Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

User avatar
K4KittyCrew
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Posts: 3635
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:55 am
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland - Australia

Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by K4KittyCrew »

Hi folks,

Just wanted to ask you members if anyone can help with the identification of this aircraft and which squadron it served with. HCU's by any chance?
Thank you in advanced.
John
Image
K for Kitty Crew - Winthorpe, 1661 HCU's - stirlingaircraftsoc.raf38group.org/
630 Squadron - East Kirkby
" There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly"
Theletterwriter
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 9:44 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by Theletterwriter »

John

QQ would make this a 1651 CU aircraft and it look like a Mk. 111. I cannot make out the serial number on the photograph but a possibility is LK495. If so, Bryce Gomersall's book The Stirling File does not indicate any squadron.

Cheers

Douglas
Bob Wilton
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Posts: 404
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:39 pm

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by Bob Wilton »

Hi John,

Looking at the bleared serial number it could be LK510 QQ-U. I have found another
RAF 1651 Stirling (LK501 QQ-L Reference Alan Storr)

Bob
..................................................................
RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG
RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT
IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS
`427370 Pilot Officer BIESIOT, Leslie Hendrik
Source:
AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/5/721 Commonwealth War Graves records
W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, 1939-1947,
page 138, Volume 8.
Aircraft Type: Stirling
Serial number: LK 501
Radio call sign: QQ – L
Unit: 1651 Conversion RAF
Summary:
On the 30th September 1944, Stirling LK501 took off from RAF Wratting Common at
1940 hours, detailed to carry out a non-operational training flight tasked for a flashlight
sortie, but about five minutes after take off, the aircraft crashed at Horse Heath, about 12
miles south east of Cambridge. Five of the crew were killed and two were injured..
An Inquiry into the accident found that : “An examination of the wreck disclosed that the
cause of the accident was a technical failure. Ruptured right studs holding down No 6
cylinder of the port outer engine. The cylinder bore loose and the resulting damage
caused the aircraft to crash.”
Crew:
RAAF 427370 PO Biesiot, L H Captain (Pilot) Killed
RAF Sgt A S Titchener, (Flight Engineer) Killed
RAF Sgt S F Davies, (Navigator) Killed
RAAF 426747 Flt Sgt B T F Johnson, (Air Bomber) Injured
RAF Sgt G Crozier, (Wireless Air Gunner) Died of injuries
RAF Sgt J Dare, (Mid Upper Gunner) Killed
RAF Sgt H Stephenson, (Rear Gunner) Killed
PO Biesiot and Sgt Titchener are buried in the Cambridge City Cemetery,
Cambridgeshire. The cemetery is known locally as the Newmarket Road Cemetery.
Sgt Davies is buried in the Sketty (Bethel) Welsh Congregational Chapelyard, UK.
Sgt Crozier is buried in the Redcliffe (St Mary) Churchyard, UK.
Sgt Dare is buried in the Crdiff (Llandaff) Cemetery, UK.
Sgt Stephenson is buried in the Liverpool (Allerton) Cemetery, UK.
123
Dicam ex animo. Sed nostri evocatis, ut debemus eis libertatem.
Theletterwriter
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2010 9:44 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by Theletterwriter »

John / Bob

Bryce Gomersall's The Stirling File confirms LK501 as QQ:L. If it is LK510, the book has the aircraft flying 18 ops with 196 Sqn. as ZO : U, W and then being transferred to 190 Sqn. where no further ops are recorded.

Cheers

Douglas
User avatar
Denonline
BC Veteran
BC Veteran
Posts: 197
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 10:33 am

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by Denonline »

John,the photo gives a good illustration of the nearness to the ground of the rear turret and twin tail wheels. (remember my incident) :)

I believed that the the tail wheels were manually retracted, not that we ever did this at HCU.
Assuming that they were manual were the doors also manual?

Dennis
User avatar
K4KittyCrew
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Posts: 3635
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:55 am
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland - Australia

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by K4KittyCrew »

Many thanks Douglas and Bob. Your effort are appreciated. I will pass on these details.

Dennis, good to hear from you .......... yes, the rear turret is rather close to the ground but when you consider that the Stirling was hurtling down the runway, one inch off terra-firma would still be scary stuff! ............. I have no knowledge regarding if the tail wheels were retractable manually but I'm sure some of our learned chaps could enlighten us.
Cheers,
John
K for Kitty Crew - Winthorpe, 1661 HCU's - stirlingaircraftsoc.raf38group.org/
630 Squadron - East Kirkby
" There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly"
User avatar
K4KittyCrew
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Posts: 3635
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:55 am
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland - Australia

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by K4KittyCrew »

Just wanted to thank Alan for emailing me details on the retractable rear wheels ........ Cheers mate. Just goes to show that sometimes, the smallest / simplest things, regardless of how many times I / we see them, don't always stand out .............. well, that's my story anyway!
John
K for Kitty Crew - Winthorpe, 1661 HCU's - stirlingaircraftsoc.raf38group.org/
630 Squadron - East Kirkby
" There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly"
Stirling Project
Group Captain
Group Captain
Posts: 817
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 7:05 pm
Location: St Neots, Cambridgeshire

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by Stirling Project »

As far as I know the tail wheels were electrically retracted, however, following a series of failures, they were permanently locked down and some doors may have been removed to save weight and streamline the fuselage.... a bit :roll:

JL
fiskerton
Leading Aircraftman
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:24 pm

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by fiskerton »

Hi all
I'm staying in the Crown Inn at Roecliffe in North Yorksire and took my hound for a walk through the village churchyard and came across two CWG headstones. One is of a Sgt G Crozier ,a WOP/Air Gunner from this crew .Enclosed is the headstone picture. I believe he came from the village
The other chap is a 35 Sqn pilot Flt Lt M.T.G. Henry DFC
This pilot lost his life in 1941 flying a Halifax on a fuel air test.
Regards
Dave
Attachments
CWG headstone for Sgt Crozier
CWG headstone for Sgt Crozier
image.jpeg (132.34 KiB) Viewed 13124 times
User avatar
K4KittyCrew
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Air Chief Marshal (RAAF)
Posts: 3635
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:55 am
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland - Australia

Re: Short Stirling Identification Required, Please ......

Post by K4KittyCrew »

Hi Dave, good to hear from you. Thanks for posting more details.
Cheers,
John
K for Kitty Crew - Winthorpe, 1661 HCU's - stirlingaircraftsoc.raf38group.org/
630 Squadron - East Kirkby
" There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly"
Post Reply