Barton Bendish RLG | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew departed RAF Marham on a training exercise. While maneuvering over Barton Bendish RLG, the airplane suffered a structural failure, disintegrated in the air and crashed. All nine crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Douglas Ronald Greenup, pilot,
Ac1 Ronald James Chitty, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Benjamin Campbell Harvey, air gunner,
Sgt Maurice Richard Langdale-Hunt, air gunner,
Sgt Arthur L. Laycock, air gunner,
Sgt Walter Harvey Lowey, air gunner,
Sgt Joseph Macneall, air gunner,
F/O Bruce Neal, air gunner,
F/Sgt Kenneth Mitchell Newland, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Structural failure in flight after lower rear bolts in the starboard wing failed.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III at Barton Bendish RLG

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1942 at 0438 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

Z1607

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Marham - Marham

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The airplane departed RAF Marham at 2039LT on August 28 on an operation to Nuremberg. It crash landed at 0438LT at Barton Bendish RLG and was destroyed. No injuries reported.
Crew:
P/O J. W. Berry,
P/O G. E. Wallace,
Sgt J. Goad,
Sgt J. T. Harris,
Sgt W. K. Bryant.

Crash of a Vickers 406 Wellington II in Barton Bendish

Date & Time: Sep 8, 1941 at 0430 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 406 Wellington II

Operator:

Registration:

W5449

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Marham - Marham

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The airplane departed RAF Marham at 2110LT on September 7 on an operation to Berlin. It crash landed at 0430LT in a wheat field at Hall Farm, Barton Bendish, after flying from the Dutch coast with the starboard engine on fire. All six crew members survived.
Crew:
S/L H. L. Price, pilot,
Sgt Webber,
F/S Woodmason,
Sgt Riley,
Sgt Giles,
Sgt Davidson.

Probable cause:

Right engine on fire.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I at Barton Bendish RLG: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 6, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

X2917

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Waddington - Waddington

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The airplane departed RAF Waddington at 2235LT on an operation to Calais. The crew encountered poor weather conditions over East Anglia and decided to return to base. While flying too low, the airplane clipped the tops of trees and crashed just inside the perimeter of the Barton Bendish RLG located near RAF Marham. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Gordon Stephenson Bradbury, pilot,
Sgt William Joseph McQuade, observer,
Sgt David Hinton Howe, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Samuel David Yeomans, wireless operator.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC at Barton Bendish RLG: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jun 16, 1940 at 1930 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

P9249

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

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While flying at a height of about 200 feet, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed near Barton Bendish RLG. A crew was killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
P/O E. W. Plumb, †
AC1 Morecock,
AC2 Norman.

Crash of a Vickers 290 Wellington I in Boughton: 7 killed

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1939 at 1535 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 290 Wellington I

Operator:

Registration:

L4239

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Barton Bendish – Marham

Location:

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Circumstances:

On a ferry flight to Barton Bendish RLG, the crew decided to complete some training maneuvers. The pilot reduced his altitude and performed some sharp turns at low level when the aircraft hit a tree and crashed in a field located in Marks Farm, some 7 km southwest of RAF Marham. All seven crewmen were killed.
Crew (38th Squadron):
Sgt Edward Thomas Summers,
LAC David George,
AC1 John Clarence Bailey,
AC1 William Watson,
AC2 William Henry Dye,
AC2 Alan Hardman,
AC2 George Henry Charles Newman.

Probable cause:

Poor judgment on part of the pilot-in-command.