Can I still see wreckage from Halifax LL505 on Great Carrs?

Yes, substantial pieces are still there nearly 80 years later. You'll find aluminium panels, airframe sections, engine parts and other fragments scattered between Great Carrs and Swirl How, along with a memorial cairn. Much of the wreckage was pushed into Broad Slack on the eastern side, though the undercarriage and memorial remain near the ridge.

What caused Halifax LL505 to crash in the Lake District?

The aircraft struck the ridge in thick cloud during a training flight on 22 October 1944. Without modern navigation aids and weather forecasting, flying in poor visibility over mountainous terrain was extremely dangerous, and the crew likely didn't see the ground until impact.

Why hasn't the wreckage been removed from Great Carrs?

It depends on three main factors: the remote location makes removal difficult and expensive, crash sites are considered part of our wartime heritage worth preserving, and many people including families feel the wreckage creates a lasting memorial where the crew died.

Aircraft Lost on the Hills

Eight Men on Great Carrs: The Last Flight of Halifax LL505

High on the ridge between Great Carrs and Swirl How, pieces of a Halifax bomber still lie where the aircraft came down in cloud. This is the story of its eight-man crew, the final flight of LL505 and the memorial that now watches over the Coniston Fells.

28 August 202610 min read