BELOW: Royal Air Force armourers check over the sixteen 250lb bombs before they are loaded into a Short Stirling bomber N6101 of No 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. [Wikipedia].

(Photo: [pre-1961] Crown Copyright (expired)

RAF Short Stirling III / EE972

The Short Stirling (named after the city of Stirling in Scotland) was the first of the RAF's 4-engine bombers of WWII.It entered service in 1941. However, it remained in front line operations only until 1943, when it was relegated to less onerous duties. At this point, the Stirling was replaced by bombers such as the Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster.

The Air Ministry requirements for the Stirling were for an aircraft capable of carrying a 14,000lb bomb load over a range of 2,000 miles (or a greater range with a lesser bomb load). The Stirling was to be equipped with three gun turrets (nose, dorsal, and tail). Furthermore, it had to be capable of acting as a troop transport aircraft, with accommodation for 24 fully equipped service personnel. Again, it needed to be able to take off from a short runway or undeveloped airstrip.

The Mk III version of the Short Stirling (the type featured on this page) was equipped with four 1,635 hp Bristol Hercules XV or XVI air cooled radial engines, and was designed to carry a crew of seven.

RAF Short Stirling EE972 from 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit (1665 HCU) was on a training mission when it flew into low cloud and ultimately crashed close to the summit of The Cheviot.

After the crash, two crew members made their way over the rough and hilly terrain to Langleeford Farm. There, they got help from a local shepherd who accompanied the aircrew back up the hill to aid the other crew members.

Sadly, however, two had already died. Another injured crew member was carried downhill on a wooden sheep gate. Unfortunately, however, he died of his injuries a few days later.

Those who died were:

• Flt Sgt Paulus Senor Coronel (29), (Nav)  RAAF

• Flt Sgt David Colville McLackland (Air Bomber), RAFVR

• W/O Peter Anthony Allen (22), (Air Gnr) RAFVR (Died later of injuries)

(Please click on hyperlinked names above for further details.)

Those who survived with injuries were:

F/O [later, Sqn Ldr, DFC] John Henry Verrall,  Pilot Instructor, RNZAF

F/O E F Insley (Pupil Pilot), RCAF

 Sgt D C Bisgrove (Flt Eng)

Sgt T K Hatfield (Flt Eng)

W/O Joseph Arthur Hay (Air Gnr) RCAF

Sgt A Williams (Air Gnr)

Country: England

Accident Date: 25 Sep 1944

Accident Site:

Broaden, The Cheviot

Region: Northumberland

Nearest towns or villages:

Kirk Yetholm (Borders) (NW) or Wooler (Northumberland) (NE).

Nearest large towns:

None in this general area.

OS Grid Ref. N/A

GPS Ref: N/A

Present Condition: Some wreckage sections associated with engines / nacelles may still be found onsite (see photos below).

Registration or Serial: EE972

Operator: RAF (1665 HCU)

Operating Station: Unknown (Perhaps, RAF Linton-on-Ouse)

Principal airport data courtesy of John Woodside, A Catalogue of UK Airfields

Accident Specific Links

College-Valley.co.uk (Scroll down page to Wartime Plane Crashes)

RAF and Related Links

1665 Heavy Conversion Unit (1665 HCU)

RAF Commands.com (Forum)

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Short Stirling (Interior photos)

Short Stirling bomber at YouTube (Video)

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