Bomber Command Memorial Register

Cairnsmore of Fleet (7 Memorial

Cairnsmore of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway

Partial Record
Confirmed location?

Location

Cairnsmore of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway, Dumfries & Galloway

what3words: ///vibrate.skyrocket.stone

Narrative

Cairnsmore of Fleet, a 2,331-foot hill in the Galloway Hills, became a graveyard for training aircraft during the Second World War. Seven crashes between 1940 and 1944 killed 25 men from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and -- uniquely -- four German Luftwaffe aircrew whose Heinkel was the first to crash on the mountain in August 1940. The predominance of Avro Ansons reflects the aircraft's role as the standard navigation and bombing trainer at OTUs across south-west Scotland, including RAF Dumfries, Wigtown, and West Freugh. The mountain's position athwart the training routes, combined with its height and the region's unpredictable weather, made it a persistent hazard. The inclusion of enemy aircrew on the same memorial as Allied dead is a notable act of reconciliation.

Aircraft & Operation Details

Aircraft Type
Multiple aircraft (7
Serial Number
WW2 crashes + 1 post-war commemorated)
Squadron
Various
Date of Loss
WW2

Memorial Details

Type
Rough-hewn stone with copper/bronze plaque (original lead lettering lost to frost); commemorates 7 wartime air crashes

Local Contacts

These local organisations are connected to this memorial and may be able to help with information or visits.

Dumfries Branch, Legion Scotlandlegion scotland

Local remembrance and memorial support

Further Reading

IWM War Memorials RegisterRetrieved 2026-03-23

IWM records the memorial commemorating seven wartime air crashes and one post-war crash on Cairnsmore of Fleet. The rough-hewn stone memorial was originally dedicated on 8 August 1980 with lead lettering, later replaced by a copper/bronze plaque after frost damage.

IWM reference: memorial/71898Original dedication: 8 August 1980Re-dedication with new plaque: 9 August 2007

War Memorials OnlineRetrieved 2026-03-23

War Memorials Online documents the Cairnsmore of Fleet memorial, noting it commemorates airmen from multiple nations including a German Heinkel crew from Kampfgeschwader 4 who crashed on 8 August 1940 while laying mines off Belfast.

WMO reference: 215109First crash: German Heinkel from KG4, 8 August 1940German crew lost while mine-laying off Belfast

Peak District Air Accident Research documents one of the Cairnsmore crashes involving Anson EG485, providing detailed analysis of the multiple crash sites on the mountain and the training routes that made it a persistent hazard.

Multiple crash sites documented on the mountainTraining routes from RAF Dumfries, Wigtown, and West Freugh

Sources

  • IWM (memorial/71898)(website)

Credits & Acknowledgements

Record compiled by
Keith Binley
Heritage sources
IWM War Memorials Register (retrieved 2026-03-23)
War Memorials Online (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-22

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Longside Edge serial) Memorial
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Great Dun Fell (Blea Crag) Halifax Memorial
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CraigLockhart View (Edinburgh area) Wellington Memorial
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