Stirling (remains) to be salvaged

Hi DS,

Yes, eventually ! At present the Stirling Project members are scattered around the country and not much is being done to get the ‘relics’ ready for display. But this is soon changing as one of our members is heading back to the Wyton are to live. There is another one of our members in the area but he cannot move these items on his own as they are very heavy, the last thing we need is the old health and safety chappie kicking us out ! ( You should have seen the hole punched through the back of the flatbed when the Chinook ‘placed’ the undercarriage on it !!! 😮 )

Richy.

Richy,

Good show, give my regards to Martin, paul and Giuseppe
There was nothing usable in the remains of N3654 unfortunately.
Cees

Stirling recovery

Hi DS,

Yes, eventually ! At present the Stirling Project members are scattered around the country and not much is being done to get the ‘relics’ ready for display. But this is soon changing as one of our members is heading back to the Wyton are to live. There is another one of our members in the area but he cannot move these items on his own as they are very heavy, the last thing we need is the old health and safety chappie kicking us out ! ( You should have seen the hole punched through the back of the flatbed when the Chinook ‘placed’ the undercarriage on it !!! 😮 )

Richy.

Hi Garry,

Just to clear the point up about the Peak District recovery. I am part of the Stirling Project and I agree, in some respects, that remains of crashed aircraft should stay where they fell. But in this case the land owner was getting upset at the amount of ‘visitors’ that were going across the commons to see the remains, due to the fact that a lot of pheasant shooting goes on there. So we were approached and asked if we could salvage what was left of this Stirling, which of course we did.
It’s not the fact that we do not care about the feelings of others but in this case it was ‘get there first before the scrappy does ! ‘ It took three days of very hard work to bring these remains down off the commons (with the help of a Chinook !) just so we could preserve them, and suffering three broken fingers in the process. 😮
Hope this clears up any confusion before myself, and the Stirling Project become the focus of a hate campaign. 😀

Cheers

Richy.

Oh Poo! I knew it would happen 🙁 Having gone on record earlier this year saying I thought the Swamp Ghost B-17 should be left where it was, as it was a unique wreck site in itself, I knew I would have to eat my words when it came to the Stirling….. :rolleyes: And I do!

Richy – will there be any ‘displaying’ of the relics?

DS

DNA testing is not allowed by CWGC / MOD in respect to war graves.

Stirling recovery

Hi Garry,

Just to clear the point up about the Peak District recovery. I am part of the Stirling Project and I agree, in some respects, that remains of crashed aircraft should stay where they fell. But in this case the land owner was getting upset at the amount of ‘visitors’ that were going across the commons to see the remains, due to the fact that a lot of pheasant shooting goes on there. So we were approached and asked if we could salvage what was left of this Stirling, which of course we did.
It’s not the fact that we do not care about the feelings of others but in this case it was ‘get there first before the scrappy does ! ‘ It took three days of very hard work to bring these remains down off the commons (with the help of a Chinook !) just so we could preserve them, and suffering three broken fingers in the process. 😮
Hope this clears up any confusion before myself, and the Stirling Project become the focus of a hate campaign. 😀

Cheers

Richy.

Hi,

The removal of wreckage from the Sterling on Upper Commons caused a lot of upset to several local people who remembered the crash. I know it was removed by the Sterling Project but I feel it is just as important to preserve crash sites in situ and respect the wishes of those locals who remember the crash.

Hi Cees – that’ll be it then!

Many thanks.

Chris

It had been recovered on January 23, 2005 by the Stirling Project.

See here: http://www.stirlingproject.co.uk/

It’s in the latest newsletter no 7

Cheers

Cees

Hi chaps,

As this is Stirling thread, I thought I’d post a query. Up until a few years ago, large amounts of Stirling III LJ628, 1654 HCU, Wiglsey, were to be found on Uppper Commons, Margery Hill, in the northern Peak District (actually the dip slope, which runs roughly back towards Sheffield, to the east of the Derwent Valley). There were large fragments of the airframe which were, IIRC, recovered several years along with other sections of another high ground Stirling, by the RAF(?) as a restoration project(?).

It was just glancing at this thread which reminded me of it and I wondered if anyone might have any ideas as to where it eventually wound up? I may have some of these details skewed (apart from ‘682’s identity but I’m sure I’ll be told!) so I don’t want to start any rumours.

LJ628 was lost on 21/06/44 – all of the crew survived.

Cheers,

Chris

There’s a very good article here in English, I assume it’s the same crew.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17630542&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=the-last-flight-of-stirling-w7624-name_page.html

From today’s Sun:
“Bye to Fliers
Three crew members from a bomber shot down in World War Two are to be buried – 64 years after their deaths. The unidentified men will be laid to rest with military honours next thursday near Bentelo in Holland, where the Stirling bomber came down in 1942. They were found last year after an excavation by the Dutch Air Force”.

may they rest in peace.All those young lives snuffed out.

having just returned from a visit to Germany during which i visited Durnbach one of the saddest sights is a gravestome marked ” known only to God” or ” unknown airman ” . I know however that everything poss will have done to i.d the remains found in Holland.

Maybe in years to come the science of DNA investigation will advance sufficiently to allow more i/d’s to be made.

i agree it’s terrible when any of the crew members die but to die form a malfunctioning parachute that has to be the worst

I skydive and have often wondered about the malfunction. I have had a malfunction on my main but I had a reserve. A friend of mine was killed in the US and I couldn’t help thinking about what was going through his mind as he fell. What a horrible thought really.

Ali

From today’s Sun:
“Bye to Fliers
Three crew members from a bomber shot down in World War Two are to be buried – 64 years after their deaths. The unidentified men will be laid to rest with military honours next thursday near Bentelo in Holland, where the Stirling bomber came down in 1942. They were found last year after an excavation by the Dutch Air Force”.

May they rest in peace after all those years.

Amen

Cees

From today’s Sun:
“Bye to Fliers
Three crew members from a bomber shot down in World War Two are to be buried – 64 years after their deaths. The unidentified men will be laid to rest with military honours next thursday near Bentelo in Holland, where the Stirling bomber came down in 1942. They were found last year after an excavation by the Dutch Air Force”.

Thanks

For the link

link:
http://www.mindef.nl/actueel/nieuws/2005/02/20050217_berging.aspx

First Question

Roger,

Would it be possible for you to email me a copy of the press release please. The link in the first page doesn’t appear to have the realease any longer – or considering my Dutch is non-existant I can’t follow the instructions to get to it 🙂

Thank you for futher information

Hi,

I’m the grand-niece of Glen Smith, and came across this thread while searching for further information.

On the 31st of August this year a contingent of family members will be travelling to Delden for the memorial service and re-burial.

Whilst the family has always known where Uncle Glen’s grave was situated, and it was in fact cared for by a Dutch family for a number of years, it is very nice to have a form of closure. Even more so for the other family members who have not had this previously.

I need to go back and read this thread again, probably several times, and will probably have questions, that I would be extremely grateful if you could throw any light on them.

Kind regards

Barb

And here is another update. The first 2 1900 pounders were found. These are the heaviest bombs ever to be found in a WW2 aircraftwreck in Holland. So this ends the speculation, the Stirling was loaded with these big ones. BW Roger

Just to keep you updated, the “dig” is now well underway, and so far remains of at least 1 crewmember have been found according to the latest press release. BW Roger

Thank you Roger. Please keep us updated.

DS