Tragedy at Cliff House Farm, 1st December 1943

Short Stirling III No. EH880
75 Squadron RAF Bomber Command Aircraft.
Tragedy at Cliff House Farm, 1st December 1943, 11 Killed.

Extract from 'The Times' Newspaper, published 3rd December 1943:

"Aircraft Crash on Farmhouse.
Family of five young children killed.

Five children - all their family - of Mr and Mrs W. Robson were killed when an Aircraft crashed into Cliff House, a small dairy farm near Amble, Northumberland, on Wednesday night. The children’s ages ranged from one to nine years. They were sleeping in an upstairs room.

The mother and father, who with two friends Mr. and Mrs Rowell of Dilston [Terrace] Amble, were sitting in a downstairs room, were injured but not seriously. One of the crew of the aircraft, a gunner, was saved by Mr. Rowell.

Mr Rowell said last night: “We did not realize what had happened until the house collapsed above our heads. We managed to stand up, bruised and badly dazed, and, looking upward we saw the sky. Mrs Robson tried to make her way towards the stairs, which had been blown away. My wife called my attention to a burning object outside which was moving about. We rushed over and found it was a gunner with his clothes alight. Mr Rowell rolled the airman on the ground to extinguish the burning clothes. Although badly burned, the gunner was alive.

The children's partly charred bodies were recovered later."

Children of William and Norah Robson who died at Cliff House Farm:

Sylvia Robson, aged 9.

Ethel Robson, aged 7.

Margery Robson, aged 5.

William Matthew Robson, aged 3.
Sheila Robson, aged 19 months

The Robson Children

Robson Gravestone Amble

Robson family grave in Amble West Cemetery.

Stirling EH880 took off from RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire at 15.16 hrs, joining 12 Halifaxes and 18 other Stirlings on a sea mine sowing mission off Denmark and the Frisian Islands. On the return home the aircraft was diverted to Acklington due to fog. At 22.00 hrs the aircraft, approaching from the north east descended to land, but due to fog they had misjudged their location by 1½ miles and tragically flew into the upper floor of Cliff House Farm.

Aircrew killed:

Kerr	Lucas	Smith	Wort	Holt	Copsey
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1558163 Warrant Officer (Pilot) George John Stewart Kerr, 75 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 22. Son of John and Georgina Kerr, of High Ongar, Essex. Sec. H. Grave 293. (Chevington Cemetery)	1250557 Sergeant (Air Gnr.) George William Thomas Lucas, 75 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 22. Son of George and Ellen Francis May Lucas, of Shepherd's Bush London. Buried East Finchley Cemetery And St. Marylebone Crematorium	1239376 Sergeant (Air Bomber) Ronald Smith, 75 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 20. Son of Basil and Sarah Ann Smith, of Leeds; husband of Joan Smith, of Halton, Leeds. Buried Leeds (Whitkirk) Cemetery	1585034 Sergeant (Nav.) Donald Frank Wort, 75 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wort, of Parkstone. Buried Poole (Parkstone) Cemetery	1217084 Flight Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Derek Arthur Holt, 75 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Holt, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Buried St. Helens Cemetery	1691471 Sergeant (Flt. Engr.) Leonard George Copsey, 75 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 20. Son of George and Jessie Hannah Copsey, of Hornchurch. Buried Hornchurch Cemetery

Robson's Way Amble.

Streets within a recent housing development in Amble commemorate the Robson children

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