• 
• 
• 

National Guard Captain Brad Martin recently made a physical trek to a famous mountain in Scotland-an event which will likely go down in his family history.
The Bedford County native says he remembers when he was a little boy listening to his grandfather, the late Wallace H. Jones, talk about serving in WWII. His stories were even more meaningful as his “Papa Jones” talked about how his younger brother (Brad’s great uncle) had died in a military plane crash in Scotland after the war.
Papa Jones passed in 2014. He served his country during World War II in the United States Army from 1944-1946 in the South Pacific and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant.
Since, Brad and his mom, Jane Jones Martin, have continued to research the Scotland crash site; they have discovered for their family some historic information.
Jane, a retired school teacher, had kind of given up on the hopes of seeing the wreckage site after several years of being told it was a treacherous journey up that European mountain.
As fate would have it, Brad would follow in the footsteps of his Papa Jones and Uncle Cecil, serving his country. Brad is currently a serviceman of 12 years and hopeful to be in for 20.
Currently stationed in Germany, he had some time off during the recent Christmas holiday and decided to travel to Europe.
He had added the climb up this Scottish mountainside to his bucket list.
Brad notes, “This is my 3rd deployment and I was given the opportunity to travel Europe in my off time. My mom asked about flying from the US and meeting in Scotland and Ireland and we brought up the idea of going to the crash site. She tried to get a tour company to take us but they said with the remote location and in December in the Highlands they weren’t willing to attempt it.”
They believe “Papa Jones” was smiling down upon them as they made this memorable journey during Christmas 2025.
While they were in Scotland, Brad hiked the Stob na Boine Druim-fhinn mountain near Lochgoilhead, Scotland, where Great Uncle Cecil died. Upon that historic mountain still lies the wreckage of that U.S. Army Air Forces Boeing-B29 Superfortress Brad’s great uncle aboard that took off from RAF Scampton, England on Jan. 17, 1949.
The crew was involved in the Berlin Airlift, dropping supplies into the city blockaded by Soviet forces. The crash occurred due to adverse weather, the military reported, and heavy icing, which led to the aircraft’s inability to maintain control.
This crash sadly resulted in the tragic loss of all 20 passengers and crew. The crash site, as Brad discovered, remains a vivid reminder of the impact of war and the loss of life during that time in U.S. history.
Brad said he was proud to represent his family by being the first to stand on that mountain where they lost their beloved family member. Of course, Brad thought of the other fellow servicemen who died there as well and he paid homage to them.
His heart pounded when he saw the marker in person with all the names of the servicemen lost. But there was little time to hang around.
Brad notes there were around 30 mph winds and it was 30 degrees at the top; his boots, feet and pants were soaked from wet ground and snow, so he moved pretty fast to get pictures before heading back down the mountain.
If he had been on the mountain longer, Brad says, given his family connection, he would have likely been a lot more emotional. But this experienced guardsman knew time was of the essence and had planned his trip back down accordingly.
Jane notes that even though Brad is in good physical shape, it took all of his strength to hike the mountain. Brad says he had researched the location, using satellite imagery and topographic maps to plan a hiking route.
After that, this soldier felt confident he could make it as long as the weather was ok.
His mother commented that Ireland and Scotland are beautiful but she wouldn’t recommend visiting during December. And Brad’s mission is not a trip for the faint of heart.
“We made the 2 ½ hour drive to the highlands to the base of the mountain and I started my hike when it was daylight light around 8 a.m., knowing the sun sets at 3:30 pm. Took about an hour and a half to hike 2 miles up the mountain and through a valley. It was a very difficult, but not a technical hike. Once I made it to the crash site, I took several pictures and cleaned off the memorial plaque where I could see my great uncle’s name (SGT Cecil G. Jones) and then made the 2-mile hike back down the mountain.”
Brad said he knew the chances of him ever being in Scotland again were very slim. As well, the chances that he’d ever hike to the crash site were even less likely to ever happen again in his lifetime.
“So, I felt compelled to at least try. My great uncle was just 21, when he was killed in 1949. He had no wife or kids and with it being in such a remote location in Europe, no way for any of the family to ever come visit where he was killed or see the memorial.”
“My grandfather and great uncle both served in the Army and with me being in the Army, then being the first in the family to visit the memorial in over 75 years, it was a proud moment for myself and for his memory.”
Sgt. Cecil's remains, as well as some of the other soldiers, are buried in Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. There is a memorial grave marker that was placed in the family Westbrooks Cemetery in Midland in 1949, for the Tennessee soldier.
The Jones brothers, truly two WWII heroes, were born in Rutherford County and were two of the 13 children born to Houston Horton Jones and Nora Westbrooks Jones.