Anson L9153 -Scotland

An Avro Anson Mk1 Known by those who flew her as
`Faithful Annie`.This picture was taken from a
painting by Alan E.Jones,& depicts the aircraft
in an eerie setting at night and in low cloud over
the hills.

Avro Anson L9153 of No 1 A.N.S. (Air Navigation School)
Prestwick,was flying a Cross Country Navigation Exercise
on the 9th Jan 1939 when it flew into the 2,448ft mountain
in the Rhinns of Kells,9 miles west of Dalry, Kirkcudbright,
Scotland.

This aircraft was discovered on the mountain the following
day by Shepherd William McCubbin when he noticed a light
plume of smoke rising from the side of the peak, on arrival
at the scene he found three of the airmen had been flung clear
and was had died in the burnt out skeleton of the Anson.

I am informed by Alan Leishman of the Dumfries and Galloway
Aviation Society,that all four crew were killed. The bodies of
the four airmen were removed later that day by a RAF recovery
team headed by a Sq/Ldr D.F.McIntyre.

Crew of L9153.

Pilot: F/O Iain Douglas Shields. (Flt Inst).
W/Op: Sgt Norman Hector Duff.
Pupil: LAC Henry Gilbert Stewart Briggs.
Pupil: LAC Gordon Eric Betts.

FOOTNOTE:

On the following day 10th January 1939, Tiger Moth L6932 from
12 ERFTS, took off in search of the crashed Anson. In very poor
weather conditions with freezing tempretures, it too collided
with a hill in the Rhinns of Kells, though fortunately the pilot
Pete Barrow and a photographer were uninjured.


	NORMAN HECTOR DUFF - WIRELESS AIR GUNNER

Norman H.Duff had previously served in the North West Frontier from

around 1935-37, He is pictured here around 1937/38.

Photo: Norman Melrose.


	Picture title - date

Here I could describe what this picture is about and why I have chosen this one


	Anson L9153 crashed on Miekle Millyea, 9th Jan 1939.

Picture of L9153 in Summer 1939 taken by local man
Bert Leishman,shows the skeleton remains of the rear
fuselage & tail section.

Picture: C/O Alan Leishman.


	Crashed Avro Anson L9153 in 1939

Port side view of the Anson on the hillside shows the turret
which was a familiar feature with earlier MK1 aircraft.

Photo: C/O Alan Leishman.


	Anson L9153 Engine & Prop`1939

Crash site visit by Bert Leishman & family in 1939 shows
one of the wrecked Armstrong Siddley Cheetah radial engines
and propeller blade.

Photo: C/O Alan Leishman.


	Shepherd William McCubbin & Family at the Anson site.

An old photo dated around late Summer 1939 from Scottish Aviation

archives, Believed to be Shepherd William McCubbin & Family at the

crash site of Anson L9153. A note that was with the photo says "The

Shepherd was offered a job by McIntyre,co-owner of Scottish Aviation,

and left the hills for life as a hanger labourer".

Photo: Via Mark Sheldon.


	TIGER MOTH CRASH SITE WITH WILLIAM MC CUBBIN.

Again William McCubbin with his wife and a friend at the site of the Tiger

Moth that was searching for the Anson.

Photo: Via Mark Sheldon.


	L9153 Crash Site Revisited 1997

Site revisited by the Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum
members in 1997,showed that the area had changed very
little, but much of the Anson had now gone.

Photo: Alan Leishman.


	Undercarriage from L9153


	Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum

Take a look at the museum by visiting their website, just click
on the DGAM logo to go there.