Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near RAF Colerne

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1943 at 2120 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BK159
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kirmington - Kirmington
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Kirmington at 1715LT on an operation to Lorient. Outbound, the starboard engine failed. The captain decided to divert to RAF Colerne for an emergency landing. While trying to land, the airplane overshot and crashed in an open field located 1,500 metres south of the airbase, bursting into flames. Four crew members were injured.
Crew:
F/Sgt R. E. Currie, pilot,
Sgt N. A. Cawthra,
Sgt M. Sutherland,
Sgt G. H. Williams,
Sgt W. Hindson, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Failure of the starboard engine in flight.

Crash of a Vickers 429 Wellington VIII at RAF Charmy Down: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 30, 1942 at 1358 LT
Operator:
Registration:
HX745
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Harwell - Harwell
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Harwell on a cross country navigation exercise. En route, one of the engine failed. As the pilot was unable to maintain a safe altitude, he decided to divert to RAF Charmy Down. After landing, the airplane overran and collided with trees. A crew was killed.
Crew:
P/O Cyril George Prest, wireless operator, †
Sgt G. A. Duffy,
Sgt J. P. Hicks,
P/O A. Waters,
P/O D. L. Bullock,
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II at RAF Colerne

Date & Time: Nov 19, 1942 at 0150 LT
Operator:
Registration:
DT488
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Graveley - Graveley
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Graveley at 1812LT on November 18 on an operation to Torino. While over the Alps, a fire started in the bomb bay and the order to bail out was given. The pilot prepared to make his exit when the flames died away. Returning to the cockpit, he managed to fly the airplane home to a crash landing at 0150LT at RAF Colerne. The pilot was uninjured and all six other crew members parachuted to safety and became PoW.
Crew:
W/Cdr B. V. Robinson, pilot,
F/Sgt Thomas Musselbrook Bruce,
F/Sgt Edwin Francis Butler,
F/Sgt Nathaniel McClure Halliday,
F/Lt Joseph Gilbert Middlemass,
Sgt Francis Edward Solway,
F/Sgt William Potter, air gunner.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim V in Newton Tony: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 6, 1942 at 1510 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BA818
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Boscombe Down - Boscombe Down
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
While on a training exercise, the twin engine airplane crashed in Newton Tony, some 3 km east of RAF Boscombe Down. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Robert Calder Gibson, pilot,
Sgt Thomas James McCloud, observer,
Sgt Herbert Edward Shaw, wireless operator.

Crash of a Consolidated LB-30 Liberator at RAF Lyneham: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 4, 1942
Operator:
Registration:
AL595
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Prestwick - Lyneham
MSN:
93
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Prestwick on a flight to RAF Lyneham following technical modifications. On final approach to RAF Lyneham at night, the airplane descended too low, collided with trees and crashed in a field, bursting into flames. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt George John Le Mar, pilot
F/O Samuel Alexander Bruce Gordon, copilot,
F/O John Henry Fuller, navigator,
F/O Deiniol Davies, wireless operator,
Sgt Gilbert Henry Gregg, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Pilot error.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I at RAF Lyneham

Date & Time: Oct 28, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L1316
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lyneham - Lyneham
MSN:
8599
YOM:
1938
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane suffered an engine failure at takeoff and crash landed. There were no casualties.
Probable cause:
Engine failure at takeoff.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-CO Liberator III at RAF Boscombe Down: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 15, 1942
Operator:
Registration:
FK217
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Boscombe Down - Boscombe Down
MSN:
55
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll, the airplane started to swerve on runway. It went out of control, veered off runway and collided with a hangar, bursting into flames. Six crew members were injured while both pilots were killed, both flying for Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Captain Kennard was one of the founder of ATA.
Crew:
Cpt Donald Ian Menzies Kennard, pilot,
3rd Off Frederick Howard Moseley, pilot.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I at RAF Boscombe Down

Date & Time: Aug 29, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BF316
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Oakington at 2033LT on August 28 on an operation to Nuremberg. The following night, it ran low on fuel and crashed while attempting to land at RAF Boscombe Down. All seven crew members escaped uninjured.
Crew:
P/O W. W. Boylson,
Sgt G. Robinson,
Sgt W. R. Jones,
Sgt F. T. B. Wills,
Sgt A. H. Hotchkiss,
Sgt J. P. Carter,
Sgt W. Degg.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Vickers 456 Warwick I in Shrewton: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 26, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BV214
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Boscombe Down - Boscombe Down
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Boscombe Down on a local test flight on this first production model of the Warwick. While practicing dives, the crew lost control of the airplane after fabric panels detached from the wings. The airplane crashed in Shrewton, about 12 km northwest of the airbase. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
S/L William Joseph Carr, pilot,
Cpl Raymond Leigh,
Cpl Frederick William Shenton,
Mr. Eric R. Staniland.
Probable cause:
Loss of control after fabric panels detached from the wings.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near Oare: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 7, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
Z1597
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Mildenhall - Mildenhall
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Mildenhall to lay mines off Lorient. While returning to base at night, it descended below the clouds when it impacted trees and crashed in hilly terrain near Oare. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt Patrick Louis Murphy, pilot,
F/Sgt Cecil Baker Smith, pilot,
P/O Ivan Thomas Hugh Evans, observer,
F/Sgt John Gordon Holmes, wireless operator,
F/Sgt James McMillan Ferguson, air gunner,
WO Clayton Penrose Lindon Brown, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.