RAF Museum

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Mark
2 Wellingtons which crashed 14/15th August 1940
Tue May 6 00:43:12 2003
195.92.168.165

Hi

I am trying to find out about 2 Wellingtons which crashed, one at HUNSTON, UK and one at BICESTER, UK on the night of the 14/15th August 1940, whilst returning from Ops (believed Oil Refinery at Blaye, Nr Bordeaux). Fortunately both crews survived.

Please can anyone help with the Wellingtons Squadron's, the bases and crews?

Thanks for your help
Mark

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Hans Nauta
No 'real' losses
Thu May 8 14:36:33 2003
212.127.183.100

Hi Mark,

According to the Bomber Command Losses by W. R. Chorley no Wellingtons were written off due to a crash in England.

In other words, the Wellingtons were repaired and put back into service.

To check which Squadron's were involved you might check 1 and 3 Group Operations Record Books in the Public Record Office in London.

Good luck!

Hans Nauta

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Mark
Wellington crashes 14/15th Aug 1940
Sun May 11 19:29:22 2003
195.92.168.165

Dear Hans

I have 3 of Bill Chorley's Books (OTU and 1939/40 and 1942). I greatly respect his tremendous research and work, his books do not seem to cover every single loss though and some are brief.

However each Volume is a tremendous work in itself and he has to be highly commended, as getting at details of some of these incidents in order to write even a brief account is extremly time consuming and I have first hand experience of this, especially when official surviving MOD records are closed, or claimed not to have survived.

The reply from them is sometimes very economical and brief for some accidents. Regarding one incident, I eventually had 11 Deaths, some with Death Certificates, with full names, units, Squadrons, service Numbers and the notifying RAF Station all at the same location and yet little was known about the circumstances surrounding their loss, as the abode (RAF Station) on the Parish record was unreadable and the CWGC records failed to confirm their Units, until a relative contacted me out of the blue with a Death Certificate and said what did I make of this and I ended up with 11 deaths with an anonymous letter, believed to originate from the AHB (with its heading torn off) but only they would know certain other details in the letter, which claimed 8 crew, when in actual fact there was 9 on board and 2 Civilians on the ground.

I found some records like Police, Fire, A.R.P. Coroners records, have not survived either, or they are patchy for certain areas and better for others, many eyewitnesses including direct family members have also died too.

I have only covered 5 accidents from official records, PRO, RAF Museum, relatives, public eyewitnesses and those serving at nearby service units Balloon Sqn's, A.A. batteries, War Office Diaries, RAF & Naval liaison Diaries, Home Guard, Police, Civil Defence etc, County Emergency Planning Records, Fire records, Observer Corps Records, CWGC (which are not always accurate regarding the cause of civilian deaths when due to enemy action and incomplete regarding Units), newspapers, Records of the Registrar and Parish Burial Registers. Some records files at the PRO are incomplete, have parts missing or appear to be made up of several different files.

But it has taken me years to find all the information about some accidents and even now the exact cause is a mystery as official records even conflict with each other regarding the circumstances and times that led up to the accident and the accident itself.

At this stage I agree that they may have been repaired. I have visited the PRO and found out that 2 appear to have been badly damaged in crashes and a 3rd was a forced landing. Another 3 Wellingtons from Marham that night landed elsewhere, with only 6 out of the 12 getting safely back to base, per the Marham Station ORB in AIR 28 at the PRO.

I have sent for the Aircraft Cards several weeks ago and if written off shortly after the 15th Aug 1940, also requested the Flying Accident Cards. (write off dates on Aircraft Cards usually up to 10 days later).

Will contact Bill Chorley, as I have several write-offs (possibly 5), one with complete loss of 9 crew, that his book does not cover.

Regards

Mark