Thread: Vickers Wellington IC sn DV697

This is as close as I can get Jerome ... the "Big Boys" will be here soon .... but it's probably one of these I reckon !

OPERATIONAL NOTES

The odd Dakota dropping into Husbands Bosworth these days is an imposing sight, but picture a dozen of more doing a stream take-off wearing USAAF markings. Imagine a squadron of Lancasters taking off on the main runway, and gaggles of Wellingtons doing circuits and bumps all day long. When Market Harborough and its satellite, Husbands Bosworth opened for business in 1943 their combined aircraft strength was listed as 61 Wellington Mk.Ic's, 4 Martinets employed as target tugs, and an Avro Anson probably used as the station hack. Later Market Harborough was using Tomahawks for fighter affiliation work (dummy fighter attacks) and later still, Hawker Hurricanes. Apart from the occasional mention of special operations such as Bull's Eye, early infra-red night attacks, and the odd diverted flight, little comment is made in the Flying Records of the day-to-day flying at Husbands Bosworth. Mishaps pertaining to the station however, are well documented...


As a training and type conversion unit Husbands Bosworth understandably suffered losses. Young men of 18 to 21 years of age were given control of large and heavy twin-engined aircraft and expected to fly in all weathers. The Wellington was an unforgiving aircraft at the best of times, with a marked propensity to put it's nose down and fly into the ground. Many Accident Reports cite pilot inexperience as contributory to the accident.

Two aircraft accidents occurred whilst Husbands Bosworth station was still under construction. Aircraft were often sent out from R.A.F Castle Bromwich for practice sessions over the new anti-aircraft batteries, dummy dive bombing and strafing the site. A Miles Master on such a mission struck a tree whilst engaged in a low-level turn over the aerodrome and the Polish Forces pilot and his cadet passenger were killed. In another incident an Airspeed Oxford made a forced landing on the road near Nuneaton during its return from Husbands Bosworth killing all on board.

Incidents concerning aircraft from the Unit:

Wellington from Market Harborough suffered engine failure and crash-landed in a field to the south-east of Welford village. Aircraft caught fire but crew escaped.
Wellington from Husbands Bosworth following a fighter affiliation and bombing exercise, attempted to make an over-shoot with wheels and flaps down. Port engine failed and the aircraft flew into the ground in a nose-down turn. Four crew killed; rear gunner escaped with severe burns.
Wellington from Husbands Bosworth recalled from local bombing range flew into ground in the vicinity of Gumley village. All crew killed.
Wellington landing at Husbands Bosworth overshot runway due to brake failure. No casualties; minor damage to aircraft.
Wellington crashed on landing when starboard under-carriage collapsed.
Wellington crashed on approach in dark, pilot having mis-interpreted approach lights.
Aircraft from the station also had difficulties away from home:

Wellington out of Husbands Bosworth made a successful single-engine landing at R.A.F. Saltby whilst under pupil-pilot control.
During a night exercise, a Wellington from Husbands Bosworth dived into ground from a considerable altitude near Althorp Park. All crew killed.
Whilst on a cross-country exercise from Husbands Bosworth a Wellington running low on fuel overshot the runway at ATA Whitchurch and became bogged. Aircraft damaged further whilst being extracted.
Other accidents which occurred locally but not necessarily connected to Husbands Bosworth Aerodrome:

Fairey Battle of 40 Squadron made forced landing on Naseby Reservoir. Crew rescued by rowing boat.
Wellington of 305 (Polish) Squadron returning from a raid on Cologne crashed near Sibbertoft. All crew killed. [After removal from the wreckage the crew's bodies were placed in out-buildings at the Red Lion public house in Sibbertoft to await collection by the military.]
Halifax of 4 Group crashed near Elkington due to propeller failure during a night flight. The only survivors, the air-bomber and the navigator were taken to Sick Quarters at Husbands Bosworth.
Following a mid-air collision whilst out-bound on a bombing raid on Soest, a Lancaster and a Halifax crashed near Yelvertoft village. Much of the wreckage fell by the Grand Union Canal. Both crews died.
Lancaster of 630 Squadron crashed near Foxton village whilst approaching Market Harborough.
A B17 of 401st Bomb Group, Deenethorpe abandoned by crew after No.1 engine caught fire whilst out-bound on a raid on Germany on 4th March 1945. The vacated aircraft crashed near Moorbarns Farm, Bitteswell. The bomb load exploded causing damage to nearby farm buildings. [This aircraft was one of over 1000 USAAF B17 and B24 bombers from various bases across Britain bombing Germany on that night.]
At 22.53hrs. on 22nd July 1944 92 Group informed Husbands Bosworth Flying Control that a V1 Flying Bomb was heading in their direction. At 22.57hrs. a message was received that the bomb had gone down in the village of Creaton. Severe damage was done to houses in the village but nobody was killed.

