Military aircraft crashes in the south west Midlands - 1946 to 1949

Details of the crashes and the names of the aircrew involved appear on this page. Please contact us if you are related to somebody on the list, or know of a photograph of them. If original photographs or papers are still in the family, we can help to caption photographs and explain the codes and nicknames that were used at the time. We appreciate the opportunity to copy original material for the museum's archive.

The Midland Aircraft Recovery Group has found the sites of many of the crashes, but we are still looking for a significant number, so we'd like to hear from anyone who can pinpoint a crash that we've listed. We are always looking for photographs, log books and anecdotes relevant to the units based in the Midlands.

The details below are have been compiled from numerous sources of information in the public domain over many years. We've done our best, but errors are inevitable. Please contact us if you have more accurate information on any of the crashes or people listed, or can add the names of crew that we haven't traced. Thank you.

30/01/1946 Wellington LP875 of 21 OTU crashed on approach to Moreton-in-Marsh. F/O H Annable and Sgt J A Neston were unhurt; F/O C R Bluemell, F/O J A Turner, Sgt A Wells and F/O D V Anderson were all injured.

04/02/1946 Hotspur HH596 of 3 GTS was overturned by a gale at Gaydon.

05/02/1946 Wellington LN407 of 107 Sub Storage Unit caught fire and was damaged beyond repair in a hangar fire at Honeybourne. Wellington LP350 was also destroyed. There were no injuries.

18/02/1946 Wellington PG150 of 21 OTU swung on landing at Moreton-in-Marsh and the undercarriage collapsed. F/O T H James, Sgt Telford, F/Sgt Soall, F/O Errington and F/Sgt Jones were all unhurt.

21/02/1946 Lancaster PB373 of 115 caught fire in the air and exploded near Leamington. Pilot F/Lt J D Cantrell and his crew, N J Newman, D F Payne, F R Berry, D W Crutchly and R Stedman were all killed.

28/02/1946 Beaufighter RD355 of Signals Flying Unit undershot landing at Honiley. Pilot Group Captain Vickers and his navigator were unhurt.

07/03/1946 Wellington PG392 of 21 OTU had an engine failure on take off from Moreton-in-Marsh and the undercarriage was raised to stop. F/O S E Judd, W/O K H Shepherd and Sgt Kew were all unhurt. Sgt Turton and Sgt Gregory were injured.

11/03/1946 Oxford PH208 of the Signals Flying Unit force landed at Meriden following engine failure. W/O Belcham was unhurt.

19/03/1946 Spitfire NH695 of 1 Ferry Pilots Pool crashed into a wood near Bewdley. The female pilot, First Officer Rosamund King Everard-Steenkamp, was killed.

27/03/1946 Hotspur BT895 of 3 GTS was hit by Hotspur HH120 while parked at Wellesboune Mountford.

29/03/1946 Hotspur HH323 of 3 GTS was destroyed when hit by Master EM266 at Gaydon.

01/04/1946 Master DM275 of 3 GTS crashed on landing at Wellesbourne Mountford. No casualties.

02/04/1946 Hotspur HH231 of 3 GTS flew into ground in night landing at Wellesbourne Mountford.

16/04/1946 Hotspur BT917 of 3 GTS undershot landing at Wellesbourne Mountford.

23/04/1946 Harvard FS745 of 21 SFTS spun into ground at Exhall during firing practice. Pilot Ac2 W E Petch was killed.

09/05/1946 Meteor EE518 being tested by Glosters broke up while flying over Defford airfield. Pilot Llewlyn Moss killed.

13/05/1946 Hotspur HH326 of 3 GTS undershot and hit fence at Gaydon.

18/05/1946 Hotspur BT632 of 3 GTS was damaged beyond repair in a heavy landing at Gaydon.

07/06/1946 Mosquito PF577 of Signals Flying Unit suffered a collapsed undercarriage at Honiley. Crew OK.

19/07/1946 Spitfire PL758 of the Signals Flying Unit force landed near Warwick after an engine failure. W/O J S Tebbutt was unhurt.

31/07/1946 Wellington LP920 of 21 OTU overshot a night landing at Moreton-in-Marsh. F/O R Broadbent and his crew were unhurt.

21/08/1946 Harvard FT359 of 20 SFTS undershot landing at Church Lawford. Fate of crew unknown.

27/08/1946 Tiger Moth DE921 of 3 GTS hit the ground at Lighthorne when low flying. W/O Rennie and W/O Bright were both killed.

