Slightly off topic but may be of interest.
This is the view from Cairnsmore of Fleet, a seemingly innocuous hill of 2,300 ft overlooking the Cree Estuary in Dumfries & Galloway.
A granite memorial on the summit records the deaths of no less than 25 airmen from 8 crashes on its slopes, 5 of which appear to have been of training flights from local airfields. I wonder what made the hill so hazardous ?
Transcription -
ERECTED IN MEMORY OF AIRMEN KILLED ON THIS HILL
CAIRNSMORE OF FLEET
First Crash:
LEUTNANT A ZEISS AGE 25
UNTEROFFIZIER G T VON TURCKHEIM AGE 31
UNTEROFFIZIER W HAJESCH AGE 21
UNTEROFFIZIER W MECHSNER AGE 23
FROM NG 1 STAFFEL OF KAMPFGESCHWADER 4 SOESTERBURG AIR BASE HOLLAND
THE AIRCRAFT A HEINKEL III H4 CRASHED ON 8TH AUGUST 1940
Second Crash:
AIRCRAFTSMAN D J THOM AGE 20
FROM NO 10 AIR OBSERVER SCHOOL RAF DUMFRIES
THE AIRCRAFT BLACKBURN BOTHA L6539 CRASHED ON 2ND MARCH 1942
Third Crash:
SERGEANT A C H ALLEN AGE 21
MISTER W PATERSON AGE 31
FROM NO 1 OBSERVER ADVANCED FLYING UNIT OF RAF WIGTOWN
THE AVRO ANSON AIRCRAFT W2640 CRASHED ON 17TH APRIL 1942
Fourth Crash:
FLIGHT SERGEANT B H VYE RCAF AGE 21
SERGEANT A W HAWKES AGE 29
LEADING AIRCRAFTSMAN R D HUME AGE 22
LEADING AIRCRAFTSMAN G A HORNE AGE 20
AIRCRAFTSMAN G O M RAWSON AGE 20
FROM NO 9 AIR GUNNERS SCHOOL RAF LLANOWROG
THE AVRO ANSON DJ126 CRASHED ON 22ND SEPTEMBER 1942
Fifth Crash:
PILOT OFFICER J M COOLEY RCAF AGE 30
WARRANT OFFICER J J M WARD AGE 23
FLIGHT SERGEANT M C SIMPSON RCAF AGE 19
FROM NO 10 OBSERVER ADVANCED FLYING UNIT RAF DUMFRIES
THE AIRCRAFT EG485 AVRO ANSON CRASHED ON 22ND FEBRUARY 1944
Sixth Crash:
SERGEANT W A EDWARDS AGE 23
SERGEANT H W G RENNISON AGE 31
SERGEANT R O BEGGS RNZAF AGE 29
FLIGHT SERGEANT B B HAYTOM AGE 21
FLIGHT SERGEANT A W WAUCHOPE RAAF AGE 27
FRON NO 4 OBSERVER ADVANCED FLYING UNIT RAF WEST FREUGH
ANSON AIRCRAFT N9589 CRASHED ON 12TH JUNE 1944
Seventh Crash:
FLIGH SERGEANT R S T HIDE AGE 22
PILOT OFFICER A A GOODILL RCAF AGE 26
SERGEANT T J MALONE AGE 24
FROM NO 1 OBSERVER ADVANCED FLYING UNIT RAF WIGTOWN
AVRO ANSON W5140 CRASHED ON THE 9TH JULY 1944
Eighth Crash:
CAPTAIN T J SEAGREN USAF AGE 26
CAPTAIN R V SPALDING USAF AGE 31
1ST TACTICAL RECONNAISANCE SQUADRON RAF ALCONBURY
THE AIRCRAFT A McDONNELL DOUGLAS PHANTOM RF4C 68 0566 CRASHED ON 28TH MARCH 1979