Wellington W5719

Wellington W5719

View down the valley into Edale

Bomb fragment

On  the 31st July 1941 Wellington W5719 crashed into Kinder Scout in the Peak District . It was returning from a raid on Cologne ,Germany .
It is alleged that the bombs had not been dropped due to cloud cover over the target and that the aircraft was returning to RAF Snaith in Yorkshire .
That night there was also low cloud over Northern England and their location must have been misjudged because they flew beyond the airfield  and into the flank of Kinder Scout .
On impact the bombs exploded flinging the rear turret away from the aircraft and down into Grindsbrook Clough  . In the rear turret the very fortunate Rear Gunner Sgt Earl Tilley survived . The other crew members all died in the impact .

Bomb fragments

They were
Sgt Percival Harold Charles Parrott   Pilot
Sgt Joseph Arthur Haswell  Pilot
Sgt Jack Douglas Evelle  Nav
Sgt Frederick Kenneth Webber  WO/AG   
Sgt Dennis Aloysius Monk  AG

and of course the survivor Sgt Earl Tilley AG

Sgt Evelle was a Canadian .
The pictures below show the site just below the perimeter path . Little remains today , small fragments and  lumps of molten alloy . There is a small  cross and plaque dedicated to the men .   On a recent visit I realised that some of the debris left at the crash site was bomb casing fragments from exploded bombs . There are sources that say the aircraft had dropped its bombs . These fragments at the very least prove that they didnt drop all the bombs .

Wellington HZ715

Wellington HZ715
On the 16th June 1944 this aircraft crashed into the near summit of Red Pike nr Buttermere in the Lake District .

Susan finds some more parts further up the hill whilst I photograph this small pool of wreckage

 Very little remains at the location today , just a few molten scraps .
The crew were flying on a cross country training exercise when they presumabely crashed into the hillside in cloud at around 1:35 in the afternoon.

The whole crew of 8 were killed . A larger crew than the Wellington carried on operations due to the training nature of this flight . Some were trainees some were trainers with  experience .

We made a very short video of our visit to the site , it starts in the valley and finishes above the impact point on the crags of the fell . view it by  copyand pasting the link into your browser , it will take you to YouTube
http://youtu.be/vdc_Qxy6zcc

The  crew were members of the RCAF and as such died a very long way from home 

They were


 P/O Albert Digby Cooper  Pilot
 F/O Frederick Allen Dixon Pilot
 F/Lt Emil Unterseher Pilot
 F/O Daniel Titleman Navigator
 Sgt George McCrimmon Anderson Nav
 F/O Roy Edward Simonson W/Op A/G
 WO1 George Richard Coathup W/Op A/G
 Sgt Campbell McRae Hodges A/G

The shot above was high on the scree slope and was the highest peice we found  .....we missed the actual impact point largely due to the rain and the need to concentrate on getting up to the top without slipping down the treacherous when wet mossy scree .!
The site is in a dramatic location but if I were to visit again would pick a more comfortable day to do so . The rain , hail and wind made conditions difficult .

Vickers Wellington HE226

Flying out of Turweston ,on the 28th May 1945 HE226 crashed into Bycliffe Moor , Conistone ,Yorkshire.

Part of No.17 OTU on a training flight the whole crew of five were killed .

They were

Pilot W/O E.C. Cole 

Nav Sgt. J. Mann 

BA F/Sgt. A.J. Griffiths 

 AG Sgt. J.Duncan

AG Sgt. H.H. Rawnsley

A huge amount of wreckage still can be found at this site in 5 or 6 pools and a spread over a wide area with small fragments can be seen .

Wellington Z8990

A visit on a snowy day

Wet conditions for this visit

 On the 17th of July 1942 the crew of  Wellington Z8980  flying out of RAF Lichfield on a night navigation exercise bailed out at a low level after losing control of the aircraft. the Wellington crashed into Ringinglow Moss and burnt out . The moor is a watery bog of a place unfit for humans !
The crew all survived this incident. They were

 Sgt Thomas Frank Thompson  Pilot RAFVR

 P/O John William Moore Nav RAAF

 Sgt Joseph Howe Levett Nav RAAF

 Sgt Kennington John Hythe Harris WO/AG RAAF

 Sgt Jacob Henry Roden WO/AG RAAF


Unfortunately , Sgt's Thompson , Harris and Roden all recovered enough from their injuries to continue serving. All  three were later killed on service ,two in action over occupied Europe and one by then F/O Thompson killed crashing   Oxford PH235 into high tension cables near Holmes Chapel in Cheshire .

