11 May 2011

Saw a falling star burning - Quite by accident whilst out cycling, I stopped at the Spitfire Museum at Manston and walked over to the memorial garden. It turns out that I was one day early for the 68th anniversary of the last flight of the Short Stirling Mk III - BF523. This photograph shows the tip of one of it's propeller blades. The text below is copied straight from the information board.


On the night of 12/13 May 1943 some 572 RAF bombers were dispatched to attack the city of Duisberg in the SW region of the Ruhr, Germany. The force consisted of 238 Avro Lancaster, 112 Vickers Wellington, 142 Handley-Page Halifax, 70 Short Stirling and 10 De Havilland Mosquito aircraft.


Amongst the bombers flying that night was Short Stirling MK III (Serial BF 253) of no 90 Squadron RAF (No 3 Group - Bomber Command) based at Ridgewell in Essex. The Stirling bore the Squadron code WP-G. Take off time was 00.30.


At 03.28 the aircraft was attacked by a Messerschmitt BF110G night fighter piloted by Uffz Emil Heinzelmann of III/NJG1 based in Eastern Holland. As a result of the attack the Stirling crashed into the Ijsselmeer off Nijkerk (Gelderland) and, sadly, no crew member survived. The crew members were:-


Pilot - R/120226 Flight Sergeant W Morel RCAF
Navigator - 13200220 Sergeant BA Bacon RAF
Bomb Aimer 658018 Sergeant W Murray RAF
Wireless Operator 1332191 Sergeant EW Elke RAF
Flight Engineer 575244 Sergeant RMS Shaw RAF
Air Gunner 785082 Sergeant AJ Buxton RAF
Air Gunner 614909 Sergeant C Green RAF


(33 other aircraft were lost that night involving the deaths of 206 aircrew, 27 became prisoners of war and 4 evaded capture).


1n June 1972 and following the drainage of a polder in South Flevoland in the SE region of Ijsselmeer, aircrew and aircraft remains were discovered and subsequently removed by a salvage team from the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Several components were transferred to the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon. These included the 3 propeller blades from one of the four Bristol Hercules engines. These blades were transferred in 1999 for restoration by Medway Aircraft Preservation Society at Rochester Airport. The two blades mounted here showed signs of damage by cannon fire. The third blade in in near perfect condition and is displayed in the Spitfire Memorial Building. There is every indication that the Hercules engine had stopped before the crash.