Mount Batten AFB

The seaplane was returning to RAF Mount Batten from Gibraltar, carrying 10 crew members and five passengers. It approached the flare path near RAF Mount Batten but overshot in the heavy fog and had to climb and circle to starboard before attempting another approach. The airplane continued to starboard and as it made a second approach in almost zero visibility suddenly crashed into the sea approximately 3 km from the breakwater lighthouse. The aircraft hit the water with the starboard wing down, turn on its back and broke in two. All five passengers were killed and the 10 crew members were rescued 90 minutes later.
Crew:
F/Lt Wynton P. Thorpe, pilot,
P/O R. P. Gray, pilot,
F/O F. J. Lees, pilot,
P/O William S. Moore, navigator,
Cpl D. E. Bennington, fitter,
Cpl D. L. Graham, rigger,
Sgt R. B. Wilkinson, wireless operator,
Sgt S. J. Smith, wireless operator,
LAC P. Stanton, armourer,
Sgt D. G. Keating, air gunner.
Passengers :
Brig W. Vogel,
Cpt G. W. Wadham,
Cpt Frederic Thornton Peters,
Cdr R. R. Devlin,
Sgt Ryall Edward Cordrey, air gunner.

The seaplane departed RAF Mount Batten at 1513LT on a maritime patrol flight over the Bay of Biscay, off the French coast. At 2015LT, the crew reported that he was attacked by two German JU.88. About 30 minutes later, the Sunderland crashed into the sea and was lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt Norman Jack Alecock,
Sgt Donald Maurice Bowd,
F/Sgt Roy Victor Chinnery,
F/O Louis Gordon Emrys-Jones,
Sgt Ernest Richard Eva,
Sgt Cyril Ernest Hayward,
F/O Robert Henry Holloway Hosband,
F/Sgt Samuel King,
F/O Donald Ian Stewart,
F/O Oscar Lovelock Wennholm,
Sgt Joseph Ingleby White.

The seaplane departed RAF Mount Batten on a SAR operation in the Atlantic Ocean after an RAF Vickers Wellington was missing. While attempting to land some 100 km southwest of Lorient, the seaplane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed into the Bay of Biscay. A crew survived and was rescued while all 10 others were killed.
Crew:
F/O Roger Phillip Barker, †
F/Sgt Charles George Bentley, †
F/Sgt Thomas Alfred Betts, †
Sgt Ronald Fletcher, †
W/Cdr Neville Anthony Roy Halliday, †
F/O David Laurenti, †
Sgt William Alfred Ramsey, †
Sgt George Turner, †
Sgt Charles Leonard Unsworth, †
Sgt John Wright, †
F/O J. H. F. Watson.

The floatplane departed RAF Mount Batten on a maritime patrol flight with a crew of 15 on board. Shortly after liftoff, while climbing, it went out of control and crashed into the sea some 200 yards offshore. Eleven crew members were killed and four others were rescued.
Crew:
F/Lt David James Fletcher, pilot, †
AC1 Kenneth William Bennett, †
AC1 Robert Cunningham, †
LAC James Wallace Douglas, †
LAC John Burnett Hides, †
Cpl John Humphrey Martin, †
F/Sgt Herbert Frederick Mitchell, air gunner, †
AC2 James Robinson, †
Sgt Herbert Leslie Southall, †
LAC John Hay Wallace, †
AC2 William Watson, †
Sgt G. F. H. Booth,
P/O W. W. Ince,
Sgt H. S. Lodge,
Sgt A. Penny.

The floatplane departed RAF Mount Batten at 2100LT on a maritime patrol flight. While returning to base at night, the airplane overshot the flare path and crashed on rocks at Milford Haven. Three pilots were seriously injured while nine other crew members were slightly injured. The aircraft was destroyed. Two pilots later died from injuries sustained. All crew were from the Royal Australian Air Force.
Crew:
F/Lt Domville-Hogg,
S/L Albert Norman Hick, †
F/O Ronald Bruce Scutts, †
F/Lt T. V. Stokes,
Sgt S. J. Nichel,
Cpl E. S. Ingram,
AC1 T. J. Sheridan,
LAC B. F. Minton,
Cpl L. S. Y. Benham,
AC1 R. Draper,
Cpl J. H. Evans.

The seaplane was on its way from RAF Mount Batten, Devonshire, to Gibraltar. Three hours into the flight, the crew decided to return following an engine failure. But shortly later, a second engine failed, forcing the crew to divert to Lisbon. The captain eventually attempted to make an emergency landing off Cape Finisterre. Upon landing, the hull caved and the aircraft quickly sank. Eight crew members drowned while four others took place in a dinghy. They were recovered three days and a half later by the crew of a German submarine and became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt William Frederick Aalexander, †
P/O James Barry, †
F/Lt George Henry Bowes, †
LAC William Thomas Roy Crago, †
F/Sgt Claud Ernest Fowler, †
Sgt Henry Richard Mason, †
F/Sgt David Francis Meyrick, †
Sgt Albert Henry Sillifant Waller, †
Cpl James Anderson,
Cpl Leonard George Corcoran,
Sgt Julian Eustace Hill,
S/L Samuel Godfrey Long.

The Catalina departed RAF Mount Batten on a maritime patrol flight to Gibraltar. It failed to arrive at destination and was lost without trace, maybe it crashed somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt Frederick Arthur Burrows,
F/Lt Noel Kenneth Burton-Chadwick,
LAC John Charles Croome,
LAC John Kenneth Dains,
LAC William Henry Gill,
Cpl Harold Randolph Pye,
F/Lt Alfred William Knox Watson,
P/O Frank Bernard Yard.

On 17 June 1940, General De Gaulle left France for England but his wife and children were still in Carantec, Brittany. Due to German troops moving through Brittany, De Gaulle obtained help from Winston Churchill who sent a special aircraft to Carantec to pick up De Gaulle's family. After receiving orders from the Government, Captain Norman Hope joined RAF Mount Batten and transmitted to his crew the goal of this high secret mission. On 18 June 1940, the float plane departed RAF Mount Batten, near Portsmouth, at 0300LT. It arrived over Brittany few hours later and while flying 20 km west from Carantec, it was hit by ground fire, either French or German (undetermined). The captain reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing in a field when the aircraft impacted a rocky wall and crashed, bursting into flames. All four crew were killed. Nobody was aware of this mission and De Gaulle's family embarked on a ship few hours later to join England.
Crew (15th GC):
Cpt Norman Hope,
Lt John Bell,
Sgt Charles Harris,
Cpl Bernard Nowell.

The float plane was returning to RAF Mount Batten following a maritime patrol flight. At night and in poor weather conditions, the crew attempted to land when the aircraft crashed in the bay of Portsmouth. Four crew members were killed and seven others were injured.
Crew:
F/Lt H. B. Johnson, pilot,
F/O Dennis Ford, copilot, †
Sgt Watkins,
AC2 Joseph Douglas Whitford, †
AC2 William Henry Fiddock, †
AC2 John William Hayward, † +5.

Following a maritime patrol flight, the crew was short of fuel and decided to land by the Scilly Islands. The float plane landed by gale and lost its left float before coming to rest. All 13 crewmen were rescued by the crew of a nearby ship, during which the ship collided with the stricken Sunderland and sank it quickly.
Crew:
F/Lt Ernest Leslie Hyde, pilot,
P/O. W. H. Tremar, copilot,
W/O Castle,
AC1 Stringer,
AC1 Dark,
AC1 Perry,
AC1 Dennis Sinclair Lloyd,
AC1 Hosking,
AC1 Athins,
AC1 Arundell,
AC1 Marles,
Lt Carron,
W/O Haley.