ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 206064
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| Date: | Monday 19 September 1938 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | BA Swallow 2 |
| Owner/operator: | 4 E&RFTS RAF |
| Registration: | G-AFIG |
| MSN: | 472 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Dorrington, near Sleaford, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire |
| RAF Brough, East Yorkshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
First registered [C of R 8580] on 28.6.38 as G-AFIG to Blackburn Aircraft Co Ltd., Brough, East Yorkshire. Aircraft assigned to 4 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School (4 E&RFTS) which was operated by Blackburn Aircraft at Brough, East Yorkshire, under contract to the Air Ministry. C of A 6325 issued July 1938.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 19.9.38 when crashed in a rainstorm at Dorrington, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, during a cross country navigation exercise starting at RAF Cranwell. One of the two persons on board was killed:
Pilot Officer Dennis Gerald Baker (passenger, aged 19) killed
Acting Pilot Officer Harold Arthur Cooper Bird-Wilson (pilot, aged 19 at the time) seriously injured
The injuries to Bird-Wilson resulted in him losing his nose. This incident was in 1938 NOT in 1939 as per some Obituaries of Bird-Wilson. During his recovery, he was placed in the care of surgeon Archibald McIndoe and became No 2 in the famous 'Guinea Pig Club' at the Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead, East Sussex. Although the club was not formed until 1941, and pioneered reconstructive surgery for pilots injured or disfigured in flying accidents, Bird Wilson may have been Archibald McIndoe's first patient. As per Bird-Wilson's Wikipedia entry (see link #6):
"On 30 November 1937, having had a few weeks initial officer training, he was granted a short-service commission in the RAF.
In August 1938 he was assigned to No. 17 Squadron, learning the rudiments of being a fighter pilot in Gloster Gauntlets. Ten weeks later, he was flying a BA Swallow out of RAF Cranwell when he crashed in bad weather. His passenger was killed, and Bird-Wilson was left without a nose. He was treated by pioneering plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe, who offered Bird-Wilson the nose of his choice, and went on to treat many disfigured RAF pilots during the war"
Bird-Wilson not only recovered from this crash, but returned to active duties in April 1940, rose through the ranks to become an Air Vice-Marshall, collecting an CBE, DSO, DFC & Bar, AFC & Bar on the way. He retired from the RAF in 1974, and died on 27.12.2000 at the age of 81 (see link #7)
Dorrington is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 1.2 miles (2 km) both south from Digby and north from Ruskington. It is to the east of the north–south B1188, which lies just within the parish boundaries. The nearest town is Sleaford, approximately 4 miles (6 km) to the south
Registration G-AFIG cancelled 19.9.38 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft". This was probably done retrospectively, as the aircraft's record card also noted "(Census 1938)", which implies that the registration was actually cancelled at the end of 1938 or early 1939 as a result of a response to the Air Ministry's 1938 census into the continued existence of G-AFIG.
Sources:
1. https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-gb-registers-g-af
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AFIG.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A11.html
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939.htm
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?14339-1938-References-to-Guinea-Pig-Club-quot-Patients-quot-No-1-and-No-2-quot&styleid=3
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Bird-Wilson
7. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1379657/Air-Vice-Marshal-Birdie-Bird-Wilson.html
8. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/BK_BAMco.pdf
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorrington,_Lincolnshire
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Feb-2018 15:55 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 12-Feb-2018 15:58 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 20-Nov-2018 16:17 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Nature, Destination airport, Operator] |
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