STIRLING PROJECT NEWSLETTER NO. 7 (2004/05)

STIRLINGS ON BOOK COVERS

Have you ever noticed the number of books proudly showing the Stirling on their covers? despite her unfavourable reputation.

See the adjacent sleeves and pick out the following:
Sir Arthur Harris (BOMBER OFFENSIVE)
AVM Donald Bennett (PATHFINDER)
Max Hastings (BOMBER COMMAND)
Group Captain T.G.Mahaddie (HAMISH)

Left to Right: The Chairman with
our new Treasurer Derek Hahn
and the late Eric visiting Duxford

From early work at Sheffield University in Metabolic Studies, he moved to the medical Research Council's Carshalton Laboratory. There, he assisted in the setting up of a group using highly innovative methods in cancer and toxicology research, building on the foundation he had established in the field of capillary gas chromatography. Eric published many scientific papers and assisted generations of PhD students in their endeavours. He passed on his specialist knowledge to countless others, both in Britain and abroad. The Stirling Project's loss is widely shared.

Committee Member Ron Lunney, an ex-navigator of 7 Squadron, was shot down and became a POW. He is now carrying out a miraculous restoration to a very badly damaged Stirling throttle box. This was obtained from the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum in exchange for a RAF radio transmitter, thanks to our Acquisitions Officer, Martin Smith. The transmitter was of the type used in control towers during the Battle of Britain. Ron hopes to bring the almost-finished article to the next Committee Meeting in October.

2005 FRIENDS AND FAMILY DAY at RAF WYTON
(PicturesBy Lou Brown and Mary Ghrist)

The display included the completely rebuilt front turret with its two Browning machine guns and cleaned-up Bristol Hercules 14-cylinder radial engine, a massive main undercarriage which is being carefully measured prior to rebuilding, two very impressive landing wheels and various smaller items such as a gyro compass, bomb sight, and radio receiver. Display boards showed a variety of photographs and diagrams of Stirlings, which impressed visitors, who had not realised just how large the Stirling really was. All this was in No. 1 Hangar, where Stirlings were once housed (if they were lucky and not out on dispersal round the airfield!). Fortunately, the weather was good, so the flying display and collection of classic cars could be enjoyed as well. This was a highly successful collaboration between the Stirling Aircraft Society and Stirling Project in furtherance of our joint aims to publicise Britain's first four-engined bomber of WWII.

PEAK-DISTRICT STIRLING RECOVERY

Pictures
By Cpl. Ian Lang and Peter Howell

Article by Peter Howell.

Stirling LJ628 of 1654 Heavy Conversion Unit took off from RAF Wigsley on the 21st of July 1944. The pilot, under instruction was Flying Officer Gardiner and there were ten on board. Having practised flying on three engines, the pilot descended through cloud in the belief that he was over flat Lincolnshire countryside. The nose gunner suddenly saw the ground flashing past a few feet below the aircraft and shouted to the skipper to pull up. F/O Gardiner pulled hard on the control column, the Stirling reared up, and smacked onto the ground on its belly. Two of the crew were injured whilst the rest were bruised and shaken. Far from being over Lincolnshire, the aircraft had flown into the ground at Upper Commons on Margery Hill, ten miles north west of Sheffield. In due time, a crash party was sent to remove the wreck. It was cut up and dragged off the hillside on sledges, leaving a small quantity of wreckage and a broken undercarriage unit behind. These were the last Stirling remains available for recovery in the UK and included items such as leading-edge wing ribs, sections of bomb doors and wheel doors, and half the frame for the bomb aimer's escape hatch. The Stirling Project Trustees considered that these parts would be immensely useful as patterns if they could be recovered. The Chairman therefore contacted the Commanding Officer at RAF Odiham to request help and after negotiations, this was agreed subject to the availability of a helicopter and crew. With the combined efforts of a dozen people, including some from the Peak District Air Accident Research Group, and service personnel from Odiham, who had come to help, the undercarriage was worked loose and rolled onto a lifting net. The smaller items were also made ready for the eventual helicopter lift. Quite a large crowd had gathered at the assembly point, including the landowner and Tony House who, as a young man, had been a member of the original crash party in 1944 and had subsequently settled in the area. A Stirling Project member had managed to trace him and had invited to witness the recovery. The helicopter duly arrived, despite uncertain weather including snow flurries, and after some skilful manoeuvring, involving several trips between the crash site and the assembly point, all the recovered items were safely deposited on the waiting lorry, Within a few hours, the latter was negotiating the outskirts of Sheffield and set course for Project HQ, RAF Wyton. The Chairman and trustees of the Stirling Project would like to thank Group Captain Ross Paterson for his airlift conception, and the Commanding Officer of RAF Odiham, the aircrew and ground handling party for their generous assistance in the recovery operation.