His family lived right there too ! ... wonder if they saw it ?

In Memory of
Pilot Officer FRANK PRESTON MOORBY

151848, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
who died
on 26 September 1943
Son of Henry Preston Moorby and Jessie Moorby, of Barton-under-Needwood; husband of Mary Kathleen Moorby.

Remembered with honour
BARTON-UNDER-NEEDWOOD (ST. JAMES) CHURCHYARD

Hi Jerome,

i've come up with the following, hope its a help........

26 September 1943

14 OTU
Wellington IC DV697
Training.

F/S. J W. Woods RAAF +
Sgt. I W. Ferguson +
Sgt. J M M . Fraser RAAF +
P/O. F P. Moorby +

Took off 1504 hrs Husbands Bosworth for a training detail. When the port engine developed a fault, the crew returned to base, approaching the runway from the downwind direction, realising his mistake, the pilot opened up to go round again but at 600 feet with the flaps and undercarriage fully extended, the bomber swung out of control and crashed at 1705 hrs, bursting into flames. Both Australians and Sgt. Ferguson lie in Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, while Sgt. Moorby is interred at Barton-under-Needwood (St.James) Churchyard in Staffordshire.

BCL Vol.7 - W R. Chorley

Regards
Peter

Thanks Annie & Peter. It looks like the 2nd incident mentioned in Annie's post - with the Rear Gunner escaping - I take it Chorley makes no mention of his name.
I am thinking of doing up a display within our Museum (and my website) since this Wellington was the 1st purchased by Trinidad.

Would be grateful for bio's on the crew - and photo's (Geoff help!)

this is the photo of "Sir George Huggins OBE"

Originally Posted by Jerome

Thanks Annie & Peter. It looks like the 2nd incident mentioned in Annie's post - with the Rear Gunner escaping - I take it Chorley makes no mention of his name.
I am thinking of doing up a display within our Museum (and my website) since this Wellington was the 1st purchased by Trinidad.

Would be grateful for bio's on the crew - and photo's (Geoff help!)

this is the photo of "Sir George Huggins OBE"

I have the Aussies!

Oxford Botley 410584 Woods_JW.JPG

Oxford Botley 419177 Fraser_JMM.JPG

I'm not a member of RAFcommands - but somebody was looking for Frank Moorby a couple of years ago ! .... this was all I could get !!

Info. on P%2FO Frank Preston Moorby 15148|Lenny (Guest)||23:20:31|06/07/2007|I%27m looking for information on the above Frank Moorby KIA 26%2F09%2F43. Did he train with the BCATP in Manitoba%3F Where in Manitoba. Where was he shot down.%0D%0A%0D%0AMany thanks%2C%0D%0A%0D%0ALenny

The Wellington was an unforgiving aircraft at the best of times, with a marked propensity to put it's nose down and fly into the ground. Many Accident Reports cite pilot inexperience as contributory to the accident.

A book I am reading, Control in the Sky (L F E Coombs) has a passage that throws light on this. It also shows just how easy it was to become disorientated, and indicates one reason why the accident rate in wartime was so high.

The skewed seat of the Mosquito has mentioned as a possible cause of loss of control. The Wellington bomber also had a built-in hazard, as did nearly all wartime aircraft. A number of Wellingtons dived into the ground at night about three minutes after take-off. At the time the cause was not obvious. In 1949 Professor A.R. Collar investigated the RAF's wartime accident reports and concluded that the pilots concerned had not been given sufficient instruction in instrument flying. Collar pointed out that, in daylight, a pilot assessed the angle of climb after take-off from the pressure of his back on the seat and his view of the ground. However, on a dark night with few if any lights on the ground, a pilot was not always able to tell the difference between a steady climb and acceleration using seat pressure alone. At the top of climb-out, when the aircraft was levelled off, there was an increase in speed. This gave a sensation of pressure on the pilot's back that might lead to the assumption that the aircraft was still climbing. Therefore the pilot would push the control column forward to achieve as he thought level flight. In a circle of cause and effect the aircraft might be pushed over into a fatal dive

Wonder if an email here would turn up any information Jerome ?

Husbands Bosworth

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