A SECOND World War pilot who mistook greenhouses for the White Cliffs of Dover parachuted into Nazi-occupied territory – and spent the war as a POW, a historian has revealed. Sgt Robert Stirling, from Glasgow, was part of 87 Squadron and lost his bearings while chasing a German bomber towards France in April 1941. The young pilot, then 23, realised he was dangerously low on fuel and attempted to return to Exeter, Devon, where he was stationed. But his compass was broken and during his attempt to navigate back to base he believed the reflection of the thousands of greenhouses was the famous chalk cliffs on the Kent coastline.
Much of Guernsey was used for horticulture and was covered in glass at the time.
Sgt Stirling s story has been put together by island guide Tim Osborne who heard about it from a member of the family that hid him overnight.
Tim said: Somewhere he lost his bearing. He then saw a flick of light that he thought was the White Cliffs of Dover. But these were actually greenhouses in Guernsey. He was almost out of fuel and opted to bail out and was lucky to land in one piece on Lihou Island near Guernsey. He managed to bury his parachute and dust himself down before walking across the causeway [to Guernsey] and a minefield without knowing it.
The pilot who WASN T over the White Cliffs of Dover: How Hurricane airman spent the war in Nazi PoW camp after bailing out while low on fuel when he mistook glare from Channel Island greenhouses for safety of iconic coast
Sergeant Robert Stirling was part of the Royal Air Force s 87 Squadron
Lost his bearings while chasing a German bomber towards France in April 1941
While attempting to return to Exeter base, he parachuted on to island of Lihou
Spent night with a Guernsey family before handing himself in to Nazi authorities