WW2 – The US Flying Fortress Crash on the Cave Hill

Published by P&P on

Home » Places » WW2 – The US Flying Fortress Crash on the Cave Hill
B-17 Flying Fortress (Public Domain Images)
B-17 Flying Fortress (Public Domain Images)

World War 2 – 1944

Around 300,000 American soldiers were stationed in or passed through Northern Ireland during WW2. By 1944 there was a huge increase in maritime and aerial activity because of the planned Allied invasion of Europe.

“On the 80th anniversary of this historic event, many people would be surprised to learn that the first place in Europe that American soldiers set foot during the Second World War was Belfast”

Dr Simon Topping, Associate Professor of United States History

Dr Topping notes that, by January 1944, there were around 100,000 Americans based in Northern Ireland – equivalent to 10% of the total population.

Cavehill over Treeline
Cavehill view

The Cavehill Crash

On 1st June 1944, en route to assist the Allies, a US army aircraft crashed into the Cave Hill in north Belfast.

The Boeing B-17, known as the ‘flying fortress’ left Newfoundland, stopping briefly in Iceland, before heading to Ireland. However a thick fog over Belfast forced the plane to divert to Nutt’s Corner Air Force Base, 10 miles from the city.

With visibility extremely poor the plane, flying at too low an altitude, crashed into the slopes of the Cave Hill near Belfast. All 10 crew members were killed.

Cavehill from Antrim Road
Cavehill from Antrim Road

Aftermath of the Crash

The sound of the crash and the subsequent explosions from the 4-engine plane caused panic in the area. One young lad, Gordon Burnison, climbed the hill…

“That morning I forgot about school and ran up to Cave Hill to see what happened. The plane was in among the trees.

Gordon Burnison quote reported by Simon Hunter, News Letter, Fri June 2nd 2006

American troops arrived and sealed off the location. However, locals were to find many items scattered over a wide area due to the severity of the impact.

Cavehill & sky
Cavehill & sky

It is said that in the following days policemen toured nearby schools threatening ‘dire consequences’ for any boy or girl who found an item from the crash, and did not hand it in. A group of children subsequently relinquished their discovery of machine-gun-belt ammunition.

Several artefacts, ranging from machine parts to personal belongings, such as pens and cigarette cases, have been gathered together for a small poignant exhibition in Belfast Castle, simply named The Crash on the Hill.

Crash Artefacts
Crash Artefacts

The White Boulder

To prevent exactly this type of disaster, the War Office in 1940 employed a local postman, William Caulfield, to paint a large boulder on the hill white as a navigational aid/ warning of the hilltop for pilots. William and his wife Ellen, lived in a cottage on the slopes of the hill. William was paid £5. In this case the unfortunate B-17 pilot was unable to see the boulder due to either the heavy fog or the route of his flight.

In May 2016 the stone was repainted in memory of the Cave Hill’s wartime history. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has listed the rock as an historic landmark.

Lisnabreeny American Cemetery

The 10 crew members were buried in Lisnabreeny American Cemetery, Rocky Road Belfast.

Lisnabreeny Military Cemetery
Lisnabreeny Military Cemetery

Originally American personnel who died in the north of Ireland had a designated sixth of an acre plot in Belfast City Cemetery. However, by October 1942 this had reached capacity. The War office granted the request from US authorities for a separate graveyard.

The ten-and-a-half-acre site in the Castlereagh Hills was officially opened in December 1943. A white gravel path, lined with cherry trees led the way from the iron gates into the cemetery. Graves were laid out in rows of 25. Each headstone inscribed with name, rank and date of death. The American flag was hoisted daily to a bugle fanfare. In total 148 servicemen were interred in this graveyard, 8 of whom were unidentified.

In 1948, the United States government repatriated all the men buried at Lisnabreeny and the cemetery was decommissioned.

Lisnabreeny Memorial
Lisnabreeny Memorial

On 8th May 2005, a plaque recording the significance of the site was placed on the red-brick pillars of Lisnabreeny by the Mayor of Castlereagh.

Lisnabreeny Memorial Close Up
Lisnabreeny Memorial Close Up
Lisnabreeny
Lisnabreeny

The Ring

In 1993, a 31-year-old Carnmoney man, Alfred Montgomery, while out walking found a wedding ring near the crash site. The battered ring was inscribed with the names Lawrence and Ruth.

Intrigued, he discovered it had belonged to Lawrence Dundon, a 31 year old Staff Sergeant and radio-operator on the ill-fated plane. Dundon was from Louisville, Kentucky. Alfie set about researching the Dundon family and was finally able to return the ring to Lawrence’s widow Ruth Gillespie in Kentucky.

“It was pre-internet days and I spent maybe two and a half years writing over 100 letters and eventually traced the ring”

Alfred Montgomery

This remarkable story is retold in the movie “Closing the Ring” directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Shirley MacLaine.

B-17-image-Copyright-Free-The-U.S.-National-Archives.jpg
B-17-image-Copyright-Free-The-U.S.-National-Archives.jpg

The full story of the B-17 Crash and the ring is told in the book “42-97862 – The Story of a B-17 Flying Fortress crash and the loss of her crew on Belfast’s Cave Hill during the Second World Warwritten by Alfred Montgomery and William Lindsay. The book is currently out-of-print although an updated version with additional information is due for release in Spring 2023.

