only will the PLUTO pump be preserved for posterity but it will also take pride of place on an original plinth.
“Lots of museums were keen to have the pump but they didn’t have the space for it. Thankfully, Robin and his colleagues were able to find it a home. This pump played such a vital role in the Normandy Landings; it would have been sacrilege if it had ended up on the scrap heap.”
Phil first came across the pump as an overhead linesman at West Thurrock electricity substation. Until 1997 the pump was used by National Grid to wash insulators on England’s tallest pylon – the giant 650 feet tall electricity tower at West Thurrock, on the north bank of the Thames.
The insulators were cleaned weekly to prevent a build-up of residue from the chimneys of West Thurrock power station, which stood close to the pylon. Phil recalls using remote control water cannons and closed circuit television cameras to direct a volley of water at the insulators.
“The pump meant we could clean the insulators without taking the overhead lines, which span the Thames between Essex and Kent, out of service. The pump was used to propelling fuel 70 miles so 650 feet was a doddle!
“How it came to be in the hands of National Grid’s forerunner – the Central Electricity Generating Board – is something of a mystery, however, it was certainly there when I joined the company in 1978,” he said.
When the power station was decommissioned there was no longer any need to clean the insulators and the pump became redundant. National Grid agreed to store the machine at West Thurrock electricity substation until Phil could find it a new home.
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For further media information only, please contact Sara Wilcox, National Grid Communications, on 01926 655271