A watch perhaps or some sort of cockpit instrument

Wellington BJ697

BJ697 took off from Chipping Warden on a night- time cross-country training exercise on the 26th September 1942 .
Off route presumably lost the aircraft descended through cloud crashing near to Fan Hir on Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons .
The crew of four all initially survived the impact , one unharmed three badly injured . Subsequently , three days later, the pilot died of his injuries.
The crew were

F/Sgt Kenneth S. H. Bird (died of injuries, 29.9.42)
Sgt J. Head (unhurt, helped locals carry the injured off the hill )
Sgt. W.D. Barr Injured
Sgt.W.A.Fairweather Injured

Flight Sergeant Bird is buried in St Leonard's churchyard, Cliddesden, Hampshire.

I have found mention of a Sgt Troubridge who is alleged to have been in the crew and was an injured survivor in the crash but have been unable to substantiate this claim at the present time .

The scar which marks the imact is now denoted with a small cairn

Wellington MF509

 On the 20th November 1944 this Wellington bomber crashed on Carrog Goch in the Brecon Beacons, Wales.
Flying out of RAF Wellebourne for a nightime  navigation exercise. Shortly before  20.50 hrs the crew sent a radio message asking permission to go below cloud as they were having trouble with the starboard engine. They descended and hit the hill.
 All six crewman were killed.
They were
  Sgt CHARLES HAMEL Pilot
 Sgt JULES ROBERT RENE VILLENEUVE Nav
 F/O WILLIAM JOSEPH ALLISON B/A
 Sgt JOSEPH PAUL ERNEST BURKE WO/AG
 Sgt ARTHUR GROUIX A/G
 Sgt GERARD DUSABLON A/G
 Probaly this parks best preserved crash site, it is often visited by enthusiasts and casual walkers alike .
Despite feeling in the middle of nowhere once there,  it is in fact quite easy to get to without too much hardship..

Wellington N2848

On the 30th of January 1942 this aircraft crashed onto the top of Buckden Pike in the Yorkshire Dales .
The crew were on a night training flight and had earlier in the evening taken off from RAF Bramcote .
They became lost when hit by a sudden snowstorm , flying around trying to get a glimpse of land so as to locate their position they clipped a wall and crashed leaving a two hundred yard wreckage trail over the fell .
Four of the crew were killed instantly , the rear gunner Sgt. Joe Fusniak survived , his turret fell from the aircraft on impact ,he sustained a broken ankle.
On realising his predicament he tried to find the aircraft to see if the others survived . Struggling with his ankle in the snow he eventually came upon the fuselage remains and found that only one , Sgt. Jan Sadowski (Wireless Op.), of the crew beside himself were still alive . He was too injured to be moved and realising that the only chance of them surviving was to get help Joe decided to make his way off the fell .
Here the story becomes legend , setting off the wrong way , deeper into the moors ,Joe saw the footprints of a fox going in the opposite direction . realising that the Fox would be heading downhill out of the worst of the weather Joe began to follow the footprints . After much trial and hardship he eventually made it down into the small hamlet of Cray. Found by the local pubs (The White Lion) Landlords daughter they took him in to warmth and safety . Unfortunately the rescue team arrrived too late to save the Wireless Operator ,who was found dead at the crash site.
The crew were
F/Lt Czeslaw Kujawa Pilot
P/O Jerzy Polczyk Co-Pilot
F/O Tadeusz J Bieganski Observer
Sgt Jan Sadowski W/O A/G
Sgt Jan A Tokarzewski A/G
Sgt Jozef Fusniak A/G - survived

Joe was to recieve the Empire medal for his actions in attempting to save his crewmate.

An interesting footnote is that Joe Fusniak was later this same year blown out of his turret on a bombing raid, surviving this he was captured and held till the end of the war by the Germans and had to take part in the infamous POW death march as the Nazis moved prisoners from the advancing Russians .

This aircraft was built in Chester by Vickers as a Mk IC as part of a batch of a hundred.