42-97862 - The Story of a B-17 Flying Fortress crash and the loss of her crew on Belfast's Cave Hill during the Second World War (Image Copyright of Alfred Montgomery)
42-97862 – The Story of a B-17 Flying Fortress crash and the loss of her crew on Belfast’s Cave Hill during the Second World War (Image Copyright of Alfred Montgomery)

The Cavehill Memorial

On 1st June, the 62nd anniversary of the tragic event, a memorial was erected to commemorate the 10 American airmen who lost their lives. This is situated on the slopes of the Cave Hill, within Belfast Zoo.

The Crash Remembered - News Letter 2nd June 2006
The Crash Remembered – News Letter 2nd June 2006

“We are here to recognise the sacrifices that were made so many years ago. Of blood, hard work and tears that kept our nations free.

Wallace Brown, Belfast Lord Mayor, 1St June 2006
Cavehill Crash Memorial at Belfast Zoo
Cavehill Crash Memorial at Belfast Zoo

The names of the dead are inscribed on a black marble tablet beside a column of Portland stone.

Cavehill Memorial Plaque
Cavehill Crash Memorial Plaque

“At this place, at this memorial, we acknowledge a time-honoured debt to the ten men of aircraft Number 42-97862, and an entire generation of Americans who died and fought fearlessly to preserve the liberty we hold so dear”

Wallace Brown, Belfast Lord Mayor, 1St June 2006
Cavehill Crash Memorial Close Up
Cavehill Crash Memorial Close Up

In 2019, relatives of some of those who perished that dreadful day, made the long journey back to the site of the disaster on the Cavehill slopes.

Volunteers from the Cavehill Conservation Campaign, including Alfred Montgomery, made the climb more accessible, clearing the trail and stringing ropes between the trees to aid the visitors ascent.

For both the families and the volunteers it was an intensely moving, enlightening and emotional experience.

B-17 Crew (from Belfast Castle display)
B-17 Crew (from Belfast Castle display)

The Crew Remembered

Lester B Brooks Pilot

Jeremiah C Murphy Co-Pilot

Joseph V Nobilione Navigator

Leighton B McKenzie Bombardier

Wilbur D Brewer Engineer Gunner

Howard A Hibbler Aerial Gunner

Lawrence E Dundon Radio Operator

Lawrence R McGrane Aerial Gunner

Robert L Graves Jnr Armorer Gunner

Edward E McGill Aerial Gunner

Declassified Missing Air Crew Report
Declassified Missing Air Crew Report

Related Post

The Story of Belfast City Cemetery

Belfast City Cemetery Hillside View
The Belfast City Cemetery was opened in 1869 by Belfast Corporation. Nearly a quarter of a million people are buried in this tranquil place


If you enjoyed this article…

If you like our posts please help us to grow our readership by sharing any posts that you like using the social media sharing icons shown with each post.

Please Consider a Small Donation

Belfast Entries is a husband & wife hobby website featuring articles on our shared history, memories and entertaining stories of our past. To help us meet rising website hosting costs please click the coffee cup below to learn how to make a small donation. Please note that every contribution is valued and that we will not contact you directly in order to respect your privacy.

Buy Us a Coffee
Buy Us a Coffee

Donations this month 5 🙂. Thank you

We had 6 donations last month


What are others reading now?

Galboly cottage view

Galboly – The County Antrim Village Lost in Time

By P&P / 30 September 2021 / 4 Comments
Mill chimney - a common sight in Belfast

Ardoyne – The Story of a Village

By P&P / 13 November 2021 / 2 Comments
Bodies Illustration at the scene Belfast Telegraph 13th March 1890

Nora’s Grave – A True Story of Love & Death

By P&P / 19 March 2022 / 0 Comments
Belfast Long Bridge crossed the River Lagan between 1688 and 1841

Unusual Laws in Old Belfast 1613 – 1816

By P&P / 11 March 2022 / 0 Comments

Cost of Living Crisis

Given the current cost of living crisis that will impact so many in coming months we have added a page signposting organisations that may be able to offer support. We have no relationship with these organisations and cannot offer financial advice but we hope that some of the links may prove useful.



Ancestry Antrim Arthur Chichester artist Belfast Belfast Entries Belfast Family belfast roots Carrickfergus Castle Cemetery Church Clifton House County Antrim County Down Department Store Donegal education. family tree Famous Folk Forgotten folk Genealogy Ghost graveyard Historical places History Hotel Ireland Irish Census Records Irish Family Irish genealogy irish roots Mary Ann McCracken Operation Overlord Otto Jaffe Outlaw People Philanthropist Places to see Poor House Sailortown St Patrick Titanic Tourism United Irishmen


Belfast Entries posts & photos are our intellectual property and copyrighted to us. Where we use photos that do not belong to us, it is because we believe them to be in the public domain or shared under a Creative Commons licence with appropriate attribution. None of our content or images can be used without our consent. Note that a link to our Copyright & Takedown notice is included in the website footer on all pages.


P&P

We are a Belfast couple adding information on Belfast and the surrounding counties. Over coming months we will add a range of posts covering the people, places, products and stories that interest us and will hopefully be of interest to you. Over time we hope to build up information of use to locals & visitors alike and welcome your feedback on subjects of interest or stories that might be interest to the wider audience. Let us know what you think.

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Would you like notifications of new Belfast Entries posts? OK No thanks