Country
United Kingdom

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Henley-on-Thames

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1943 at 1530 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BJ798
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
White Waltham - White Waltham
Location:
Henley-on-Thames
Oxfordshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF White Waltham on a local training flight. At 1530LT, it landed on the small landing ground at Henley in mistake for nearby White Waltham Airbase. It crashed through the boundary fence and was damaged beyond repair. There were no fatalities.
Crew:
F/O G. Fox, pilot +4.
Probable cause:
Pilot error.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Texel Island: 6 killed

Date & Time: Feb 20, 1943 at 1945 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BK435
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Topcliffe - Topcliffe
Location:
Texel Island
North Holland
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Topcliffe at 1742LT to lay mines in the Nectarines area. Approaching the Dutch coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the North Sea some 55 km north of Texel Island. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Ivan Harry William Baulf, pilot,
Sgt Leslie John King,
F/O Walter Norman Pleasance,
Sgt Frederick John Skeeles,
Sgt Basil Talbot White,
F/Sgt Joseph Jean Charles Arpin, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Nettleham: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 20, 1943 at 1450 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BK305
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Hemswell - Hemswell
Location:
Nettleham
Lincolnshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Hemswell at 1440LT on an air test flight. Ten minutes later, it dove out of cloud and crashed into a field known as 29 Acres at Nettleham Field Farm, Nettleham, 5 km northeast of Lincoln. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Antoni Bolesław Dabrowski,
W/O Edward Jerzy Szafran,
Sgt Julian Kramarz,
Sgt Stanisław Kaminski,
Cpl Tadeusz Kukurowski, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near Flensburg: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BJ973
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Kirmington - Kirmington
Location:
Flensburg
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Kirmington in the late afternoon on an operation to Wilhelmshaven. It crashed in unknown circumstances near Flensburg, killing all five crew members.
Crew:
Sgt Robert Allan, pilot,
Sgt Frank Saunders,
Sgt Howard Anthony Bastick,
Sgt Joe Hilton Halliwell,
Sgt Ronald Williams, air gunner.

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

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BJ919
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
North Sea
World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1746LT on an operation to Wilhelmshaven. It failed to return to base and is believed to have crashed somewhere into the North Sea. Lost without trace.
Crew:
F/Sgt Joseph Omer Romain Gauthier, pilot,
F/Sgt Harry Russell Bailey,
W/O Roy Wilson Ferrier,
F/O Campbell Archibald McKinnon,
F/Sgt Ralph Carlton Ramsay,
F/Sgt Frank Ruzycki.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III into the North Sea: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BK160
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Chipping Warden - Chipping Warden
Location:
North Sea
World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Chipping Warden in the evening of February 18 on a Nickel Operation. It failed to return to base and is believed to have crashed somewhere into the North Sea. Lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt Jack Elliott Parkes, pilot,
P/O Alfred Raymond Shepherd,
Sgt Alfred Raymond York,
Sgt Kenneth William Keen,
Sgt Alfred Henry Martin, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Waterford

Date & Time: Feb 17, 1943 at 0110 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
Z1676
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Croft - Croft
Location:
Waterford
Munster
Country:
Ireland
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Croft at 1827LT on February 16 an operation to Lorient. Over the target area, it was hit by the German Flak which destroyed all navigational aids. The crew was able to leave the combat area and crash landed the airplane at 0110LT in Kilbarry, in the south suburb of Waterford, Ireland. All five crew members were interned.
Crew:
Sgt J. E. Holloway, pilot,
Sgt D. E. M. Ross,
Sgt D. H. Taylor,
Sgt G. C. Slater,
Sgt F. Thomas, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Hit by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Hope: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1943 at 1300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
HF613
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Wellesbourne Mountford - Wellesbourne Mountford
Location:
Hope
Derbyshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane took off in the mid-morning from Wellesbourne Mountford near Stratford upon Avon for a cross country flight. At just after 1300LT, it descended out of bad weather (possibly due to icing) and became enveloped in a snow storm, shortly afterwards the aircraft crashed, seemingly out of control, with a steep nose down attitude near to Peakshole Water. The aircraft slid for a short distance, crossing the river and striking a large embankment on the other side where the aircraft was completely destroyed. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (22nd OTU):
Sgt John Douglas Kester, pilot,
Sgt Richard Foote Cairns, navigator,
Sgt William James Hackett, air gunner,
Sgt Bernard Elliott Wilkinson, air gunner,
Sgt William Arthur Billy Marwood, wireless operator and air gunner.
Source:
http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/peakdistrict/peakdistricthf613.htm
Probable cause:
Icing.

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

Date & Time: Feb 14, 1943 at 2106 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
X3420
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Beegden
Limburg
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1806LT on an operation to Cologne. Over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Beegden, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
W/Cdr Sedley Stewart Blanchard, pilot,
W/O Kenneth William Tutton, copilot,
F/O Paul Winstanley Jeanneret, navigator,
Sgt Percival Maurice Corley, bomb aimer,
F/Sgt Arthur Grant Longwell, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Joseph Henry Eveline, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near Langport: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 13, 1943 at 2245 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
BK460
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Kirmington - Kirmington
Location:
Langport
Somerset
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Kirmington at 1749LT on an operation to Lorient. While returning to base in the late evening, it collided with a RAF Halifax registered W1182. Three crew members bailed out, another one was killed and the pilot crash landed the airplane some 6 km south of Langport. The pilot escaped unhurt .
Crew:
F/Sgt G. Ashplant, pilot,
Sgt H. J. A. Reid,
F/Sgt William Bertram Smalley, †
Sgt E. J. Cutler,
Sgt A. Jeffery, air gunner.
Subscribe to Vickers 417 Wellington III