06/09/1946 Wellington PG135 of 21 OTU stalled when low flying and crashed at Long Compton. F/O D J Ferdinando, F/Lt K G J Gratton, F/Sgt R Dunn, Sgt W B Greatrix and Sgt D E Robinson were all killed.

23/09/1946 Harvard FT262 of 20 SFTS hit high tension cables at Church Lawford. Fate of crew unknown.

18/11/1946 Anson MG865 1 FU Hit building after brakes failed at Pershore. F/O Corfield was unhurt.

19/11/1946 Hotspur HH789 of 3 GTS was towed into a bowser at Wellesbourne Mountford.

17/12/1946 Hotspur HH420 of 3 GTS flew into trees at night at Wellesbourne. F/Sgt Cameron was unhurt.

19/12/1946 Oxford HM621from the Royal Navy, but attached to RAF Defford, crashed at Gotherington. M C Nicholson and J A Whiter were killed.

16/03/1947 There was a gale, which destroyed the following aircraft at Honeybourne: Hamilcars LA632 and NX873 and Wellington PG177, all of 107 Sub Storage Unit and Wellington NC481 of 10 OTU.

28/03/1947 Tempest PR802 of the Telecommunications Flying Unit overturned while landing at Defford. F/L J W Patterson was slightly injured.

28/04/1947 Wellington JA349 was hit by Wellington LR130 while parked at Honeybourne. Both of them were on the strength of RAF Honeybourne.

29/05/1947 Mosquito TW231 of Telecommunications Flying Unit was hit by Lancaster NX618 while parked at Defford.

16/06/1947 Mosquito TV965 of 1 Ferry Unit crashed at Hill near Pershore. S/Ldr Trousdale and F/Lt White were both killed.

10/07/1947 Harvard FS835 of 20 SFTS was hit by Harvard KF198 while waiting to take off from Church Lawford.

10/10/1947 Mosquito TE812 of 1 Ferry Unit belly landed at Pershore.

01/12/1947 Oxford PH355 of 1 PRFU spun into the ground at Blockley. S/Ldr A J Madge was killed.

09/01/1948 Harvard FS725 of 2 FTS belly landed at Church Lawford. There were no casualties.

13/01/1948 Anson LT745 TFU Brakes failed while taxying and hit another aircraft at Defford.

14/01/1948 Mosquito TE872 of 1 Ferry Unit crashed on emergency approach to Pershore. Pilot F/O Burgess was killed and Ac1 Griffiths was injured.

12/02/1948 Mosquito VT594 of CFS crash landed during practice overshoot at Moreton-in-Marsh. There were no casualties.

22/03/1948 Mosquito RS567 of 2 FP belly landed at Pershore.

06/05/1948 Mosquito HJ991 of CFS hit a tree in Batsford Park while overshooting at Moreton-in-Marsh. F/Lt Gordon Hampton and F/Lt T Fletcher were injured.

04/08/1948 Mosquito TW116 of CFS caught fire on the ground at Moreton-in-Marsh.

04/11/1948 Oxford PK293 of 1689 Flight belly landed in a field near Rugby and was subsequently written off. Names of crew not traced.

20/01/1949 Mosquito VT608 of CFS crashed on overshoot at Moreton-in-Marsh. Crew OK.

19/02/1949 Anson VV243 2 ANS collided with a civilian Dakota, G-AHCW north of Coventry. On the Anson, pilot S/Ldr Anthony Ronald Rush, 2nd pilot K Sowala, signaller G C Tillior, navigator J S Machison were all killed. Ten people died on the Dakota: S McDermott, pilot, G D Kershaw ,  G W Stamper, J A T Smith, E M Cairns,  F Hauersley, P Coia, Mr & Mrs J E Michaels and H C Aitken.

08/04/1949 Mosquito VT581 of CFS suffered a collapsed undercarriage at Moreton-in-Marsh. Crew OK.

13/04/1949 Meteor VT340 of Radar Research Establishment crashed at Bransford during instrument flying. Fate of crew unknown.

23/05/1949 Lancaster NX789 of EAAS caught fire on approach to Baginton; destroyed by fire on ground. No casualties.

04/07/1949 Mosquito LR556 of CFS force landed at Moreton-in-Marsh after an engine failure. Crew OK.

19/07/1949 Anson NK973 1 School of Photography Seat unlocked; swung on take off at Wellesbourne Mountford. No injuries.

04/12/1949 Seafire SX282 of 1833 Squadron spun into the ground at Wolvey. Lt M H Ryley was killed.