ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 200661
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| Date: | Friday 16 January 1942 |
| Time: | 03:00 |
| Type: | Handley Page Hampden Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 408 (Goose) Sqn RCAF |
| Registration: | AE393 |
| MSN: | EQ-G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Dalefoot, West Burton, 13 mi SW of Catterick, North Yorkshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Balderton, Nottinghamshire |
This aircraft was part of the force attacking Hamburg and they took off from their base at Balderton, Nottinghamshire at 17:15. Homeward bound, the crew became lost upon crossing the English coast, and while they heard the warning tones that barrage balloons were near them, they could not pin point their position. It is possible that these barrage balloons were in the Middlesbrough area and the aircraft had crossed the coastline somewhere over the River Tees estuary.
The weather was poor on this night, and a number of other crews were struggling to make safe landings. One of the wireless operators requested assistance from a direction finding station at just before midnight, but other aircraft requested higher priority direction fixes, so this aircraft was deemed lesser priority, and when help was requested a second time no reply came.
The events of what then happened is not known, but whilst flying in cloud, the aircraft flew into the side of Bishopdale (a spur of Wensleydale) at Dalefoot, West Burton, 13 miles South West of Catterick, North Yorkshire, at around 00:30 (police records) or 03:00 (RAF records) into deep snow. Two of the crew were thrown out of the aircraft into the snow and were killed, two others were trapped in the cockpit area, and were rescued by a number of farmers who were alerted of the crash, and made their way up to the site. Sadly, one of these trapped airmen died soon after being rescued.
The pilot survived, and was initially treated for his injuries at a nearby farm, before being taken to hospital. The pilot could not remember anything about the crash, he reported the altimeter had read at 5,000 feet prior to the impact with a hillside near West Burton, and an investigation concluded that the altimeter was probably reading incorrectly at the time of the crash.
Crew
Pilot: 40076 Acting Squadron Leader Wilfred Jasper Burnett DFC RCAF (Injured - Admitted to Catterick Military Hospital).
Navigator: 580636 Flight Sgt James Arthur Bunting (Killed - buried at Otley Cemetery (Newall with Clifton & Lindley), West Yorkshire)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 995056 Sgt John Robinson Appleby (killed - buried at Stockton on Tees Cemetery (Durham Road), Stockton on Tees County Durham)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 619483 Sgt Maurice Jones (killed - buried at Tibshelf Churchyard, Derbyshire).
Hampden AE393 was built to contract B.67577/40 by E.E.C. Ltd. at Samlesbury and was awaiting collection in September 1941. It was taken on charge later the same month by 44 Squadron at Waddington but 44 Squadron then ceased operating Hampden Mk.I's in December 1941 and the aircraft was passed on to the charge of 408 Squadron at Balderton. As a result of the damage on 16th January 1942 Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off.
Pilot, Acting Squadron Leader W.J. Burnett, a Canadian in the RAF, who was seriously injured, had already won the DFC while commanding "C" flight in this unit. As noted above, survived this crash, recovered, and returned to service, initially in a ground based role, but volunteering to become the Commanding Officer of 138 Squadron in 1944. He retired from the RAF on 21st May 1968. On leaving the RAF he was appointed secretary of the Unit Trust Association and awarded the OBE on 14th June 1980 for this work. Air Commodore Wilfred Burnett DSO, OBE, DFC, AFC died at the age of 91 on 26th November 2006.
Sources:
1. http://www.forfreedom.ca/?page_id=1728
2. http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RAF_owned_AA100.html
3. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/dales/ae393.html
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2412826/bunting,-james-arthur/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2696648/appleby,-john-robinson/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2702622/jones,-maurice/
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 19 June 1942 | AT189 | 408 (Goose) Sqn RCAF | 4 | Missing - Servel 1km NW Lannion |  |
mis |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2017 16:52 | Red Dragon | Added |
| 23-Dec-2017 17:33 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Destination airport] |
| 08-Aug-2018 18:17 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Oct-2018 17:57 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 25-Jul-2023 17:18 | Nepa | Updated [[Operator, Operator]] |
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