Dear Regle
Thanks for your comments about Sqdn/Ldr Van Den Bok. I have,in fact,spent quite a lot of time researching him,and was only recently able to fill in the "blanks",ie between 1942 and mid-1944, when he had "dropped off the radar" ; Those blanks were filled in for me by his son Adrian,whom I located in Australia,and who sent me all the photos,documentation,etc that I was able to get posted on the 214 Sqdn website --do take a look ; it's easy to access,and you just type in aircraft type (Fortress) and personnel ( Van Den Bok ) .
I see that your opinion of the Stirling is at variance with that of former Flt /Lt Murray Peden,DFC,RCAF,who seems to have positively LOVED them (but not the undercarriage !). He does,of course,maintain that the abysmal altitude figure was entirely due to the Air Ministry insistence on a wing span imposed by the limitation of existing hangar door widths,and is strongly of the opinion that even a relatively small increase in wingspan would have made a tremendous difference in altitude performance. He also praises the aircraft's almost aerobatic handling qualities-----Ah well, "one man's meat", I suppose ! He certainly had a VERY high opinion of the Fortress,one of which he managed to bring home in a badly shot-up state, crashing it into the wreckage of a still bombed-up Lancaster at Woodbridge (and surviving !!).
I couldn't think of a particularly original "user name" when so asked by this site,so I chose the popular nick-name of a certain Naval Air Squadron,with whose Sea Vixen FAW 1 & 2 I was permitted to "mend & bend", in 1965-66.The Squadron badge,or emblem,was a Torch ( like the old road-sign for a school,remember ?) with rather splendid wings ( I will try and blazon it heraldically for you !),which looked just like a Flying Icecream !! Ergo.....