Jump to content

Swirl How wreckage of Anson?


Shockwave Rider

Recommended Posts

Last Wednesday (24th Aug 2016) we hiked up the Old Man of Coniston then walked along the ridge to Swirl How. As we rested at Swirl How on the opposite side to the normal path, I noticed what looked like aircraft wreckage on the lower part of the slope across the valley.

I took a couple of snaps with my DMC-FZ72 at maximum zoom. I managed to get a look at them on Sunday, and indeed the structure looked very much like parts of an aircraft. At first glance I thought it was a wing section (i.e. rib) but on closer inspection decided it looked more like the front of a fuselage.

A quick google, and I came across references to an Anson and Halifax having come down at Swirl How during the war. I feel this is the Anson. Any ideas?

The full size images are about 6.4MB in size. I tried posting them on some Aviation crash site blogs, but as I am an old curmudgeon I didn't fancy signing up for all sorts of accounts and crap like that. More than happy to email the image to any aviation crash site blogs/websites.

Angus

Anson_small.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Angus

I have a feeling that if you were resting at Swirl How and spotted wreckage on the scree slopes to the north then it would be that of HP Halifax B Mk V LL505.

LL505 struck the top of Great Carrs while on a night navigation exercise from 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF Topcliffe. All 8 crew were killed.

Hope this helps.

Quentin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't open the attachment but most likely you saw the Halifax. The wreckage is fairly substantial even now and I understand that after the crash it was more or less intact. In the end the authorities cut it up and tipped it down the gully as people kept reporting it as another accident.

On a tangent, a few years back I bashed out on top of Wetherlam one summer night having done an evening tour of the Old Man range and as I was heading over there I took a look back towards the small memorial on top of Great Carrs. Bearing in mind this was getting on towards 10.30 at night and very much at last light I saw a figure standing by the memorial quite still. I looked down momentarily to get my footing and when I looked back they were gone. Probably another late bird like me who had walked off into the gloom but it was an eerie moment.

Edited by goggsy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Many thanks to all who responded to this post. Apologises for the rather late response.  I kind of dropped off the radar, modelling wise, in main due to discovering I could paint. This came as a bit of a surprise in my dotage. It does give me the opportunity to donate prints to RSPB and David Shepherd Wildlife Organisations, as I tend to paint the other sort of aviation i.e. British birds and flora. A much neglected subject.

 

Slowly getting back into this modelling lark again.  I see much has changed.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...