Mildenhall AFB

While on a reconnaissance mission over the North Sea, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed in flames into the sea, killing all six crew members.
Crew (149th Squadron):
AC2 Douglas J. Drury,
AC2 Aubrey Hinchliffe,
Sgt William H. C. Kidd,
LAC Albert J. Mantle,
Sgt John Morrice,
Sgt Harry R. B. Wakeham.

While on a reconnaissance flight over the North Sea, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a German Messerschmitt Me.110. On fire, the aircraft went out of control and dove into the sea, killing all six crew members.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O Hugh L. M. Bulloch,
Sgt Robert Ballantyne,
Sgt Donald J. Kirkness,
LAC Walter Greig,
LAC Aldewin A. Brown,
AC2 Denis H. Grove.

Took off from RAF Mildenhall at 0927LT. Crippled by enemy fighters and ditched at 1505LT some 40 to 60 miles east of Cromer, Norfolk. As the bomber hit the sea, it turned 90 degrees to starboard with the waves breaking over the fuselage. At least three airmen were seen clinging to the dinghy, but despite an extensive search by the Cromer lifeboat, no survivors were ever found, though two bodies were eventually washed ashore.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O Michael Franklin Briden, pilot,
P/O William Stanley Francis Brown, pilot,
Sgt Valentine Henry Garner Richardson,
AC2 Isaac Davidson Leighton,
AC1 Peter John Warren,
AC2 A. G. Foster, wireless operator and air gunner.

Took off from RAF Mildenhall at 0927LT. Shot down from 10,000 feet by a Messerschmitt Me.110 executing a beam attack at 1410LT. This was the first Wellington to be shot down during the operation and it was seen to dive vertically into the sea following a sharp explosion forward of the astrodome. All five crewmen were killed.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O J. H. C. Speirs,
P/O F. N. Lines,
Sgt R. R. Hammond,
LAC J. H. Sinton,
AC2 W. J. Ellis.

Shortly after take off from RAF Mildenhall, while climbing, the radio operator informed ATC that an engine exploded. The Captain decided to make a turn back to the airport via a circuit to the north when the situation became critical. He attempted an emergency landing in Brandon, some 13 km northeast of the airbase, when the aircraft hit trees and crashed on a barn. A crew member was killed while all five other occupants were injured.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O Francis William Scott Turner, pilot,
P/O Thomas Watson, pilot,
Sgt Anthony Frederick Adrian Freeman, observer, †
Sgt Horace James Weller, copilot,
AC2 John Gerard Hoey, wireless operator,
AC2 Cecil George Barker, air gunner.
Source: http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939.htm

Thanks to Anthony Frederick Adrian Freeman and Peter Cannings for the following testimony:
The pilot, Francis William Scott-Turner, told the Coroner that just before 5 pm on Tuesday 29th August the bomber took off to participate in a search for a missing aircraft. Everything was going well and then about an hour into the flight the port side engine caught fire and he carried out the procedure for ‘Fire In The Air’ and prepared the crew for a crash landing, which was probably about two or three miles north-east of Brandon. Sergeant Weller was instructed to bring Pilot Officer Watson out of the nose of the aircraft as soon as possible and bring him toamidships. The rest of the crew were told to sit own and hang on and then the plane came down among some trees. “I picked up Pilot Officer Watson and told him to get out as quickly as possible. I looked out and then was told that Freeman was still in the machine. Walking across the wing and getting back into the machine again through a hatch. I found Freeman on his knees against a step formed by a bomb micelle. We did not think it was advisable to move him until medical assistance arrived. The fire had gone out by this time.” Answering the coroner, he said that Freeman should have stayed where he was because it was the safest place in the machine and he must have moved away from it because of the location of his body. The deceased’s father asked if his son had been thrown from his seat, but the witness said that had not been the case because it looked like he had lowered the rear of his seat in order to evacuate from his position. A member of the jury asked if he was attempting to bail out but the witness said the aircraft was too low.
The co-pilot, Sergeant Weller, told the inquest of how the port engine had developed oil failure near North Walsham and they maintained a height off 600 or 700 feet on the starboard engine alone. When he saw they were low enough to see trees he sat down and hung on to the nearest spar. Weller had seen Freeman in the tail when he was talking to A/C Hoey and he presumed he was still sat there at this time. After the crash he left the aircraft and went straight away to the aircraft’s tail to assist Freeman but when he looked through the rear window he could not see him. He then walked along the aircraft and caught sight of Freeman’s head resting on top of the step. The witness answered the Coroner, and said that it was possible that as soon as Freeman got out of his seat he could have been thrown forward to the front. In the tail there was a celluloid hatch that could be cut away and through the hole he could have escaped. In his opinion the tail was the safest place to be in a crash. Cecil Barker told the inquest that he had changed places with Freeman during the flight but had returned to be amidships to prepare for impact. He had caught a glimpse of Freeman who had turned to face them and assumed he was trying to get out. The Coroner replied, “There must be a tendency, particularly in the case of a young fellow like this, for him to get with someone for whom he feels will give him moral support in the time of emergency. I can understand that and I am sure the jury does.” John Hoey told the Coroner that he had sent out a message just before the crash. Police Constable Churchyard, based in Weeting and serving in the Norfolk Constabulary, told the inquest that the aircraft had landed on top of some pine trees, at a height of about 10 feet and about 350 yards from the Brandon-Weeting road. It had cut a swathe through the trees of 30 yards by 60 yards. He had helped remove the tail of the aircraft with the crew and assisted in the removal of the deceased’s body from the machine and it was taken to Mildenhall by ambulance.
An eyewitness, Mrs Mary Jane Leonard, of Weeting, said she had looked out of her bungalow window and saw the bomber flying too low, with smoke coming from the back of it and there was a crackling noise coming from the engine. It disappeared from view and then there was the sound of a crash. She stopped a passing car and sent them to fetch the Police.
Dr Jenkins, a R.A.F. Medical Officer, said the deceased had suffered broken ribs and a perforated lung. The Coroner expressed hi sympathy to the dead man’s family, “I have said it before, unfortunately, that we who are not in any arm of the Service owe a great debt of gratitude to these men who take risks that we may live in peace.” The jury returned a verdict of Misadventure and the foreman said the jury felt the crew had done their very best under the circumstances. The Coroner thanked the foreman for his kind words. The deceased’s father thanked his son’s colleagues and the R.A.F. Medical Officer.

