As hikers trudge up the steepest section of The Southern Upland Way, a humble wooden cross is often overlooked by those crossing the terrain. This modest tribute is a memorial dedicated to a tragic World War II plane crash.

A local flying exercise on July 21, 1941, from RAF Crosby-on-Eden, resulted in the tragic death of Sergeant George Stevenson, often known as “Geordie”. During the training flight, clouds obscured Stevenson’s view, and in crashed into the northern side of Lowther Hill. No wreckage of this tragedy remains today. A simple wooden cross on this remote site marks the site of the crash.

Sergeant George Stevenson was 26 years old when he died. He is buried in the Dalston Road Cemetery, Carlise.