Pages

▼

Thursday, 30 January 2014

Handley Page Halifax LL505


Handley Page Halifax LL505

memorial cairn on the summit under a blanket of snow
the same on a warmer day
 On the 22nd october 1944 this aircraft flying out of RAF Topcliffe crashed into the summit of  Great Carrs in the English Lake District . The crew who were on a night navigation exercise were probaly descending under a cloud layer to try and get a navigation fix but we will most likely never know for certain for all were killed on impact with the mountain .
They were

F/O J.A. Johnston         Pilot    RCAF
F/O F.A. Bell                   Nav  RCAF
F/O R.N Whitley             BA   RCAF
Sgt W.B. Ferguson       Flt Eng.  RAFVR
Sgt H.E. Pyche              Flt Eng  RCAF
Sgt C.G. Whittingstall  WO/AG  RCAF
Sgt D.F.Titt                     AG    RCAF
Sgt G. Riddoch             AG      RCAF




After the crash the wreckage was broken up and thrown into the coombe below the summit . To this day quite a lot remains  there ,including a large wing section and an engine amongst other items scattered down the valley .

An engine from the aircraft can also be seen at the Ruskin Museum  in Coniston village at the foot of the mountain . Here is alink to a short video I made of the engine .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasujoba44/7337345824/in/set-72157622370101728/

Looking up the valley to the coombe containing the wreckage

Reduction gear , our route today was up the crags in this shot , it was an hairy scramble in the conditions
An engine in a stream

wing section

wing section

engine outside Ruskin Museum 


at

4 comments:

  1. Ian4 February 2014 at 21:00

    Enjoyed a brief dip into your recent uploads Paul. Memories of a wonderful day in the Lake District here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pasujoba5 February 2014 at 21:16

      Thanks Ian . One of the best days walking ever this was ... still cannot believe we went up to the summit the way we did !

      Delete
  2. Jimtoc6 February 2021 at 21:31

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jimtoc6 February 2021 at 21:38

      Sgt W.B. Ferguson was my mother's older brother. Sadly, when he died, his parents were never informed of the whereabouts of this accident and my mum always grew up assuming her brother died either in England or Wales.

      Delete