ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 305992
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 January 1943 |
| Time: | 01:15 |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 115 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | X3936 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Bigsweir Bridge, Wye Valley, Monmouthshire, Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF East Wretham, Norfolk |
Mission: Training.
Details:
No.115 squadron crest displays a Dexter hand erased at the wrist holding a Tiller. The squadron laid great stress on the importance of navigation and the hand on the tiller is symbolic of this.
No. 115 Squadron RFC was formed at Catterick, North Yorkshire, on the 1st of December 1917 and flew only 15 raids during this time, such was the type of war that was being fought. The squadron returned to England on the 4th of March 1919 and disbanded on the 18th of October 1919. The squadron was reformed from "B" Flight of No.38 Sqn’ at RAF Marham, as No.115 (Bomber) Squadron on the 15th of June 1937. They were one of the first to fly the new Vickers Wellington in 1938. In the Second World War, the squadron took part in scores of raids and played an active part in Gardening (minelaying) for victory. In April 1940, while flying Wellingtons it gained the distinction of making the RAF's first bombing raid of the war on a mainland target-the enemy-held Norwegian airfield of Stavanger. Sixteen months later, in August 1941, it undertook the initial Service trials of Gee, the first of the great radar navigational and bombing aids. As a result of its subsequent report on these trials Gee was put into large-scale production for Bomber Command. After the war the squadron continued to serve with the RAF until 1993 where it was disbanded due to cuts in defence. However, the squadron was reformed on the 1st of October 2008 at RAF Cranwell as part of the reorganisation of the RAF's elementary flying training units, thus making 115 one of the longest serving squadrons within the Royal Air Force.
The squadron at the time of this crash was based at RAF Wretham in Norfolk, the day before X3936 along with her regular crew were involved on a raid on Lorient, seeing ‘X’ bomb the target successfully and without any issues. The evening of the 27th/28th 6 aircraft took off on ‘Gardening’ sorties, their area of operation was La-Rochelle and the Frisian Islands off the Netherlands, collectively regarded as the Eastern Passage of the North Sea. The crew of ‘X’, X3936 were tasked to sow ‘Nectarines’ code name for the Frisian Islands. They took off at 17:30hrs. However when they reached the area, Sgt Newton, the Navigator noticed his readings didn’t tally with the aircrafts compass. Only then did the pilot realise the compass had gone U/S (Unserviceable). This left them with no option but to turn around and head for home!
The following is taken from the squadron records at the National Archives.
“Met: Wind South Westerly, Fine, Moderate visibility.
Target: La-Rochelle & Frisian Islands.
Strength: 6 x Wellington mkIII.
Bomb load: 2 X 1,500lbs mines as per.
Wellington ‘KO-X’, Captain, Sgt Plum F. T/O 17:30hrs. When over the area they were not able to locate the allotted position owing to the compass being U/S & on the return trip. Ran out of petrol!”
Sgt Plum tried Dead Reckoning in finding anything familiar below but was unsuccessful due to the blackout below covering the UK, they unknowingly flew on well south but flew over the Somerset Downs without getting anything to help them, not even a radio fix. With the fuel state becoming dangerously low he had to give the order to abandon X3936.
“After jettisoning his mines safely near Chepstow (Upon seeing the reflection of the Severn Estuary) the crew baled out. All landed safely but the Bombardier and the Wireless operator sustained minor injuries.”
X3936 flew on empty of her crew, no in a northerly direction until the starboard engine, followed by the port quit. She then descended in a gentle glide to earth….
“Aircraft eventually crashed into the river Wye near Bigsweir Bridge at 01:15hrs, the morning of the 28th.
Five aircraft returned successfully after dropping their mines.”
The night of the 27th/28th saw the local Home Guard Platoon of the Llandogo and the surrounding area, carrying out their usual patrol duties this night which also included the manning of the Toll House at the bridge, nearby there are three ‘Section Posts’ which would be manned in the event of ‘The balloon going up!’ The nearest being behind the Toll House. What they would have made of a loud crash nearby during the early hours of a black night, is anyone’s guess, but they stood too in the ‘Bunkers’ until the advance of the dawn revealing the remains of the Wellington in the river not more than half a mile downstream.
The alarm was raised and soon the search for the crew was called off when word came through they had baled out. The wrecked bomber remained in the river until the water levels dropped with the advent of spring going into summer.
Crew:-
Pilot : Sergeant F Plum RAF
Crew : Sergeant R Newton RAF
Crew : Sergeant L Lane RAF
Crew : Sergeant F Eaglestone RAF
Crew : Pilot Officer Geoffrey Hurst Willis RAF 127863 (NCO:1026557 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 06 October, 1942)
Wreckage:
The vast majority of the wreckage was removed. But what remains of the smaller pieces have been washed downstream over the years and with the heavy floods, now buried in the riverbed.
Additional Information:
During the Second World War "gardening" was the RAF term given to the dropping of mines from bomber aircraft into the sea. The mines were "sown" near ports and harbours, inland waterways, estuaries and in busy shipping lanes. Throughout Europe the coastline was split into various targets and given distinct code names; the majority (but not all) were given names of trees and plants, from A-Z. Such as Le-Havre had the code name ‘Anemones’, and the river Jade was ‘Zinneas’.
The RAF's aerial mines were completely different to the ship-deployed mines (the large black spheres with horns). The RAF's mines were to be laid in shallow water and after parachuting into the sea, the chute would disengage, and the mine would sink to the sea floor. It would be set off either by a ship's magnetic interference or via the sound a ship's propellers.
Sources:
www.https://115squadron-raf.be
www.lancaster-ed559.co.uk
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Jan-2024 07:51 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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