ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 276823
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| Date: | Friday 18 September 1942 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | 1 EFTS RAF |
| Registration: | T6821 |
| MSN: | 85090 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Hartwell Park, 2 miles South West of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Panshanger, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire |
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 85090; Taken on charge as T6821 at 20 MU RAF Aston Down Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire 21.10.41. To 101 [Glider] OTU, RAF Kidlington, Oxfordshire 4.7.42. To 1 EFTS RAF Panshanger, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire 27.8.42.
Written off (destroyed) when crashed when low flying at Hartwell Park, 2 miles South West of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, 18.9.42 and destroyed by fire. One published account of the incident (see links #2 & #5) was as follows:
"On Friday 18th September 1942 2nd Lt John Jones was piloting a Tiger Moth (T6821) in company with another similar aircraft. When the two aircraft were in the vicinity of Aylesbury, and flying at a height of about 2,000 feet, the Tiger Moth suddenly went into a steep dive.
Try as he might, 2nd Lt Jones was unable to recover from the dive and soon realised that the aircraft was going to crash. It was too late for him to bale out, so he did all he could to prepare for the inevitable. As the small plane hurtled towards the ground he switched off the fuel supply, cut the engine and placed his forearm over his face, hoping that he may survive the accident.
On the ground three local men, Henry Read, George Kent and Frank Alcock, looked on in horror as they witnessed the Tiger Moth in distress. They were working in the grounds of Hartwell Park when the aircraft nose-dived into the ground about 100 yards from Hartwell House, where the wreckage burst into flames.
2nd Lt Jones had survived the impact but had suffered a fractured leg, as well as other superficial injuries, and was unable to extract himself from the crushed cockpit and was in serious danger of being burned to death. The three men ran to the crash site, where they saw the wreckage ablaze. Alcock and Read jumped onto the wings and grabbed the pilot by his harness straps and hauled him out. George Kent then grabbed the pilot’s legs and the three men carried him a short distance in order that he could be given first aid.
As they laid him on the ground the aircraft’s fuel tank exploded in a ball of flame and the remaining wreckage was totally burned out. Following his fortunate rescue 2nd Lt Jones was taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital where he was treated for his injuries".
The official entry in the London Gazette of the 15th January 1943 reads as follows;
“Commendations. Those named below have been Commended for brave conduct when attempting to rescue the crews of crashed and burning aircraft: — Frank Alcock, Bricklayer, Aylesbury, Bucks, George Sidney Kent, Bricklayer, Aylesbury, Bucks, Henry William George Read, General Foreman, Aylesbury, Bucks.”
Frank Alcock lived a long and full life, eventually passing away in July 1987 at the age of 99.
Struck off charge 5.10.42 at FACE (Flying Accident Cat.E)
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft T1000-V9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1997 p.85)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew): Home Office File HO 250/78/2029B: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14197820
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p850.html
5. https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5a3134b40672a700015a5d31/5e6b8d9c8723f396820d9600_WTSBuckssamplepdf.pdf
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartwell,_Buckinghamshire
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartwell_House,_Buckinghamshire
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Mar-2022 18:57 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 25-Mar-2022 09:52 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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