Churchill and a Stirling

I am in possession of bits from the crash site and am amazed that I can have that connection with my grandfather 70 odd years later……amazing!!

Ian

What a wonderful story and link,thanks for posting that 🙂

[QUOTE=Wokka Bob;2014071]There was a famous photo of The Rt Hon Winston Churchill observing (IIRC) MG-D or MG-O taking off. It was annotated – late 1941. MG-D = N3641. MG-O was N6022 but that was abandoned on 15 Jul 41.

N6022 was in fact a later version of MG-D, N3641 was one of the first delivered to 7 Squadron. I know this because my grandfather was a Front Gunner on N6022 MG-D he and the crew had ‘borrowed’ Gerry Blacklocks Stirling whilst he was on leave.
Dennis Witt was the pilot and they had used vast amounts of petrol dodging heavy flak on a raid to Hannover on 15th July 1941. With the petrol guages slowing empty and they in fact prepared for a sea landing but to my grandfather and the crews delight they made it over the north norfolk coast. With two engines cut out Dennis Witt gave the order to bail out of N6022 MG-D…all crew survived and the plane crashed at Newton Flotman Norfolk.

I am in possession of bits from the crash site and am amazed that I can have that connection with my grandfather 70 odd years later……amazing!!

Ian

An IWM shot of the Stirling at Northolt is here:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205212741

Not the same event.

West Raynham.

Very brave to be standing under it!

😀

Great picture, really gives a sense of the scale of the enormous aircraft. The Germans must have been terrified when these behemoths started appearing!

There was a famous photo of The Rt Hon Winston Churchill observing (IIRC) MG-D or MG-O taking off. It was annotated – late 1941. MG-D = N3641. MG-O was N6022 but that was abandoned on 15 Jul 41.

The 7 Sqn F541 for 21st July 1941 states that ‘S/Ldr R.W. Cox took part in a review at NORTHOLT where the latest types were inspected by a distinguished company that included the Prime Minister and Mrs. Winston Churchill (who went over the Stirling).’

But there again how many units did he visit throughout the war?:diablo:

Michael J.F. Bowyer’s book has the well known photo of Churchill alone with the Stirling but does not mention when he visited, at a guess possibly early 1941 as he was keen for the Stirlings to bomb Berlin. Assuming it is the same aircraft it is N6090 from the first production batch from Short & Harland, Belfast.

West Raynham, approx 41 from memory.

Very brave to be standing under it!

Oakington?

Mildenhall?