STIRLING PROJECT NEWSLETTER No. 11 (2008/09)

Patron: The Lord Mackie of Benshie, C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., LL, D.
Chairman: Brian Harris D.F.C., Dibdene, The Green, Shamley Green, Guildford, Surrey GU5 0UA
Secretary: Dr. Geoff Edwards, Redcroft, St. Nicolas Ave., Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 7AQ
Treasurer: Derek Hahn FCCA, 16 Cromwell Place, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 7LF
e-mail:info@stirlingproject.co.uk Registered Charity No.1077113

"Short Stirling Pre-Prototype"

An aerial picture of the S31 half-scale Short Stirling pre-protoype built in 1936.
The river featured is probably the Medway, close to the Rochester factory.

"It all started here!"

The above picture was taken in the old factory premises at Rochester, the birthplace of Stirling manufacture.

Stirling parts were wheeled along this corridor prior to assembly. In all, some 2383 Stirlings were built

Stirling aircrew who"went missing"

This was the last view from a Stirling for S/Ldr Ron Lunney of 7 Sq. in April 1943. Ron dived out of the front escape hatch on his stricken Stirling, R9278 over occupied France and ended up as a POW. All smiles at the hole now - no time for smiles then!. The Project recovered the above wreckage from Stirling LJ 628 in 2005 and the vital data it yielded has helped us in formulating the CAD model for the front fuselage.

Mac Sleven, pilot of LJ999, which crashed in Denmark in 1945 is reunited after 64 years with the four throttles from LK119, which was his regular Stirling. This machine crashed in Norway in 1945. We are grateful that Mac has been instrumental in acquiring these, and other Stirling items from Norway.

Parts recently received from various crashed Stirlings in Norway. 

There are several useful parts here, including the four throttle levers mentioned above. In addition, there are two handwheels from the flight-engineer's controls on the main spar, and a further wheel thought to be the port fuel jettison valve. Although slightly out of shape, they will all provide useful data to enable us to make new ones.

Acquisitions and Disposals.

Sheet-Metal Bender
donated by Roland Hopper, Arminall Engineering Ltd.,
Shirehall Industrial estate, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3AQ

The Stirling Project gratefully acknowledges the generous gift of this sheet-metal bender. It is likely to prove invaluable in forming panels for the new fuselage section. We would appreciate hearing from someone who is prepared to donate a guillotine to the Project.

Large Stirling items returned with thanks
to RAF Stafford

Various large Stirling components, including undercarriage legs, borrowed from the RAF for measurement purposes, are returned to storage at RAF Stafford. We shall welcome the resulting reduction in our insurance premiums, and the extra space will also be useful!

3-D Computer-graphics simulation
of the Stirling forward fuselage

Comparison with the real thing

Members of The Stirling Project are now using computer modelling to assist in formulating the shapes and relative positions of the complicated array of components involved in the reconstruction of the forward fuselage.

The Case for a Cockpit Rebuild

Following WWII, Stirling aircraft were scrapped without thought of preserving an example for posterity; sadly none survives, not even a cockpit to display to the public. The Stirling Project plans to address this by building a complete front fuselage section of a Stirling bomber. This will be full scale, and of aluminium riveted construction, with everything as close to the original as possible. Few original Shorts manufacturer’s drawings survive, however following over 30 years of research, we have gathered a vast amount of information with which to undertake this rebuild. Data derived from this search are now being processed by modern technology to produce a 3-D CAD (computer aided design) simulation.. This will help us to ‘reverse engineer’ a complete front fuselage section, encompassing the whole flight deck, with our pilot’s instrument panel, throttle box, pilot’s seats & chassis, rudder pedals and control columns, all of which are simultaneously being worked on by members of The Stirling Project. We also intend to install our previously completed FN5 front gun turret. The Cockpit section will eventually extend to 24 feet and will include the wireless operator and flight engineer stations as well as those for the pilots, bomb aimer and navigator. Naturally, funding is needed for all this, but we also require something more; we also depend on working space, having sufficient skilled and unskilled volunteers, tools, equipment and of course materials and resources. This is a big undertaking and will depend on raising further money. It will need to be planned carefully but with your help this can be achieved. If you would like to make a donation, be involved, or can offer any Stirling parts or equipment, we would be most pleased to hear from you.

  Robert ( Bob ) J. Coles 1937-2009
Former member of the Stirling Project.

Bob was born in Southall, Middx and lived most of his life in Crowthorne, Berkshire. After leaving school, where he showed a remarkable ability in technical drawing, joined Hawker Sidderly/British Aerospace as an apprentice engineer rising through the drawing office, where he was involved in several projects,ending his career in the archive section (he had an aversion to computers when introduced in the drawing office). During this time he served his National Service in the Army with the Army Air Corps spending several months in Malaya on active service. Bob's whole life was dominated by his passion for aviation and after his retirement his years were filled with a variety of projects involving the restoration of WW2 aircraft, a field in which he will be greatly missed. Bob suffered a severe stroke in Jan 2008 and died in hospital in  High Wycombe, near his family. His funeral took place on Tuesday 3rd February at Easthampstead Park Crematorium, Crowthorne.

Stirling Project "wanted list"
These are the items we would like to acquire in the near future. If you can help us, please e-mail, write to, or telephone our Secretary, Geoff Edwards, Redcroft, St. Nicolas Ave., Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 7AQ.

All the pictures below are reproduced with the kind permission of Alan Hulme.

Indicator switchbox 5C 372 ( 2 off)

Bomb selector switchbox 5D/659

Airspeed indicator Mk IXD 6A 415

Propeller feathering switch 5C 2003 (4 off)

Undercarriage indicator switch 5C 1749

Interlock firing switch 5D 1062

Type 5C 1788 (2 off)

Automatic bomb distributor 5D 664 Mk VII

BOOKS FOR SALE.

We have available, copies of the book “The Stirling Story” by Michael Bowyer at a cost of £25 including postage in the UK and packing.

A new paperback featuring Stirlings is also available: The publishers describe it as follows: This is a beautifully written and illustrated book. It describes the author's life from when he left school and joined the RAF until the end of the War. Mr Chesterton also relates what it was like to be a young man in Britain and abroad during the early 1940s. From the Back Cover George Chesterton joined the Royal Air Force the week he left school in July 1941, and after early training (during which he ate his meals in London Zoo and had a medical examination in the Long Room at Lord's) he spent a year learning to fly in Canada. Having gained his Wings he returned to England, but not before he spent a leave in New York where he danced with Katherine Hepburn. The main part of his flying career was spent flying Stirlings and included taking part in the D-Day offensive and operation Market Garden, as well as Special Operations Executive flights over Europe. The final days after the War were spent playing cricket for the Air Force. After the War George Chesterton went up to Oxford where he earned an MA as well as a Cricket Blue. He subsequently played cricket for Worcestershire and became a School Master at Malvern College.

DVDs FOR SALE.

From the RAF’s biggest and slowest bomber to its smallest and fastest. Brian Harris has now produced DVD depicting the Mosquito in action, including colour sequences taken while serving on Mosquito 627 Pathfinder Squadron. This costs £12:99 inclusive of P&P in the UK.

Please send donations to our Treasurer:
Derek Hahn FCCA., 16 Cromwell Place, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 0LF

Registered Charity No. 1077113