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B-26 'Lil 'Lass' Carn Llidi Mountain, St.
David's, Wales
by Steve Jones
Carn Llidi mountain in background. Lil' Lass flew into right hand side of
mountain.
Here's a sketch by an eyewitness, Hugh Bonnell, who was 16 at the time of
the crash and was standing in the farm yard when
'Mi 'Laine' flew into the
barn. Hugh was standing outside a shed (see sketch) waiting to go up to the
barn. He was waiting for a rain shower to pass over;
I guess this rain
shower saved his life!
The ship hit the tree in front of the barn first.
Another shot of Penrhyn Farm. Ship was flying towards the camera.
This is Carn Llidi mountain. Lil 'Lass flew in from the right on crashed
into the green gully running up to the summit. One engine carried on over
the summit;
this is probably where the memorial blade originates from.
The second shot (Carn Llidi 2) is taken some distance away and in foggy
weather, as it probably was in 1943.
As you can see the summit is totally
obscured. Witnesses form another ship say 'Lil 'Lass' was letting down
through cloud to get a position fix when she hit the mountain.
L to R: Steve Jones - Major
Matt Goodrich - Brain Bolton US Embassy - Bobbie Torstenson (nee Lawrence)
the Lil'Lass
Gwen Scoggins (nee Robertson) - Alice Fulton (friend of
Jackson family) - Paul Cartwright aviation researcher.
Wilf Boutilier - Bobbie Torstenson - Sue Boutilier - Gwen Scoggins -
Gennie Lawrence - Alice Fulton - Shirley Wetzel (all from the USA)
Gennie Lawrence & Major Matt Goodrich US Army
Carn Llidi mountain in the background. L'l'Lass flew in from the right and
hit the mountainside half-way up the slope.
Carn Llidi mountain from the propeller memorial. Taken by the newspaper
photographer Norman Owen (Western Telegraph).
Lil' Lass flew in from the
right and hit the right-hand edge of the mountain.
2nd Lt. Hulbert Robertson (Nav/Bombardier)
Lt. Bill Shoop (passenger on Mi 'Laine ship)
Lt. Lawrence (Pilot)
Lt. Robert Lawrence
Sgt. William Brown (Engineer/Gunner)
Flt. Officer James Jackson (Co-Pilot)
Here's a crew shot taken at Mac Dill Field dated 1 May '43 - picture
courtesy of Patrick Reiss, nephew to the pilot. L-R: Major EH Berry (CO).
Lt
Jack Reiss (Pilot). Lt Ken Reed (Still alive and well today !!). Lt Eugene Carby (Nav). Sgt LM Dusing. Sgt S Fox. Sgt Raymond Shoemaker.
Only Reiss, Carby & Shoemaker were on board at the time of the crash (plus Lt. Bill
Shoop who took Major Berry's place at Ascension Island).
A picture of the blade, as it was when it was found on the mountainside and
before refurbishment by Hastie/Metspray Ltd., of Swansea. They did the
refurbishment free-of-charge.
The propeller blade memorial.
ID plate from the ship, found at the crash site.
In the years following the crash, a local lady, Mrs. Margaret Thomas, was out walking the mountainside came across the above bracelet. It was held in her family for many years. When I started my research into the events of 4th June '43 about 10 years ago, I was shown the bracelet and thought it would be great to return it to Jackson's folks in GA. Making contact with some people from Carrollton, GA, who remembered him, I soon learnt he was an only child and that the family had 'died out'. Last year with the detective work of Frank Searcy (an ex B-24 instructor) and friend of JJ's, the bracelet was returned to the US. Frank had managed to find a will made by JJ's mother, which mentioned a lady named Ann Mapp; Ann was a niece to JJ's mother.
The Elgin 'watch' found in the nearby field. Some years ago a navigator's
time piece was found in the surrounding field.
The pocket watch only has 10
numerals, as opposed to 12 on a normal watch. The watch was found at the Mi
'Laine site not the Lil 'Lass site.
Pieces of Lil' Lass with a miniature 'stars and stripes'. Note the proximity
to the coast - sea in background.
Here a picture of the 'Ireland' ship 41-34718 (Ridge Runner), Lt. Seeley's
crew, which
belly landed on the beach at Termonfeckin, Drogheda, Ireland.
Steve Jones ©