ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 275679
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| Date: | Saturday 14 March 1942 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Westland Whirlwind Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 263 'Fellowship of the Bellows' RAF |
| Registration: | P7004 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Fairwood Common, Gower, West Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Pembrey |
| RAF Fairwood Common |
Details:
It was common practice that squadrons based at the airfields of Fairwood and Pembrey, would land at the other base to refuel or just socialise and flights from the different squadrons would be based at the airfields, leaving the rest of the squadrons at their home bases. P7004 was based at Fairwood but was at Pembrey with some of the squadron on convoy patrols or practice flying. On the 14th of March there was extensive camera gun and air to ground firing at the ranges of Cefn Sidan and Pendine. P7004 and P7120 were on readiness to react to any alerts. At 15:05hours the order to scramble the duty aircraft came and just as P7004 was taking to the air, a tyre burst. The pilot of P7120 could not see any visible external damage and so the pair continued to the area, however nothing was seen, and they returned to Fairwood Common, on landing P7004 looked like it would be a successful landing, however due to the undulating runways which are peculiar to Fairwood, a rise caused the aircraft to swing violently and causing the undercarriage to collapse. The squadron records state “P7004 crashed at Pembrey and the A/C was W/O”. In point of fact, the aircraft was taken by road to Westlands in Somerset for repair, it was originally categorised as ‘B’ but on inspection it was re-categorised as ‘E’ and written off, soc on the 5th of October 1942.
Crew:
P/O Vivian Lester Currie 22yo RAFVR. Pilot. Uninjured.
Wreckage:
All removed and scrapped.
Additional Information:
Pilot Officer Currie was involved in a fighter/bomber sweep over Morlaix in Northern France on the 23rd of July flying Whirlwind P7035 when he was ‘bounced’ by two Messerschmitt Me109F-2’s of Jagdgeschwader 26 under the command of the famous General der Jagdflieger Adold Galland. Who shot down P/O Currie is not known! Currie was the son of Samuel and Margret Currie of Stormont in County Down, Ireland. His body was never recovered, he is listed as missing.
Buried:
Runnymede Memorial. Panel 69.
Sources:
nationalarchives.gov
aircrewremmembered.com
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Feb-2022 09:00 | Davies 62 | Added |
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