ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 172470
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| Date: | Friday 26 May 1944 |
| Time: | 01:00 LT |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | 20 OTU RAF |
| Registration: | MF553 |
| MSN: | JM-F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Bunker Hill Farm, Leadgate about 1 mile east of Consett, County Durham -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Lossiemouth (EGQS) |
Thursday, 25th/Friday, 26th May 1944: Wellington X MF553 "JM-F" of 20 OTU, RAF, with a crew from the Free French Air Force, left Lossiemouth for a night cross-country exercise, during which they encountered severe icing at 15,000ft. They descended to 7,000ft but conditions did not improve, and the crew were ordered to prepare to abandon the aircraft.
However the captain felt a slight improvement in the aircraft handling so he attempted a landing at what he thought was an airfield. In fact he came down at a place called Bunker Hill about 1 mile east of Consett in County Durham. Four of the crew died in the crash and subsequent fire, and three were injured, two suffering burns while trying to rescue their trapped colleagues.
The four crew killed (and the three survivors) were:
Captaine. Rene RICHARD - aged 36, pilot, killed
Lieutenant Raoul BLOT - co-pilot, aged 26, killed
Lieutenant Jean-Claude VLES - navigator, 24, survived with hand burns. Killed in action with 346 Sqn November 5th 1944 on Halifax NA558, shot down by night fighter on mission to Bochum.
Sgt. Jean-Lucien Fishbach - killed; aged 22, wireless-operator.
Sgt. Gilbert Allain - survived, head wounds. Front-gunner aged 25. Survived the war.
Sgt. Guy Soury-Lavergne - survived. Aged 23,he was the rear-gunner. Suffered hand burns. In November 1944 after being shot down near Dusseldorf after evading for five-days. Flew 20 missions with 346 Sqn and remained in the French Air Force post-war serving in Indo-China before embarking on a 30-year civil aviation career.
Lieutenant Alexandre PONTON - killed. Bomb-aimer, aged 27.
The four killed were buried at Harrogate Cemetary on May 30, 1944, Father MEURISSE, chaplain officiating.
Sources:
1. http://www.ne-diary.bpears.org.uk/Inc/ISeq_36.htm
2. http://halifax346et347.canalblog.com/archives/p320-10.html
3. French Ministry of Defence.
4. http://halifax346et347.canalblog.com
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Dec-2014 21:36 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 23-Dec-2014 21:37 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 27-Apr-2015 20:43 | Victor I | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 02-Oct-2020 09:02 | TigerTimon | Updated [Date] |
| 19-Nov-2023 10:15 | Paul Allonby | Updated [Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
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