Bomber Command Memorial Register

Great Carrs Halifax Memorial

Great Carrs, Coniston, Cumbria / Lake District

Complete Record
Confirmed location?

Photographs

Great Carrs 547x410
Great Carrs 547x410, Credit: Yorkshire Aircraft (see the link for full details) / War Memorials Online
Great Carrs Engine at John Ruskin Coniston 547x410
Great Carrs Engine at John Ruskin Coniston 547x410, Credit: Yorkshire Aircraft (see the link for full details) / War Memorials Online

Location

Great Carrs, Coniston, Cumbria / Lake District, Cumbria / Lake District

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Narrative

On the night of 22 October 1944, Halifax LL505 departed RAF Topcliffe on a routine night navigation training exercise. The crew, formed at 82 OTU and posted to 1659 HCU on 9 September 1944, were building hours before joining an operational squadron. Sgt Ferguson had been assigned as their regular flight engineer, while Sgt Pyche was flying as a supernumerary to add logbook hours. As the Halifax flew over the Lake District, it became enveloped in thick cloud. Pilot F/O Johnston descended below the cloud base so his navigator could obtain a visual fix on the ground. But the crew had no knowledge of what lay below. Emerging from cloud, they were confronted by the great rising fells of Swirl How and Great Carrs. There was no time to react. The aircraft, travelling from west to east, failed to clear the ridge by a few feet and went over the edge, crashing far down the precipice. All eight crew were killed. The youngest -- Ferguson and Titt -- were just 19. Six of the seven Canadians are buried together at Blacon Cemetery, Chester, far from home. Over the years, two of the four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were recovered by RAF helicopter; one is now on display at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston.

Aircraft & Operation Details

Aircraft Type
Halifax
Serial Number
LL505 "S for Sugar"
Squadron
1659 HCU
Station
Topcliffe
Date of Loss
1944-10-22
Operation Type
Training
Cause of Loss
Pilot descended below cloud base to obtain visual fix; aircraft failed to clear ridge by a few feet

Crew (8 members)

RankNameRoleAgeNationalityFateBurial / Status
F/OJohn Armstrong Johnston
C/29783
Pilot27CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC
F/OFrancis Aubrey Bell
J/39888
Navigator33CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC
P/ORobert Newton Whitley
J/38243
Bomb Aimer20CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC
SgtWilliam Brisbane Ferguson
1826294
Flight Engineer19BritishKilledNew Monkland Cemetery, LanarkshireCWGC
SgtCalvin George Whittingstall
R/198207
W/Op Air Gunner20CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC
SgtDonald Fraser Titt
R/271259
Air Gunner19CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC
SgtGeorge Riddoch
R/259938
Air Gunner20CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC
SgtHarvey Ellsworth Pyche
R/225354
Flight Engineer (supernumerary)21CanadianKilledBlacon Cemetery, ChesterCWGC

About the Crew

F/O John Armstrong Johnston(age 27)Pilot

A 27-year-old Canadian pilot from the RCAF, Johnston was building flying hours at 1659 HCU before posting to an operational squadron.

Sgt William Brisbane Ferguson(age 19)Flight Engineer

The only British member of the crew, Ferguson was assigned as their regular flight engineer. He is buried separately from the Canadians at New Monkland Cemetery, Lanarkshire.

Memorial Details

Type
Cairn with wooden cross and plaque; aircraft wreckage (undercarriage) remains at site

Memorial Care

national trust
Organisation
Lake District National Park Authority

Cairn with wooden cross and plaque on fell; aircraft wreckage remains at site.

Local Contacts

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

Kendal Royal British Legionbritish legion

Local remembrance and memorial support

Further Reading

IWM War Memorials RegisterRetrieved 2026-03-23

Imperial War Museum register entry for the Halifax LL505 FD-S memorial on Great Carrs. Records the cairn with wooden cross and plaques commemorating the eight crew of 1659 HCU who died on 22 October 1944.

Memorial reference 13028. Cairn with wooden cross. Metal and slate plaques list all eight names.

War Memorials OnlineRetrieved 2026-03-23

War Memorials Online listing for the Halifax LL505 memorial on Great Carrs fell, Lake District. Documents the memorial's remote hillside location and the crew details.

Memorial reference 175022. Accessible via fell walk from Wrynose Pass or Wetherlam approach.

TracesOfWar.comRetrieved 2026-03-23

TracesOfWar entry for the Halifax LL505 'S for Sugar' crash site. Substantial wreckage remains visible including undercarriage components. Two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were recovered by RAF helicopter; one is on display at the Ruskin Museum, Coniston.

Six of seven Canadians are buried at Blacon Cemetery, Chester. The sole British crew member (Sgt Ferguson) is buried at New Monkland Cemetery, Lanarkshire. Site is within the Lake District UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Yorkshire AircraftRetrieved 2026-03-23

Detailed account of the Halifax LL505 crash. The crew took off from Topcliffe at 14:05 and by 18:56 had become lost in thick cloud over the Lake District. The aircraft descended to obtain a visual fix but failed to clear the ridge of Great Carrs by a few feet.

Crew formed at 82 OTU and posted to 1659 HCU on 9 September 1944. Sgt Pyche was flying as a supernumerary to add logbook hours. Bomber remained largely intact after crash; wreckage was cut up and scattered down Broad Slack.

Sources

  • IWM (memorial/13028); warmemorialsonline.org.uk (memorial/175022); Wikipedia (Great Carrs)(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)
TracesOfWar.com (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Yorkshire Aircraft (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-23

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