Aviation Crashes and Related Incidents 1939
Shortly before this the Devon and Cornwall Police Forces had amalgamated and a set of four hand written incident logs had been lodged with the Cornwall County Record Office. I spent some time copying out the ledgers by hand! There were no digital cameras in those days and nothing was available on line. The logs recorded all sorts of incidents from major air crashes with loss of life to a couple of rabbits blown up by stray ordnance.
Over the next 30 odd years I have talked to people who were there at the time, I visited some of the sites and I have learnt how to look at other records to add to, or verify, events. So although the original ledgers were the basis of my research what you now see has a good deal more information included. Some of the sources I have used are military records like Operational Record books, Coastguard records, Commonwealth War Graves records, Church burial records, local newspapers and local knowledge.
Like so much on this website this is an ongoing project. There is much more out there to be found if only I had the time and I have more to add already. If you can amend or add anything please get in touch.
10-09-1939
Bristol Blenheim IV P4833 UX-? 82 Squadron from RAF Watton Norfolk while on air firing practice had an engine cut. It lost height on approach to make an emergency landing and struck wires and cartwheeled RAF Cleave.
15-09-1939
Westland Wallace Mk I K6041 of V Flight, 1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit was damaged beyond repair in a landing at RAF Cleave.
13-10-1939
1830hrs
Short Sunderland I N9045 KG-J of 204 Squadron from RAF Mount Batten force landed in the Isles of Scilly during a gale owing to a lack of fuel, with seas of 50 feet the port wing float tore off. Using two engines the aircraft was taxied towards a ship seen nearby before all four engines cut out. Six men were sent onto the starboard wing to maintain balance and an SOS was sent to the ship by radio and Aldis lamp. Nine of the crew then left in rubber dinghies and were picked up by the ship’s boat, which had been lowered earlier. The aircraft listed to 45 degrees and the crewmen in the wing had considerable difficulty in maintaining their position on the starboard wing. Three flares were fired but only one went off, indicating to the ship’s captain that not all the crew had been rescued. As the Dutch Merchant Vessel Bilderdijk moved around the Sunderland they collided with the aircraft which sank immediately. The rescued airmen were transferred to HMS Icarus and landed at Plymouth after the destroyer had completed its patrol. The Sunderland crew comprised of F/L Ernest Leslie Hyde DFC 371790, P/O William Henry Tremear 40270, W/O Castle, A/C Stringer, A/C Dark, A/C Perry, 547593 A/C D S Lloyd, A/C Hosking, A/C Athins, A/C Arundell, A/C Marles, Lt Carron and W/O Haley.
15-10-1939
2115hrs
Short Sunderland 1 N9030 KG-B 204 Squadron RAF Mount Batten. On return from a patrol crashed into the water in poor visibility outside the breakwater. Four killed and seven injured. Those who died were F/O Ford, AC2 Hayward, AC2 Whitford and AC2 Fiddock.
19-10-1939
Avro Anson I N5055 from the School of Air Navigation ditched in the sea off Bude.
03-11-1939
Supermarine Stranraer I K7294 WQ-? 209 Squadron based at Falmouth took off for a local training flight but hit a swell, bounced, stalled and hit the water. Sgt Harrold 563890 , Cpl J W Jay 347747 and L/A G Peterson 520852 were injured. L/A G W Bowman 520242 and A/1st Class S C Colbridge 570418 were killed.
08-11-1939
Miles Magister 1 P6462 OJ-? 149 Squadron RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk blown over on take off RAF Cleave.
01-12-1939
Avro Anson I N5073 of 63 Squadron based at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire is missing on a training flight off Cornwall.