The airplane departed RAF Mildenhall on a maritime survey flight, carrying six crew members from the 149th Squadron. While cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the North Sea some 8 km southeast of Happisburgh. All six occupants were killed.
Crew:
P/O John Lee Yerbury,
Sgt Olaf Thomas Victor Pitt,
A/Sgt Gladney Lumb,
AC1 David Islwyn George,
AC1 John Sydney Lewis,
AC1 Robert William Little.

On 28AUG1939, the aircraft L4217 crashed at Beck Row on take off for practice Bombing and Gunnery Exercise Burned out. First take off attempt was aborted due to lack of power. On second attempt engines cut after point of no return, the aircraft cleared the boundary fence, then port wing struck a barn, then damaged another barn before demolishing the out houses of a pair of cottages and ended up sideways on to a stone wall alongside the main road to Mildenhall town with a wing blocking the road before the final impact Eric and Navigator P/O Hiller braced themselves against the main spar. As A/C stopped first reaction was to exit via astro hatch but this had jammed, training memories then led us to collect escape axe from fuselage mid section and use it to chop off the rear turret cupola. By this time the front of the aircraft was burning furiously & the smoke plus dust from the buildings made it difficult to see very much. When we did reach the tail the turret was already missing from contact with the wall so out we went. We found that and front gunner had escaped via damaged nose and rear gunner had been thrown out into a bed of nettles! The Captain was convinced that there was another crew man aboard looking in we saw what could be a person it turned out to be engine covers and we beat a hasty retreat via the rear end. It was quite a spectacle with petrol tanks and oxygen cylinders exploding plu the rattle of .303 ammunition exploding. We later found out that A/c Hedges a new arrival on squadron had missed the flight though n the detail. Aircraft Captain sustained a broken finger, Front gunner a Cut arm requiring stitches while we all sustained mild abrasions and were stiff for days the rear gunner also had nettle rash! The following day showed the engines lying in pools of now solidified metal. Nothing else remained of the aircraft forward of the centre section. On inspection we realized that navigator and I had climbed out over the back of rear gunners seat 3 times without thinking of lowering it! Cause of the engine problem was a petrol cock which should have been either fully up or fully down depending on whether using 100 octane or lower value fuel. Was not set for 100 octane required for take off thus engines were starved – this in turn caused a blow back which in turn caused the fire I lost my nerve for flying for some time after that.

Thanks to Peter Cannings for his testimony and full report. His cousin F/Lt Eric F. H. Cannings was on board.

The airplane departed RAF Mildenhall on reconnaissance mission over the North Sea. In unknown circumstances, it crashed into the sea some 19 km northeast of Happisburgh. No trace of the aircraft nor the five crew members was found.
Crew:
F/O Thomas Adam Darling,
P/O Frank Edward Board,
Sgt Arthur Lickley,
AC1 Reginald Charles Barr Collins,
AC1 James William Sadler.

En route from RAF Mildenhall to RAF Tangmere at night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. The airplane deviated from the prescribed routing and eventually went out of control and crashed in a field located in Stophan Bridge, west of Pulborough. All four crew members were killed. At the time of the accident, the airplane was off course by 100 miles, probably after the pilot got lost in poor weather conditions.
Crew:
P/O Andrew Aitken,
Sgt Duncan Robert Francis Ross,
Cpl John Bennett,
LAC Willian Lemnal Sellince.