ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 302697
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| Date: | Sunday 14 May 1944 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Miles Martinet TT.1 |
| Owner/operator: | 567 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | EM473 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Sea, off Whitstable, Kent, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Banner and glider towing |
| Departure airport: | RAF Detling, Maidstone, Kent |
In 1944 Miles Martinet EM473 was operated by 567 Squadron RAF at Detling, near Maidstone, Kent. On 14 May 1944 it was being flown on target banner towing duties by F/O Walter Nichol, accompanied by LAC Harold Knight, when it suffered an apparent engine failure (its propeller was seen to be 'windmilling' and the engine heard to be surging) at about 1,000 feet over the sea and had to ditch off Whitstable, Kent. Both F/O Nichol and LAC Knight lost their lives in the incident.
Crew of Martinet EM473:
Flying Officer Walter ("Wally") Nichol, RAF VR (Pilot, Service Number 160635, aged 24) - killed on active service 14 May 1944. Buried at Mere Knolls Cemetery, Sunderland
LAC (Leading Aircraftman) Harold Knight, RAF VR (Drogue Winch Operator, aged 21) - killed on active service 14 May 1944. Believed body not found/not recovered. Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial
The body of F/O Nichol presumably was recovered from the sea as he is buried at Mere Knolls Cemetery in Sunderland. It seems that this was not the case for LAC Knight as his name appears on the Runnymede Memorial. The Martinet was declared a write-off. I do not know if it was recovered from the sea.
Sources:
1. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=19420.0
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_in_the_South_East.pdf
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._567_Squadron_RAF
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Detling
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2696933/walter-wally-nichol/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1802866/harold-knight/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitstable
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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