Date:	Thursday 29 May 1941
Time:	01:25
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	54 OTU RAF
Registration:	N1556
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Rakes Wood, Bramham, near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant N1556, 54 OTU RAF Church Fenton: On 29 May 1941 this 54 OTU aircraft collided with Blenheim L8377 at 01.25 hrs while both aircraft were in the Church Fenton airfield circuit. Both aircraft crashed and both trainee pilots were killed. An air-raid warning was said to have been in place at Church Fenton at the time and usually this meant all the airfield's lighting was switched off and both aircraft were flying without lighting. Both pilots were given instructions to orbit different locations at different heights to avoid such an accident but it is not known why one was at the same height as the other. A map reference in the Squadron records suggests this incident occurred over Rakes Wood, Bramham.

Crew of Defiant N1556:
Sgt (1053585) David Alexander Heggie RAFVR, Pilot, aged 26, of Edinburgh, Scotland. Killed on active service 29 May 1941. Buried at Kirkby Wharfe (St. John The Baptist) Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Crew of Blenheim L8377:
Sgt (911890) Kenneth Campbell GEMMEL (Pilot) RAFVR, aged 21- killed on active service 29 May 1941. Commemorated at Mortlake Crematorium, Mortlake, London SW

Defiant N1556 was built to contract 751807/38 by Boulton & Paul Ltd. at Wolverhampton and was awaiting collection in June 1940. It was taken on charge around 29 August 1940 by 264 Squadron based at Kirton in Lindsey after the unit had suffered catastrophic losses the previous day whilst based at Rochford. The squadron moved back to Rochford on 29 October 1940 and then to Debden on 27 November 1940. In December 1940 it was transferred to 54 OTU at Church Fenton. As a result of the collission on 29 May 1941 Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was recorded.

Bramham is a village in the civil parish of Bramham cum Oglethorpe in the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, West Yorkshire, England.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 9)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/6668: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16755965
3. ORB 54 OTU RAF for May 1941: National Archives (PRO Kew)
4. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/n1556.html
5. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/l1185.html
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2402816/david-alexander-heggie/
7. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2435138/kenneth-campbell-gemmell/
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=N1556
9. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_in_Northern_England.pdf
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Operational_Training_Units
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Church_Fenton#Second_World_War

Date/time	Contributor	Updates