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Date: | Saturday 2 January 1943 |
Time: | 15:20 |
Type: | Supermarine Spitfire Mk I |
Owner/operator: | 53 OTU RAF |
Registration: | X4854 |
MSN: | 1351 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Sea, near Dunraven Castle, 150 yards off Nash Point, Glamorgan -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Training |
Departure airport: | RAF Llandow, Glamorgan |
Destination airport: | RAF Llandow, Glamorgan |
Narrative:On January 2, 1943, Sergeant Jack Gordon Stewart Bell RAAF (Service Number 409496, aged 20) was detailed to carry out cloud flying, but his Spitfire Ia X4854 of 53 OTU RAF crashed in the sea at 15.20 hours near Dunraven Castle, Whitmore Stairs, 150 yards off Nash Point, Glamorganshire, and he was killed.
A Flying Accident report stated: "The primary cause for the accident was loss of control while flying in violent atmospheric conditions which led to uncontrolled dive and a ’Ham’ attempt to pull out at great speed with final disintegration of the aircraft. At approximately 15.45 hrs the Squadron duty pilot received information from a lighthouse keeper that an aircraft had dived into the sea during a heavy isolated shower. Searches found wreckage at low water approximately 150 yards from the foreshore in the vicinity of Nash Point."
Bell, who was 20 years old and came from St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, is buried at Llantwit Major Cemetery.
Sources:
1. Halley, J, 1984, Air Britain, Royal Air Force Aircraft X1000 - X9999, Z1000 - Z9999, p 17.
2.
http://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/letters/8312414.War_graves_at_Llantwit_Major/ 3.
http://ciapoldiescorner.blogspot.com/2009/01/events-for-2nd-january.html 4.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p016.html 5.
http://www.awm.gov.au/catalogue/research_centre/pdf/rc09125z022_1.pdf 6.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2717365/bell,-jack-gordon-stewart/ 7.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunraven_Castle Location
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
04-Dec-2012 14:18 |
angels one five |
Added |
16-Jul-2015 20:11 |
Angel dick five |
Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
16-Jul-2015 20:11 |
Angel dot comma |
Updated [Time, Narrative] |
04-Apr-2017 21:39 |
angels one five |
Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
04-Apr-2017 21:44 |
angels one five |
Updated [Source] |
02-Dec-2018 17:29 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Operator] |
01-Jan-2019 20:27 |
Laurent Rizzotti |
Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative] |
24-May-2019 19:33 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
25-May-2019 11:42 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |