Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

Z1620

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

East Wretham - East Wretham

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF East Wretham at 1845LT on an operation to Hamburg. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Lamstedt, about 60 km west of Hamburg. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt David Douglas Laidlaw, pilot,
Sgt Eric Holdsworth, observer,
F/Sgt Colin Ray Bird, navigator,
Sgt Percival Harold Luscombe, wireless operator,
Sgt Henry Joseph Fitzgerald Gell, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Schenefeld: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1943 at 2116 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

BK334

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Dishforth – Dishforth

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The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1818LT on an operation to Hamburg. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Schenefeld, some 12 km northwest of Hamburg. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Joseph Victor Leo Gauthier, pilot,
P/O Jack Glassberg, observer,
W/O Joseph Jean Baptist Alber Dugal, navigator,
W/O William Clyde Forbes, wireless operator,
Sgt Joseph Engelbert Audy, air gunner,
W/O Joseph Wilfred Maurice Ed Lanctin, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Terschelling: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1943 at 2042 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

BK495

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

East Wretham - East Wretham

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The airplane departed RAF East Wretham at 1921LT on a mine laying operation. While cruising along the Frisian Islands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea 5 km west of Terschelling. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Stanley Gordon Hunt, pilot,
Sgt Arthur Battram, navigator,
Sgt Kenneth Frederick Bartholomew, bomb aimer,
P/O Herbert Whitaker Astin, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Alfred James Down, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III into the North Sea: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

X3390

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Croft - Croft

Location:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Croft at 1802LT to lay mines in the Nectarines area. It failed to return to base and is believed to have crashed somewhere into the North Sea, maybe off the Frisian Islands. Lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt L. McC. Lymburner, pilot,
Sgt H. R. Millson,
Sgt H. S. McPherson,
Sgt R. Clark,
Sgt William Bruce Drake,
Sgt T. A. Dutton, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near RAF Leeming: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 1, 1943 at 1450 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

Z1724

Flight Phase:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Leeming - Leeming

Location:

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Circumstances:

The crew was performing a local training flight at RAF Leeming. While in the circuit, the airplane suffered a partial stripping of the wing surface. This caused the bomber to roll onto its back and dive onto the ground, the port wing breaking off between 1,800 and 1,500 feet. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Philip Edward Thompson Townsend, pilot,
F/Sgt Jack Wreakes, navigator,
F/O Samuel Spector, navigator,
P/O Ernest Maurice Hollowell, wireless operator,
P/O Kenneth Joseph Brown, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Structural failure of the right wing in flight.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near Ballybane

Date & Time: Mar 1, 1943 at 0215 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

X3563

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Croft - Croft

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The airplane departed RAF Croft at 1810LT on February 28 on an operation to Saint-Nazaire. While returning to base the following night, it strayed west of track and following several radio transmissions, the crew abandoned the airplane that crashed in a ploughed field near Ballybane. All six crew members parachuted to safety and were interned.
Crew:
Sgt L. G. Southwood, pilot,
Sgt M. B. Summers,
F/Sgt J. C. Grover,
F/Sgt A. W. Puffer,
Sgt J. H. Blue,
Sgt W. W. N. Chalk, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Belle-Île-en-Mer: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 28, 1943 at 2138 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

BK343

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Croft - Croft

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Pax on board:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Croft at 1810LT on an operation to Saint-Nazaire. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Belle-Île-en-Mer. Five crew members were killed while the radio operator survived and became a PoW.
Crew:
W/O William Douglas Hartney, pilot, †
F/Sgt James Augustus Kilpatrick, observer, †
Sgt Reginald William Radford, bomb aimer, †
Sgt Edward Allison, wireless operator,
F/Sgt John Langmeael Ward, air gunner, †
F/Sgt Donald Alexander Ferguson, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III at RAF Dishforth

Date & Time: Feb 28, 1943 at 1805 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

BJ918

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Dishforth – Dishforth

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1805LT on an operation to Saint-Nazaire. It crashed almost immediately after takeoff due to a sudden loss of power from the starboard engine. There were no injuries among the crew.
Crew:
Sgt J. H. N. Brousseau, pilot,
Sgt J. H. Moreau,
Sgt J. D. L. Fontaine,
P/O D. B. J. Hodgetts,
Sgt H. B. Marceau,
P/O T. R. C. Irwin, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Loss of power from the starboard engine after takeoff.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III at RAF Dishforth

Date & Time: Feb 27, 1943 at 1758 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

X3364

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type: