Date:	Monday 5 May 1952
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor T Mk 7
Owner/operator:	607 (County of Durham) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VZ643
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Cardigan Bay, off Barmouth, Gwynedd -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Ouston, Northumberland
Destination airport:	RAF Llandow, Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7 VZ643, 607 (County of Durham) Squadron, RAF: delivered 8/8/1949. Written off 5/5/1952 when ditched into Cardigan Bay, off Barmouth, Gwynedd. The pilot became lost while on a flight from RAF Ouston, Northumberland, to RAF Llandow, Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Running low on fuel, the pilot decided to bail out over the sea. However, he was not found by Air Sea Rescue, and drowned.

Crew of Meteor VZ643
Flying Oficer (1314140) Desmond Clarke AFM (pilot) RAF - killed 5/5/1952

Desmond Clarke, when at the rank of Flight Sergeant, was awarded the AFM (Air Force Medal) on 2/6/1944 as part of the 1944 Birthday Honours from King George VI

Cardigan Bay (Welsh: Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.125 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.245
4. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron ORB (Operational Record Book) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/12/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) file AIR 27/2676/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8427045
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VZ
6. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/1944_Birthday_Honours
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardigan_Bay
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmouth

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Mar-2021 15:41	Dr. John Smith	Added
06-Mar-2021 17:45	Werich26	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]