Sabre 23380 on Iron Crag, Ennerdale.

This Sabre was on a cross country training flight on Friday the 26th June 1959. The aircrafts last flight began at Prestwick in Scotland at 13.00hrs and the pilot headed in a rough south-easterly direction to avoid the hills near the airfield. Thick mist was over the Lake District on this day and the aircraft soon entered this but having cleared some of the larger hills at the north-east side of the area he descended through the cloud to get a fix on his location, presumably assuming he was clear of the hills. This error would sadly cost him his life. The aircraft struck the ground south of Ennerdale Water close to the summit of Iron Crag at 13.11hrs, after which the aircraft broke up. It would be a further two days until the search party would locate the remains of the aircraft, the majority of which had been scattered down the grass and scree where it still rests today. The pilots watch was recovered, this had stopped at 13.11hrs confirming the time of the crash.

Pilot - F/O Robert G Starling RCAF, aged 27. Buried Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey. Son of Robert and Beryl Starling of India and brother of Barbara.

Will Lund and myself visited this crash site in October 2003 during a long distance walk we'd planned. We think we located the impact point, near to it a small pit with a gathered heap of Sabre remains, we followed the wreckage trail and eventually came to some larger sections. The aircrafts jet pipe is very visable but although spread out over a wide area was still clear to see. A whole wing still remains as does half of the other wing. The vertually complete tail section that was at the site until afew years ago has now been taken to a local museum.