This shot shows the location of the memorial and the wall a part of which was hit by the aircraft . A much photographed spot , it is difficult to capture something new and original . here I have tried to use the red of Susans jacket to contrast with the dull cloud enveloped hill.

The full story , the fullest ever told , can be found here www.buckdenpike.co.uk/mainstory.html

.

Manufacturers stamp

A bronze of the fox

Susan pictured with a part found amongst the heather in the background

Wellington DV718

On the 2nd September 1942 this aircraft took off from Bassingbourn on a training flight with 5 other aircraft . It was a very cold night and with moisture in the air freezing on the aircrafts body became a big problem . Two aircraft of the flight crashed onto the Yorkshire moors , this one is on Blake Hill . the other being Wellington Z8808www.flickr.com/photos/pasujoba44/4937408653/
Two more turned for base , only two of the six completed the nights exercise , one of them crashing on landing !
All but one of this crew were killed in the crash . the surviving crewman died a year later on a mission . The crew were
Sgt George F. Ridgway RNZAF Pilot
P/O Donald H. Lyne Nav. Injured
Sgt Willie Allinson B/A
Sgt Howard W. Spencer R/Op
Sgt Paul McLarnon A/G

The site today has an impact site which I deleted in error:-) This contains small fragments of wreckage and the grass doesnt grow because of fuel contamination.. Away from the impact site can be found chunks of wreckage ,the largest of which is a piece of wing with a leading edge in place . Much of the wreckage was stolen for 'private ' collections in the 1970's . Preserved maybe but who can view it now?

Wellington DV800

On the 19th of July 1942 this Wellington bomber of No27 Operational Training Unit crashed whilst on a cross country navigation training flight into an area of the Carneddau massif called Black Ladders.
It is aptly named , a pathless route out of this dark forbidding valley to the sunlit ridge above.
Above this small cairn of wreckage
a few hundred feet from the ridge itself is the crash site amongst the scree .
Little remains here today , just small fragments of alloy. Nevertheless it is a very dramatic place with the towering cliffs of the Carneddau looming above .
The crew of five were all killed.

Sgt. Eric H. LongbottomPilot
Sgt. Lionel D. Traylen Obs
Sgt. Richard I Bowen Obs
Sgt. Samuel J. WilsonW/O
Sgt. Rupert T. BannisterA/G

There is wreckage to be found in the stream below this site but by some reports it is not from the Wellington but from the Lincoln which crashed close by here 8 years later.

Wellington X3336

Wreckage collection at impact point

On the 16th december 1942 this Wellington bomber took off from RAF Pershore in Worcestershire at 18.40 .
The weather forcast was for clear moonlit skies .Perfect conditions for a nightime navigation exercise .
No-one really knows now what happened but just after 23.20 the aircraft was heard above Derwent Water and Keswick. The Wellington must have flown over Bassenthwaite lake and then made a fatal course alteration in an attempt to retrace their steps . The engine noise was heard to stop suddenly at 11.23.
The aircraft flying in a near opposite course from a few minutes earlier had crashed into the Longside Edge ridge , only a handful of metres from clearing it completely .
The aircraft exploded and burnt with the loss of all those aboard.
The crew were

F/Sgt Reginald V.W. Bellew RAF Pilot

Sgt Arthur J. Dubben RAF Obs

P/O Anthony Higgins RCAF Nav

P/O Ronald S. Goodwin RAF Nav

Sgt George W. Hicks RAF WO/AG.

Sgt Richard W. Lawton RCAF AG

This site was easily found , a scar just above scree and craggy terrain contains many small fragments. Some of the remains are very human in character ,including buttons, buckles and press-studs .
There was also a number of screws with traces of shattered and burnt wood fragments near them (which i fancifully imagine could easily have come from the navigators table ).
A quite large number of exploded bullets were also found . The dates on the bullets indicate they were either from 1941 or 1942 .
Two of the crew were members of the RCAF.
Here is a terrific film of the time which features Wellingtons .
youtu.be/PDTLeFl8cXU

The lead shot shows some of the small fragments of debris from the crash which can be seen at the impact point . The aircraft can only have come in from this angle of approach too (unless it plummeted down from above and that doesnt seem to be the case if the witness accounts are to be believed) or it would have crashed into Skiddaw and not Longside Edge .

Exploded bullets carrying the dates 1941 or 1942

Ian inspecting impact point

Looking toward Skiddaw