Fairy Lochs (USAAF) Memorial

Fairy Lochs, near Gairloch, Highlands

Partial Record

The Memorial

Type

Memorial plaque erected by families and friends; wreckage remains scattered around lochs

Inscription

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LocationEstimated Location

Fairy Lochs, near Gairloch, Highlands, Highlands

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What Happened

On 13 June 1945, a B-24 Liberator departed Prestwick carrying a crew of nine and six passengers, returning home following the end of the war in Europe. The aircraft should have routed over Stornoway, but a navigational error brought it inland over the Scottish Highlands instead. Flying through heavy cloud, the Liberator struck the summit of Slioch before breaking through the cloud base over Gairloch. The crew circled the loch once — possibly searching for a place to ditch — before attempting a final approach that failed to clear the rocky spurs beside the Fairy Lochs. All fifteen men aboard were killed, among them the pilot, 1st Lieutenant Jack B. Ketchum, who was 22 years old.

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Remembrance

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Aircraft & Operation Details

Aircraft Type

B-24 Liberator 42-95095 (USAAF)

Squadron

66th Bomber Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, USAAF

Station

Warton Aerodrome

Date of Loss

1945-06-13

Operation Type

Training

Cause of Loss

Navigational error in heavy cloud; aircraft veered inland instead of over Stornoway

Crew (15 members)

Rank	Name	Role	Age	Nationality	Fate	Burial / Status
1st Lt	Jack B. Ketchum	Pilot	22	—	Killed	—
1st Lt	Jack H. Spencer	Co-Pilot	—	—	Killed	—
2nd Lt	Richard J. Robak	Navigator	—	—	Killed	—
T/Sgt	Hillburn L. Cheek	Engineer	—	—	Killed	—
T/Sgt	James C. Stammer	Radio Operator	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Eldon J. Gilles	Gunner	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Herman Riefen	Gunner	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Raymond E. Davis	Gunner	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Albert L. Natkin	Gunner	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	John H. Hallissey	Passenger (Air Transport Command)	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Robert J. Francis	Passenger (Air Transport Command)	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Emil Einarsen	Passenger (Air Transport Command)	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	John B. Ellis Jr.	Passenger (Air Transport Command)	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	James D. Harvey	Passenger (Air Transport Command)	—	—	Killed	—
S/Sgt	Alexander W. Hastings	Passenger (Air Transport Command)	—	—	Killed	—

About the Crew

1st Lt Jack B. Ketchum(age 22)Pilot

Killed on impact when the B-24 struck the hills above the Fairy Lochs at high speed. Although only 22, Ketchum had completed 33 combat missions and had been declared 'missing in action' twice after crash landings in Belgium and Russia.

A 22-year-old veteran pilot with 33 combat missions. He and his crew were ferrying the B-24 back to the US and had jumped at the chance to get home early. He had survived two previous crash landings.

1st Lt Jack H. SpencerCo-Pilot