ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 155750
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| Date: | Saturday 27 December 1941 |
| Time: | 11:25 LT |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 53 OTU RAF |
| Registration: | X4722 |
| MSN: | 1285 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Byass Street, Margam, near Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Llandow, Glamorgan |
| RAF Llandow, Glamorgan |
Spitfire Mk.1 X4722 of 53 OTU, RAF: Written off (destroyed) 27-12-41 when went out of control in cloud and dived into the ground. The pilot lost his life. Glamorganshire Police records give the crash location as "rear of Byass Street, Margam", (which is near Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales, at approximate co ordinates 51°34'13.5"N 3°45'30.7"W) and gives the time as 11:25 hours, but omits the date.
Pilot - Pilot Officer James Edward Manners Dixon RAAF (Service number 404930, aged 29) - killed.
R.I.P.
Details:
This aircraft first flew on the 10th of November 1940 then went to No.2 SLG (Satellite Landing Ground) at Starvell Farm where No.39MU was located. Here she stayed until 1941, unrequired by the RAF. With the introduction of the newer mark 2’s she went on the AST list and eventually came to 53OTU on the 25th of June 1941.
On the 27th of December she was being flown by Pilot Officer Dixon practising ‘cloud flying’ and some aerobatics. Unfortunately, when he was in cloud it seems he became disorientated and couldn’t tell which way was which, up or down, all of which was a very common trait flying in cloud. It seems he didn’t practice what was taught, in relaying on instruments. The Spitfire was seen coming out of the cloud inverted and out of control. It slammed into the adjoining gardens of number 13 and 11 Byass Street in Margam, just southeast of Port Talbot.
The aircraft hit the ground and demolished the air raid shelter of number 13, with the engine ending up in the garden of number 11. Luckily the wife and daughter were out shopping because during the daytime the daughter used to play in and around the shelter.
Buried:
Llantwit Major Cemetery. Section C. Grave 21.
Wreckage:
All removed.
Additional information:
P/O Dixon was the son of James Manners Dixon and Effie Constance Dixon of Turramurra of New South Wales, Australia.
Starveall Farm still exists, and its primary farming commodity are Turkeys, the SLG was a grass landing strip of which nothing remains to Witness its wartime use, however, most SLG’s only had temporary structures, but Starveall Farm still has a Robins Hanger which looks like its now protecting the farm machinery. It was also the home to No.33MU as well as 39MU.
Sources:
1. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p015.html
2. Glamorganshire Police reports for 1939-41 (DCON/279/7)
3. http://www.ggat.org.uk/timeline/pdf/Military%20Aircraft%20Crash%20Sites%20in%20Southeast%20Wales.pdf
4. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/milfield-aerodrome-pilot-losses-in-training.25848/#post-315878
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2717371/dixon,-james-edward-manners/
6. https://cartographic.info/uk_street/map.php?id=135836
www.ukairfields.org
rafcommands.com
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-May-2013 01:34 | angels one five | Added |
| 16-Jul-2015 20:30 | Angel dick one | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 20-Feb-2019 06:32 | angels one five | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 11-May-2019 23:41 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-May-2019 11:30 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 18-Nov-2021 07:34 | Davies 62 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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