Short Sunderland DW110 January 31st 1944
– War time crash in the Blue Stacks. –

D. Tucker cousin of M V Wareing has created a commemorative website to the men of Sunderland DW110 containing photos, reports and memories of the crew men.

A Commemoration event was held on Saturday 31st of May to the memory of Jim Gilchrist and the crew of Sunderland DW110 in the Blue Stacks, Donegal. Details at Blue Stacks Ramblers website.

The People of the Blue Stacks and the families and loved ones of the crew of RAF 228 Squadron Sunderland DW110 remember them :

• F/Lt Howard Charles Sheffield Armstrong DFC 42383 + [Captain]
• F/O Maurice Vincent Wareing 129072 + [1st Pilot]
• F/Lt Maurice Leonard Gillingham 104369 + [2nd Pilot]
• F/O Joseph George Trull 128117 [Navigator] (Died in service December 10, 1944)
• W/O 'Tubby' John Bruce Richardson 523921 [Flight Engineer]
• Sgt C S Hobbs 1644857 [Flight Mechanic Engines /Air Gunner (FME/AG)]
• Sgt Cyril Robinson Greenwood 1129218 + [Wireless Operator/Air Gunner (WOP/AG)]
• F/Sgt Frederick George Green R/184005 RCAF + [Air Gunner]
• Sgt John Ernest Parsons 1315937 + [WOP/AG]
• Sgt Frederick Tom Copp 614970 + [Flight Engineer]
• Sgt 'Jim' James Kenneth Gilchrist 1338328 [Air Gunner] (Died 2008)
• F/Sgt 'Jim' Arthur Gowens 1055929 [WOP/AG] (Beleived Died 1976)

All those who died in the crash and J G Trull's entries can be viewed at the Commonwealth War Graves Commishion Website: www.cwgc.org

This short web page will not seek to tell the story of the crash as this has been done with great care by many previous authors in the past. I will here however compile a list of available sources and links to relevent sites about the crash as well as media reports available online.

The Finn Valley web site had number of pages on the subject but the site is temporarily unavailable. I will keep an eye on this an update when I can.

The Blue Stacks Ramblers website links to the following photo album of a walk to the site in March 2008: Blue Stacks Ramblers Walk

And some articles from the Donegal Times newspaper website:
November 28th 2001
May 14th 2003
April 23rd 2003
February 11th 2004

I was given these newspaper cuttings in 2008 by a friend, but I don't know the dates and in some cases the newwspaper but I'll present them here anyway: Article One
Article Two
Article Three

Printed sources for this crash include:

• The World War II Aeroplane Crash in the Blue Stack Mountains by Liam Briody, 1994
• Down in a Free State by John Quinn
• Hell on High Ground, Volume 2, Dave Earl

F/Lt H C S Armstrong 42383 had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in 1943, as pubished in the London Gazette, Gazette Issue 36276 published on the 3 December 1943.

Similarly, J B Richardson would go on to win a DFC for his efforts following his subsequent commishion as an officer, Gazette Issue 37197 published on the 24 July 1945. He flew his last patrol mission on May 10th 1945 and then went on to fly over 300 missions with in the Berlin Airlift. He served on after the war in various roles, winning a Queen's Commendation For Valuable Service in the Air in the 1952 Birthday Honours. He retired from the RAF in 1958.

Joseph G Trull would survive the crash of DW110 only to loose his life in December the same year when he was killed during recovery operations on another 228 Squadron Sunderland which had been damaged in a landing accident.

With special thanks to D. Tucker, H. Green, S. Shortman, Joe O'Loughlin, B. McGlinchy and J. McGroaty.

Dennis Burke - May 2008

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