ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 248456
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 22 November 1942 |
| Time: | 19:30 |
| Type: |  Handley Page Halifax Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | W7914 |
| MSN: | DY-A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Hangest sur Somme -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Pocklington, Yorkshire |
Halifax W7914/A: Took off 17:32hrs 22 Nov 1942 from RAF Pocklington. Cause of loss not established.
A witness states that the pilot was trying to make a controlled landing but the bomber crashed into a high bank of earth at Hangest sur Somme at around 19:30hrs. It seems the aircraft was damaged (possibly after a night fighter attack). Some of the crew may have been wounded as they decided to attempt a forced landing instead of baling out. All 7 of the crew were killed. They were all buried at Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension. According to a letter dated 4 July 1946 sent to the crew’s relatives by the pilot's (F/O Geoffrey Bernard Herbert King 115277 RAFVR) brother Major Douglas King after he visited the crash site in 1946 on land owned by a Mr and Mrs Savreux at the North East of the Somme at a place called Fourcan. The plane threw out very lights to illuminate the ground where they were going to land. On landing the aircraft went quite a long way on the ground and must have been badly damaged, it seems there was difficulty controlling the engines. After about 200 yards the plane hit a small bank rose over it leaving 4 furrows in it caused by the engines (which were still visible in 1946) as the plane ploughed through. It went on a further 50 yards until it hit another bank some 10 to 12 feet high, where it overturned and burst into flames.
Crew being killed instantly:
F/O Geoffrey Bernard Herbert KING (115277)–Pilot–RAFVR
Sgt Herbert Thomas CHEETHAM ( 615248)- F/Eng. – RAF
F/O Thomas Henry FOLLETT (48379)– Nav./Air Bomber RAFVR
Sgt John NICHOLSON (1333607)–Air Bomber–RAFVR
Sgt HaroldCLARKSON (1022463) –WOp/AG–RAFVR
Sgt Derrick JOHNSON (1334012) - AG – RAFVR
Sgt Frederick Ralph THOMPSON (1198362) –AG–RAFVR
Sources:
102 Squadron ORB and letter of Douglas King of which I have copies of.
The pilot was a relation of mine.
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 April 1942 | W7653 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 3 | Hamois, Namur |  |
w/o |
| 20 May 1942 | W1099 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 0 | RAF Cottesmore, County Rutland, England |  |
w/o |
| 27 July 1942 | W1142 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 2 | Niedersachsen or Hamburg |  |
w/o |
| 10 August 1942 | BB211 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 3 | Elbergen, Emsbüren, Ems, Niedersachsen | |
w/o |
| 9 November 1942 | DT539 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 8 | Oosterend, Texel, Noord-Holland |  |
w/o |
| 28 July 1943 | JD150 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 7 | near Höbek, Haßmoor, Schleswig-Holstein | |
w/o |
| 11 August 1943 | JD369 | 102 (Ceylon) Sqn RAF | 6 | near Alsenborn, Rheinland-Pfalz | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Mar-2021 14:12 | Researchingreg | Added |
| 03-Mar-2021 15:16 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Operator] |
| 21-Nov-2023 20:41 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation