Date:	Saturday 16 September 1933
Time:	day
Type:	Vickers Virginia Mk X
Owner/operator:	500 (County of Kent) Sqn RAF
Registration:	K2670
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Brooklands Aerodrome, West Byfleet, Weybridge, Surrey -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Manston, Ramsgate, Kent
Destination airport:	Brooklands, West Byfleet, Weybridge, Surrey
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Vickers Virginia Mk. X K2670 named "Richborough Castle" of 500 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 16.9.1933 when overshot on landing and ran into a ditch at Brooklands Aerodrome, West Byfleet, Weybridge, Surrey. The crash coincided with the start of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) 500-mile motor race at Brooklands.

One person on board the aircraft (of the crew of five) was killed; Flying Officer Leslie Maurice Few, RAFVR, aged 29. The rest of the crew were:

Flight Lt Walter George Woolliams unhurt
Flying Officer William Kent Le May unhurt (Special Reserve)
L.A/C George Donaldson unhurt
L.A/C Leonard George Manning unhurt

According to a contemporary report from Flight International for 21.9.33 (see links #5 & #6):

"A Vickers Virginia, piloted by F/O Leslie Maurice Few, of the Special Reserve and attached to No. 500 (County
of Kent) (Bomber) Sqdn., ran into a fence on the edge of the aerodrome and broke its back. The pilot was killed and members of the crew received minor injuries"

This incident was the first service fatality involving 500 (County of Kent) Squadron, RAF. The local Bexhill newspaper said that the funeral service took place at St Stephen's Church, Bexhill on Sea, Kent, with the actual burial being in the Borough Cemetery.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976 page 17)
2. The Times, Saturday, September 16, 1933
3. Thanet Advertiser - Friday 22 September 1933
4. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=21783.0
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?17674-RAF-Fatalities-1933
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-139-virginia-x-brooklands
7. http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=7699.0
8. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1933/1933 [paywall]
9. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1933/1933 [paywall]
10. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1934.htm
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/260775623/leslie-maurice-few
12. https://www.facebook.com/manstonhistory/posts/3167595310142897/
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklands#Inter-war_years_2

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-Dec-2012 01:39	Ricardo	Added
14-Jun-2013 18:17	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Nature]
11-Jan-2015 22:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
22-Feb-2016 08:22	Lotos	Updated [Narrative]
20-May-2018 20:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Jul-2020 17:35	Sergey L.	Updated [Source]
04-Mar-2024 12:56	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]