Hallmarked Barling YOW - Worth saving?

I took a gamble on this hallmarked Barling (http://www.ebay.com/itm/321476331879?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT). It needs a new stem and some other work. Evidence of a burnout in the foot/heel area is something that will need addressed.
Judging by the hallmarks, it appears to be a 1941 piece. If that is the manufacture date, then I should have a pipe made from that storied Algerian briar.
So, is this worth saving? I just want it to be a serviceable pipe, not a show piece. The hallmark encouraged my purchase not for any collector value, but because it indicates the pipe's pre-Algerian War vintage. If it is worth saving, does anyone have an example that could help in having an appropriate stem made for the pipe? Perhaps sablebrush52 has a useful exemplar?

Samcoffeeman, Thank you for weighing in on this. I hope a plug is unnecessary, but I fear it may be required. From what you are saying, at least the stem should be easy enough.
By the way, I think I bought a pipe from you.

Sablebrush52,
Thank you for telling me more about the pipe and offering suggestions for its rehabilitation. I am new to the antique pipe scene, so information and advice are always much appreciated.
Even if the pipe is not made from Barling's famous Algerian briar (as someone with a history degree, I am a little embarrassed that I did not think of the war halting the trade in Algerian briar), the story of the pipe begs that I give it a proper restoration. After everything it has survived, letting it slip into oblivion would be shameful. I will send it to Walker Pipe Repair for a correct replacement stem. Would they also be a good shop for the bowl evaluation?
All in all it seems that at the price I paid buying this pipe was not an entirely foolish gamble. At the very least my odds of winning on this gamble are better than the odds on winning the lottery.
Thanks again for picking up this thread. I quickly determined that you are something of a Barling Batman in this forum - send up the signal and help is on its way. On a related note, the Pipedia Barling entry to which you contributed helped me date my only other Barliing's Make, a pipe lacking shape number, "T.V.F." and "Made in England" stamps but having the "Barling design" stamp on the stem. Thanks for that, too.

Dave,
I should have a better idea of the damage when I can get the pipe in my hands and a flashlight shined into the bowl, but I share your suspicion that the burn originates on the inside. I will definitely send the pipe to Walker for a new stem and general restoration. For one thing, they seem to be the go-to place for manufacturer-correct replacement stems.
I will post pictures, though we may both have to wait quite a while to see the finished product. The grain caught my eye, too. I hope the repairs it needs do not disrupt the grain too much. If I am lucky the deterioration can be halted with the application of pipe mud or a similar compound to the interior of the bowl. I would rather have a dark spot that never gets darker and cracks that never grow larger than a plug in the bowl.
We shall see...

BW, thanks for the well-wishing.
Ssjones, A plug on that pipe would have been quite unobtrusive, but who knows what other demons lay underneath all of that cake?
I spoke with Mike of Walker Pipe Repair. Of course, he had no concerns about a new stem. The burnout, on the other hand, is an altogether different matter. He said that he is averse to putting in plugs due the need for adhesive, adhesive that could generate byproducts when the pipe is smoked. I like that he treats plugs as a very last resort. I have seen them used and the owners seem happy with the result, but I, too, would prefer to get away without plugging the bowl.

I have finally had a chance to examine the pipe. I think the seller's pictures made the damage look worse than it actually is. The cracks are less pronounced than the seller's photos suggested. They are small and hairline, not the opening cracks I was expecting. The darkening on the outside of the bowl looks severe in the photos and in the ambient light of my living room. Under the light of my Mag Lite LED pen light, however, most of the darkening appears to be an artifact of a birds eye cluster.
Still, there is evidence that a previous owner did their level best to burn out the foot/heel of the bowl. I think, though, that applying enough pipe mud to bring the base of the bowl's interior back in line with the draft hole will insulate the base sufficiently to prevent further damage and stabilize the pipe's condition.
Unfortunately, my examination did turn up some additional damage I had not anticipated. Specifically, there are two hairline cracks running vertically from the top of the rim on the front side of the bowl. One is about 1/4" long, and the other is about 1/8" long. Both cracks carry through from the interior to the exterior of the bowl. Can anyone tell me how bad such cracks are for the smokeability of the pipe?

mso489,
Thanks for the encouragement. Assuming the pipe can be made smokeable, it will be a pipe to be enjoyed only occasionally.

ssjones,
Thanks for that tip. In one of the threads about pipe mud an engineering student advocated using wood ash to make what he called "pipe cement" instead of tobacco ash "pipe mud". Interestingly, one of the chief advantages he touted was the high sodium silicate content of wood ash. I think we now have double independent confirmation that sodium silicate is great stuff for pipe repair. The imperial product should be the way to go, being precisely mixed by an actual manufacturer rather than being mixed by me using ash produced crudely in my insert stove.
The Barling is still going to Walker (the pipe needs professional care beyond a new stem), but a plug in the bowl can now be more easily ruled out.
In the meantime I am going to try the Imperial cement on a Custom-Bilt with a fissure in the tobacco chamber. The fissure runs horizontally around much of the lower third of the chamber. I imagine cement that is good on vertical cracks should work as well or better on a horizontal fissure.