Swinderby AFB | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Swinderby to lay mines off Oslo. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the Oslo Fjord. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt John Howett, pilot,
P/O Peter Frederick Joseph Boreham, observer,
Sgt Mendel Gilbert Bloomfield, wireless operator,
Sgt Herbert Walter Fewkes, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I near Cologne: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 7, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE243

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

Location:

Cologne

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby at 1830LT on a 'Rover' patrol operation. It is believed that it was shot down by the German Flak while approaching the Cologne area and crashed. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Maurice Albert Jenkins, pilot,
Sgt Donald Reginald Rawlings, observer,
F/Sgt Keith Morris, wireless operator,
Sgt George Albert McGarvey, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I near RAF Swinderby

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1941 at 1126 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE434

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Coltishall - Swinderby

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The airplane landed at 0740LT at RAF Coltishall following a successful mining operation. It departed RAF Coltishall mid-morning to return to base and crashed on approach. All four crew members were injured.
Crew:
Sgt Jones,
Sgt Kirk,
Sgt Baynes,
Sgt Shimmons.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Kiel: 8 killed

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1941 at 0551 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE256

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby on an operation to Kiel. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak, entered a dive and crashed on a searchlight battery. All four crew members as well as four German soldiers on ground were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Richard Cubitt Blamey, pilot,
P/O Kenneth Tyrrell Cooper, pilot,
Sgt Samuel Barton, wireless operator,
Sgt William Conyers Wright, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I into the North Sea: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 20, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE383

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby on an operation to Bremen. It failed to return to base and is believed to have crash somewhere in the North Sea. No trace was found.
Crew:
Sgt Kenneth Sidney Furley, pilot,
P/O William Laidlaw, pilot,
Sgt Edwin Ralph James, wireless operator,
Sgt William Arthur Saunders, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Lommel

Date & Time: Oct 14, 1941 at 0549 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE251

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby on an operation to Cologne. It was shot down by a Me.110 and crashed in Lommel. All four crew members became PoW.
Crew:
F/Lt Ernest Ronald Abbott,
Sgt James Hugh Barrett,
Sgt Thomas Gibson Wake,
P/O William John Chase.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Düsseldorf: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE367

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

Location:

Düsseldorf

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby to attack a synthetic rubber plant located in Hüls. Approaching Düsseldorf, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the district of Oberbilk. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O John Marshall Waddell, pilot,
P/O Walter Edmund Hinchliffe, pilot,
Sgt Ronald William Curtis, wireless operator,
Sgt Neil Rolf Lawson, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I near Bönningstedt: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 15, 1941 at 2354 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE249

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby at 1924LT on an operation to Hamburg. Approaching the target area, it crashed in Bönningstedt, northwest of the city. Two crew members were killed and two others became Pow.
Crew:
P/O Anthony John Hibell, pilot,
Sgt William Norman Pratt, navigator, †
Sgt Hubert Hobbs, wireless operator, †
Sgt Peter Hartford Clayden, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Woburn: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 9, 1941 at 0350 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

AD854

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby at 1950LT on September 8 on an operation to Kassel. While returning to base the following night, it ran out of fuel and crashed near Woburn. Two crew members parachuted to safety and two others were killed in the crash.
Crew:
Sgt Ford Rowney, pilot, †
F/Sgt Thomas Anthony Barker, wireless operator, †
Sgt E. Morgan,
Sgt J. Mitchell.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I near Oldenburg

Date & Time: Sep 8, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE318

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby on September 7 on an operation to Kiel and crashed for unknown reasons near Oldenburg. All four crew members bailed out and became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Denis Good,
Sgt Douglas Frederick Endsor,
Sgt R. Williamson,
Sgt I. H. McDonald.