NORFOLK'S MODEL AIR FORCE
(All flying models built by Tony Nelson)

Last year, the Secretary received a letter from a friend, Brian Sparks, of Norfolk, mentioning a very large model of the Stirling, built by a fellow Norfolk resident Tony Nelson. The Chairman telephoned Tony and subsequently received a very detailed letter and photographs, not only of the Stirling, but of no fewer than twenty other fine flying models. The Stirling is built to 1/6th scale with a wing span of 16ft 6in and a length of 14ft 6in. It is a replica of a Mk. III LJ525 EX-R of 199 sqdn. RAF, North Creake, Norfolk, 1944. The adjacent pictures convey some idea of the sheer scale of the Stirling, and of the vast scope of Norfolk's Model Air Force, which was started in 1972, and to date has consumed in excess of 21000 man-hours.

Scale

Aircraft:

Scale

Aircraft

1/18
1/18
1/8
1/22
1/8
1/8
1/8
1/7
1/22
1/4

Vickers Viscount Airliner
Lockheed C130 Hercules
Hawker Hunter
Convair B36 Peacemaker
English Electric Lightning
Spitfire
Hurricane
Northrop F5 Tiger
Lockheed C5A Galaxy
Piper J3 Cub

1/12
1/18
1/11
1/8
1/6
1/3
1/8
1/9*
1/8*
1/8*
1/6*

Catalina
Boeing B52 Stratofortress
Avro Vulcan B2
Lockheed SR71 Blackbird
Piper Pawnee
Piper Pawnee
Douglas C47 Dakota
Mosquito
English Electric Canberra
P51 Mustang
Short Stirling

* Under construction

ITEMS FOR SALE

We have available, copies of the book "The Stirling Story" by Michael Bowyer, at a cost of £20.80 including postage and packing.

We also have copies of the memoirs of our Patron, Lord Mackie, a WWII navigator on Stirlings. This costs £17.50 inclusive of P&P.

Also available are copies of the VHS video "Remember the Stirling", produced by our Chairman, which records the progress of the Stirling from 1941 to Arnhem. The price is £16.00 including P&P. This item is not available on DVD.

Stirling Aircraft Society Calendar 2006.
You are invited to order your copy of the new 2006 Stirling Aircraft Society Calendar to reserve your copy at an approximate cost of £6.50 plus postage -for A4 size with top half pictures and the dates on the lower half- one for each month. This will be something rather special to hang on the kitchen wall and a different picture about Stirlings for each month. Cost: - UK- £7.29 inc. postage. 2nd class mail, Europe: - £7.96 Airmail, rest of World £8.82 Airmail Please send cheque with order to Henry Payne, 394 Old Bedford Road, Luton, Beds, LU2 7BS.

Late News Item:
On Saturday 13 August, Committee Member Peter Howell attended the quarterly meeting of the British Aviation Preservation Council which was held in the Bristol Aero. Collection at Kemble. A Bristol Britannia stored there (G-ANCF) was once flown by his late father, an ex-Stirling pilot of 149 sqdn.RAF.