Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Skegness

Date & Time: Jul 24, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BJ595
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Marham - Marham
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Marham on an operation to Duisburg. After being damaged by enemy fire, the crew attempted to return to base but was eventually forced to ditch the airplane some 15 km off Skegness. The airplane sank and was lost. All five crew members were rescued.
Crew:
F/Sgt E. Boutiller,
Sgt W. Scott,
Sgt A. Gallagher,
Sgt A. Clark,
Sgt T. Clarke.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV off Great Yarmouth: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 22, 1942 at 1220 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
Z1472
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Feltwell - Feltwell
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Feltwell at 0910LT on an air sea rescue operation. While cruising approximately 65 km east of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea. Three crew members were killed and two others were rescued.
Crew:
P/O Antoni Robert Majcherczyk, pilot,
F/O Władysław Szymanowski, observer, †
Sgt Wiktor Jablonski, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Andrzej Rudel, air gunner, †
Sgt Jan Michał Nowak, air gunner. †
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson I near Port Quinn: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1942 at 1450 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
T9460
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Saint Eval - Saint Eval
MSN:
414-2513
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF St Eval on a meteorology mission. While returning to base, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with a cloud base at 150 feet. When over the airfield, the crew called on the R/T and was directed to land at RAF Predannack, south Cornwall. The crew acknowledged this instruction but instead of flying to Predannack, the aircraft flew along the coast. At an insufficient altitude, the airplane impacted the ground and crashed near Port Quinn. All four crew members were killed.
Crew
Sgt Douglas Ellerington Peart, pilot,
Sgt Derek John Newcombe, observer,
Sgt Morris Solomon, wireless operator,
Sgt Eric Leslie Waldron, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Low cloud was the main contributory factor to the accident. Also the pilot had disregarded instructions to proceed to Predannack, and it was bad airmanship in trying to follow a difficult coastline in bad visibility.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Catterton: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1942 at 1204 LT
Operator:
Registration:
R9489
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse on an air test mission, carrying nine crew members including two army personnel who accompanied the crew for air experience. While cruising at an altitude of 1,200 feet, the pilot completed several turns left and right when control was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed in Catterton, bursting into flames. All nine occupants were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Thomas Craik Murray, pilot,
Sgt Arthur Thomas Wharfe, flight engineer,
Sgt Peter Mitchell Thurgood, navigator,
P/O Harry Hibbert, bomb aimer,
F/Sgt Harold Richard Giddens, wireless operator,
Sgt Stanley Allan Keen, air gunner,
W/O William Warren Craig, air gunner.
Passengers
Sjt William Henry McBurney,
Sjt Amos Roebuck.
Probable cause:
It is believed that rudder overbalance trouble was probably the cause for the control being lost, this was a common cause of early Halifax accidents until the rudder was modified. More modern accounts detailing this incident claim that one of the engines caught fire prior to the crash and that before the flames could be put out the fire spread and control of the aircraft was lost.

Crash of a Bristol 152 Beaufort II in Roscroggan: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1942 at 0855 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
AW288
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Portreath - Gibraltar - Luqa
MSN:
9966
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Portreath on a ferry flight to Luqa, Malta, with an intermediate stop in Gibraltar. Few minutes after takeoff, the crew encountered engine problems and decided to return. The airplane lost altitude, descended over Camdorne then crashed on a disused chapel located in Roscroggan, less than 5 km southwest from RAF Portreath. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt John Campbell Atkinson, pilot,
P/O Frank Samuel Day, observer,
Sgt Charles Richard Taylor, wireless operator,
Sgt John Orford Twelvetrees, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I at RAF Coningsby: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
R5576
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby on a practice bombing sortie. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to a height of about 200 feet, the port outer engine failed. The airplane stalled and crashed near the airbase, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
airfield.
P/O Walter Beattie Carlyle, pilot,
Sgt John Kenneth Marshman, pilot,
P/O George Robert Hanna, observer,
Sgt John Teevin, wireless operator,
Sgt Alfred Maurice Blyth, wireless operator,
Sgt Robert Muir Mathieson, air gunner,
F/Sgt John Edward Start Walker, air gunner,
F/Sgt Albert Graham Gibson, air gunner,
Lac Herbert Roy Forster,
Ac1 George Edward Smith.
Probable cause:
Failure of the port outer engine shortly after takeoff.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I off Brough: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6355
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Brough - Brough
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The pilot, sole on board, was performing a demo flight at the Blackburn Aircraft facilities based at Brough Airfield. While completing a low pass, the twin engine airplane clipped the roof of a hangar, stalled and crashed into the Humber River. The pilot was killed.
Crew:
P/O James Francis Haley, pilot.
Probable cause:
Crew error.

Crash of a Bristol 152 Beaufort IIA at RAF Brize Norton: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 20, 1942 at 0958 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
DD938
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Brize Norton - Brize Norton
MSN:
11015
YOM:
1942
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local flight at RAF Brize Norton on behalf of the 6th Maintenance Unit. For unknown reasons, the airplane swung to port on takeoff and crashed onto a hangar. All three occupants were killed, among them two civilians.
Crew:
W/Cdr Josef Ocelka, pilot,
Mr. Henry Fowler,
Mr. J. O. Mabbutt, mechanic.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I at RAF Waterbeach

Date & Time: Jul 20, 1942 at 0454 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
R9308
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Waterbeach - Waterbeach
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Waterbeach at 2340LT on July 19 on an operation to Vegesack. While returning to base the following night, it attempted to land in poor visibility when it overshot and crashed. All seven crew members were injured.
Crew:
P/O H. T. Miles, pilot,
Sgt P. Curtis, flight engineer,
F/Sgt G. L. H. Goodall, navigator,
P/O E. McCaffery, bomb aimer,
Sgt F. E. Mitchell, wireless operator,
P/O W. McAlpine, air gunner,
Sgt Herbert Henry Wright, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Yarm: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 20, 1942 at 0145 LT
Operator:
Registration:
W7670
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George on an operation to Vegesack. En route to Germany, it suffered engine trouble so the crew decided to return to base. While approaching the base, one of the engine caught fire. The captain ordered his crew to bail out so five crewmen parachuted to safety. The pilot and the flight engineer attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crashed in Yarm, east of RAF Middleton St George, bursting into flames. Both crewmen were killed.
Crew:
W/O Wesley Leonard Belous, pilot, †
Sgt Fred Hebron, flight engineer, †
P/O Wilfred George Michael Rothschild, observer,
P/O Atkinson, bomb aimer,
Sgt William Charles Bacon, wireless operator,
Sgt Jacobus Petrus Van Lelyveld, air gunner,
Sgt Jack Davey, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Engine fire.