Date:	Saturday 11 October 1941
Time:	night
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	409 (Nighthawk) Sqn RCAF
Registration:	AA281
MSN:	651
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Wolferton, Sandringham, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant AA281 409 (Nighthawk) Squadron RCAF: Took off for Night Flying, 11 October 1941 from RAF Coleby Grange, Lincolnshire. The accident report states that he reported on the R/T that the instruments had gone u/s and he ordered his gunner to jump. Soon after the gunner had left the aircraft, it entered a cloud layer with no instruments and he lost control. Went out of control in cloud and crashed near Wolferton, Sandringham, Norfolk. Of the two crew, one was killed and one survived.

Crew of Defiant AA281:
Flight Lieutenant (C/1372) Frederick Stanley WATSON, Pilot, RCAF - killed on active service 11 October 1941, buried at Scopwick Church Burial Ground, Scopwick, Digby, Lincolnshire
Flight Sergeant H G MacKinnon (Air Gunner) RAFVR - baled out, survived OK

RCAF C/1372 P/O Frederick S. WATSON (3 Squadron RAF and 1 (RCAF) Squadron): Born 10 February 1915 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He joined the RCAF on 6 November 1939. He arrived in England joining 112 RCAF Squadron on 8 September 1940. He converted to Hurricanes on the 21 September and was then posted to 3 Squadron RAF on 5th October 1940. He then moved to 1 (RCAF) Squadron on the 21 October 1940. In 1941, Watson was serving with 409 (RCAF) Squadron operating Defiants.

The aircraft came down at WOLFERTON, Norfolk (and not, as reported in several published sources, "Wolverton", which is near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire). Wolferton is a village in north Norfolk, England, 2 miles west of Sandringham, 7½ miles north of King's Lynn and 37¼ miles northwest of Norwich.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft AA100-AZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain (Second Edition) 2000 p 5)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/9535: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16997782
3. ORB 409 Squadron RCAF for June 1941 to December 1942: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1800/1: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504442
4. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2358966/frederick-stanley-watson/
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=AA281
6. https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/WatsonFS.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Coleby_Grange#Second_World_War
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/409_Tactical_Fighter_Squadron#Second_World_War
8. https://www.rcafassociation.ca/heritage/1914-1945/battle-of-britain/
9. https://www.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/canadaairwar/canadaairwar1941.pdf
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolferton

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Jun-2022 17:43	Nepa	Added [Operator]
10-Oct-2022 10:36	Nepa	Updated [Narrative, Operator]
21-Oct-2022 15:37	Nepa	Updated [Narrative, Operator]