Avro Anson EG686
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Avro Anson EG686
March 20th 1944. Mk I Avro Anson EG686 was on a night time navigation exercise from RAF Cark on the Cartmel peninsula in the south of Cumbria (though back then it was still in the county of Lancashire) when it crashed on Swirl How in the Lake District with the loss of all 3 crewmen on board.
At the site today are a few fragments of yellow and green painted metal and some bits of canvas and tubing.
CREW
Pilot – Sgt Kenneth M Snelling RAFVR
Pilot – Sgt Kenneth J Brettell RAF
Wireless Op / Air Gunner – Sgt Walter W Younger RAFVR
A little way down the slope from the crash site are these fragments….
…and having rolled right down to the bottom are the two Cheetah engines. This view here is looking back up to the impact point.
this i magic
Great work Ian , not least because I have virtually the exact same shots…. which in itself is strange cos we usually manage to put a different tilt on each site we visit together .
More here than most anson sites I have visited …..nothing much ever seems to last at anson sites , think they must have been built of material that rots quickly !
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Thanks John, Paul.
John and Paul I should say. I’m not kissing your ring.
Aye, reason I left it a while was because I knew we had similar photos on this occasion, the angles and light were limited somewhat.
Anyway you will be pleased to hear I have now cleaned my car. It took me an hour but still haven’t quite got all that tree sap and magpie poo off the roof.
Moody shot.That little poppy cross makes it special.
A bleak location.!! Great info.
i like the light on the cross, the shadowy surrounds i find quite relaxing. great composition, amazing altitude for a walk [and you call it hill walking!].
Lovely lead photo, with dramatic scenery and light.
Poignant shots of the engines too.
I think its marvellous how much time and effort you put into making these crash site remembrance visits.
Honourable work my friend.
Brill job Ian
Nice light in the main image Ian – great additional detail as always. Hope the car enjoyed its clean
great story and photos ian
The history you give us is fantastic, great shots made more interesting…Great to see.
Did you have to wait long to get the shaft of light right on the cross Ian. Makes a good contrast between the darkness behind.
Great work mate.
Wonderful work as allways!!!
Janwillem
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/amybigkiss] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/29551624@N03]
Amy & Ang. Or Ang & Amy. Could be a double-act….
It was one of those days of scudding clouds with patches of sunlight now and then. Paul and me often find ourselves poking around these places, trying not to fall off the edge, maybe getting the angles and compositions sorted, and then suddenly one of us will say, "Quick! Sunlight!" and we take up positions, snapping away and squinting up at the sun, trying to measure how long we have before it disappears behind a cloud again. But aside from sunrise and sunsets, the best conditions are days of cloud and sunshine, cloud shadows picking out the shapes of the fells.
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Many thanks all for your views and faves and thoughts!
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It’s pleasure to be able to visit and photograph them Rod and to put their histories up on the internet in a place where they will be seen. It’s good to feel it;s worthwhile and I appreciate your saying so.
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The car did, I didn’t. And it has been crapped on again since…
The warm light on the cross really lifts the mood of this. Great timing. And see what you mean about the cloud / sunshine days, it really does help show the contours of the land
nice light highlighting the site, lovely rugged landscape as well
I will never say enough: thanks for sharing, Ian.
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Many thanks guys. As I mentioned to Rod, it’s good to be able to. Ain’t digital photography and the internet wonderful!
Thanks for Sharing.
Do you have any information please on a Lancaster Bomber that crash landed on 23.03.1944 please. OT took off on 22.03.1944 at 18:54 from Witchford.
The chap
I’m interested in was Sergeant Peter Hatfield who was a Navigator. He passed away on 26.03.1944 from his injuries.
I’ll have a look in what books I have, if I find anything I will let you know, or someone else viewing this page might?