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Shepherd Pilotby Northumberland County Libraries
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Contributed by Northumberland County Libraries
People in story: Mr Fairington, Shepherd Pilot
Location of story: Linhope Spout, Northumberland
Article ID: A2486856
Contributed on: 02 April 2004
Mr Fairington
Wooler, Northumberland
I was working at a place called Linhope Spout. On one particular day as we had arrived there on a job. A shepherd came running towards us and into our building to ring the authorities as he had discovered a German plane (model - Junkers 88)that had crashed there the night before. During my lunch break, I went down to the RAF ambulance to see what was happening. Three officials were carrying away the bodies of the two German pilots in blankets. I remember vividly that a pilots arm dropped out of the blanket upon which it was being carried, and the sargent picking it up by the fingers and just throwing it in the ambulance. Furthermore, the army were called in because they thought that one of the bodies was missing from the planes and they were sent out to search for it. However, they found a log book in one of the German planes which stated that the pilot had actually been killed the night before during an evening raid in Hull.

Posted on: 04 April 2004 by Ross McNeill
Hi,
I think that the aircraft you are describing was:
Junkers Ju.88, Wvrk No.144354, 3E+BH of 1/KG6 based at Deelen, Holland. It was being chased by a Beaufighter from No.219 Sqn and hit Linhope Rig near Powburn in the early hours of 25th March 1943. Ofw F Lang and his three crew were all buried in Chevington Cemetery.