Date:	Monday 21 November 1949
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	257 (Burma) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VT320
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Stanford Battle Training Area, near Fogs Hill, East Wretham, Norfolk. -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norwich, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.4 VT320: Delivered to 6 MU RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 3 November 1948. To 257 (Burma) Sqn RAF 9 September 1949 coded 'A6-P'.

Written off (destroyed) November 21 1949: While being piloted by Warrant Officer Desmond WALSER (aged 24) taking part in low-level mock strafing practice on a column of British Army 'Comet' tanks participating in EXERCISE VICTORY with the 29th Infantry Brigade when it clipped a tank (causing minor damage only and minor injuries to the soldiers) which caused aircraft to crash near East Wretham. Deceased was from Rochford in Essex and is buried at St Margaret's Church, Catton, Norfolk. He was aged 24. The exercise involved a ''sea and air'' invasion and was designed to sharpen working between regular and National Service soldiers and aircrews.

This, from an article on the Stanford Battle area (see link #3), may be the same incident: "Wartime censorship forbade mention of accidents. Journalists witnessing a post war exercise - "Exercise Victory" in 1949 saw a Meteor jet clipping a Comet tank after misjudging its height. The impact killed the pilot and tank crew instantly".

According to a contemporary local newspaper report (Eastern Daily Press, Thursday, November 24, 1949)

“A SLIGHT ERROR OF JUDGMENT”
Pilot’s Death on “Exercise Victory”

At an inquest yesterday on Pilot 2 Desmond Frank Walser, killed in the Stanford Battle Area on Tuesday, an eye-witness said: “It was an error of judgment – but only a slight one. A few more feet and he would have been all right.”

P.2, Walser was 24. His home was at 39, Grasmead Avenue, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. The inquest was held at Horsham St. Faith's Airfield headquarters, where he was stationed.

Flt. Lieut. B. Beard said that Walser had been flying Meteors for about 18 months. He was taking part in “Exercise Victory,” attacking ground transport from the air. He had been briefed not to dive lower than 200 feet.

Flt. Lieut. Beard said he was on Fog’s Hill, East Wretham, when he saw a Meteor making a steep dive from about 2500 feet. “It was obvious that the pilot was experiencing extreme difficulty in pulling out of the dive,” he said, “I could tell from the wing-tip vapour trails.”

The plane then descended out of his sight, momentarily, presumably hit the ground, and reappeared, breaking up. “In my opinion recovery from the dive should have been made earlier,” continued Flt-Lieut. Beard. “It was an error of judgment – but only a slight one. A few more feet and he would have been all right.”

Pilot 3 L. Levene, a member of Walser’s squadron, said he was taking part in the same Exercise. He gave Walser the position of the transport they were attacking on the radio telephone.

“I tried to contact him visually,” said Pilot 3 Levene, “then I saw a pin-point of light on the ground. I called him on R/T, but got no reply. I descended at reduced speed and could identify the wing of a Meteor on the ground.”

Capt. H.J. Cook, Royal Armoured Corps, said he saw a Meteor circle overhead while making mock ground attacks; it then turned towards the battle area and went into a dive. “It brought me to my feet”, he said. “It appeared to me that the pilot would never be able to pull out. It started to flatten out, but before it could do so completely, struck the ground, bounced several times and disintegrated.”

The County Coroner for the Norwich District (Mr G. W. Barnard) recorded a verdict that Walser died of multiple injuries received when his aircraft struck the ground, owing to a slight error on his part in leaving the recovery from a dive too late while attacking vehicles during an authorised exercise."

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.555
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. Eastern Daily Press, Thursday, November 24, 1949
5. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/62/a3258362.shtml
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_2009.pdf p.178
8. Pilots Grave Marker: https://www.flickr.com/photos/43688219@N00/5722353504
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_East_Wretham#Current

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Aug-2022 12:04	Paul Allonby	Added