ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 307386
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| Date: | Wednesday 6 January 1943 |
| Time: | 18:15 |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire MkI |
| Owner/operator: | 53 OTU |
| Registration: | K9801 |
| MSN: | 18 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | Near RAF Stormy Down -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Llandow |
| Return. |
Details:
K9801 is the oldest Spitfire to crash in South Wales. She was number 18 off the production line at the Eastleigh works and was one of the few during the prelude to war to be allocated to fighter squadrons, almost immediately she came to No.19 squadron on the 27th of October 1938. The squadron initially displayed the number ‘19’ but by 1939 they began to display their radio code, K9801 was given the code ‘WZ-R’. The early Mk Is were powered by the 1,030 hp RR Merlin mkII engine driving an Aero-Products "Watts" 10ft 8in diameter two-blade wooden fixed-pitch propeller. From the 78th production airframe, the Aero Products propeller was replaced by a De-Havilland 9ft 8in diameter, three-bladed, two-position, metal propeller. Following complaints from pilots a new form of "blown" canopy was manufactured and started replacing the original "flat" version in early 1939. This canopy improved headroom and enabled better vision laterally, and to the rear. At the same time the manual hand-pump for operating the undercarriage was replaced by a hydraulic system driven by a pump mounted in the engine bay. K9801 was sent to No.1 CRU (Civilian Repair Unit) on the 28th of May 1940, along with a number of others to have the upgraded propeller, canopy and U/C, to fill the gap until the new mark one’s, already fitted with the new components came to the squadrons, just in time to take on the Luftwaffe, already on the move and the start of the ‘Phoney War’.
As the production of the new Spitfires caught up with demand from the squadrons, a number of the early aircraft found themselves not required and went to fly with the training units, not seeing any combat. K9801 ended up at 7 OTU at RAF Hawarden, arriving on the 14th of September 1940. The intense training due to the impact the Luftwaffe had on the RAF, began to show within the Training Units who put the pilots U/T through the course at an extremely rapide rate, with some pilots going to the squadrons with less than ten hours on type. K9801 was a casualty of this pressure and suffered a FACB ‘Flying Accident Category B.’ (Cat’ B was an aircraft which required repair, but it was beyond repair on site). She had a landing accident on the 28th of October 1940, happily without any serious injury to the pilot.
Her next posting was to No.58 OTU at RAF Perth. The first pupil pilots were posted in on 23 December in readiness for training to begin in the New Year, but the first Spitfires didn't arrive until 31 December. Course No 1 officially began on 1 January 1941 comprising three officers and 27 sergeants but the unit only possessed four Spitfires and four Masters at this point. K9801 arrived on the 3rd of January 1941.
The next posting was to No.61 OTU arriving on the 14th of October. 61 was formed at Heston on the 9th of June 1941. Its initial staffing was provided by 50% of No 53 OTU, In June 'B' Flight moved to Llandow, followed by the rest of the OTU, except 'A' and 'C' Flights, the two flights left at Heston forming the basis of No 61 OTU. On the 14th of July 1942, K9801 was posted to 53 over the other side of the aerodrome.
On the 6th of January, 1943, at 18:15hrs, she suffered an engine failure in flight, pilot left formation at 7,000ft when white hot vapour emitted from the manifold. Glided towards airfield but insufficient height. landed wheels up on lee of airfield at RAF Stormy Down. The pilot was F/Sgt GS Wilson and was able to safely exit the aircraft. Wilson completed his training and eventually went to No.41 squadron from the 11th of March until the 20th of May, at some point during this period he was promoted to WO (Warrant Oficer). He was born in St. James, Trinidad, on the 13th of May 1922, but educated at Queens Royal College & Strathallan School, Scotland. He joined the RAFVR at Padgate on the 22nd of July 1940 and was trained at 22 EFTS and 11 SFTS. He had logged 882 non-operational flying hours by the time he joined 41 Squadron.
Tired, after a busy summer on the south coast fending off Me109s and FW190s fulfilling the Luftwaffe's "hit and run" strategy, the squadron was taken off operations until February 1943 and sent to RAF Llanbedr for an extended period of rest. This heralded the start of an intensive period of turnover in the unit's ranks as men were rested and fresh pilots brought in. It was during this period that Wilson arrived in the middle of the busy period of familiarisation on the new Griffon-Engine Spitfire MkXII. 41 squadron became the first of only two squadrons to receive this powerful breed of Spitfire. Having rested, re-equipped and trained on the new aircraft, the squadron was sent back onto operations during April 1943 based at Hawkinge. 16th of April, W/O Wilson took off with Sgt Stonier on a patrol off Foreland but coming back after seeing nothing. However, the squadron claimed their first definitive victory in over ten months. On the 17th of April, Sgt Hogarth encountered a long painted black Ju-88, he shot up the port engine which burst into flames, the Junkers was seen in a glide with the whole port wing on fire and crashing into the sea. This kill brought the squadron tally to 148 destroyed E/A, this was Hogarths first kill. This was also the first by the RAF in the Mk. XII Spitfire.
W/O Wilson had another close call when flying Spitfire EN612 on the 2nd of May along with F/Lt Parry, they were scrambled on an Air Sea Rescue patrol defending a Lysander of 277 squadron. After ten minutes patrolling at 1,000 feet, the pair were vectored to 15,000 feet and intercept enemy aircraft closing in from the continent. As usual nothing was seen, and they returned to base. But during the landing procedure, Wilson’s aircraft developed a problem with the flaps, but Wilson was able to conduct a fast landing at RAF Marsden, relying on the brakes to bring the Spitfire to a stop. The problem was quickly solved and EN612 was serviceable by the evening and was flown over to Hawkinge. Sadly Sgt East took off on a Dawn patrol the following day, sadly he did not return and was listed as missing!
Wilson is last mentioned on the Squadron ORB’s on the 20th of May 1943 flying EN609 along with F/O Cowell when they were scrambled at 15:55hrs, returning at 16:50hrs with nothing to report. There are no further entries on the squadron records and no further comment on his departure. What happened afterwards is unknown, but he rose to Flight Lieutenant and believed to have served in the middle East. He passed away in Newark Ohio during November 1996.
As for K9801, she was recovered and went to AEAF at Heston on the 31st of December 1943 (Aircraft Establishment Air Fleet) Then she returned to 53 OTU on the 19th of May 1944, who had moved from Llandow by this stage of the war and were now stationed at RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey. Here she served for three months before going into storage at 39MU at RAF Colerne on the 4th of August 1944 and here she stayed until being SoC on the 18th of January 1945. Sadly as with thousands of other aircraft from the war, this true and rare veteran was finally, scrapped.
Crew:
F/Sgt George Sheldon Wilson 20yo 1007094 RAFVR. Pilot U/T. Safe.
Memorials:
Memorial to the pilots who flew from RAF Llandow can be seen alongside the B4270.
Additional Information:
Heston Aerodrome
An airfield located to the west of London, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Houndslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, flew from Heston to Germany three times in two weeks for talks with Adolf Hitler, and returned to Heston from the Munich Conference with the paper referred to in his later “Peace in our time” speech from 10 Downing Street.
No.1422 Flight RAF was formed, flying a wide variety of aircraft for interception trials, including Turbinlite versions of the Douglas Havoc and DH Mosquito.
Some of what used to be Heston Aerodrome is now used for housing and industrial estates. The M4 Motorway and the Heston Services cross the site from east to west, and a substantial area to the north of the M4 is part of the Airlinks 18-hole golf course.
Sources:
www.nationalarchives.com
www.airhistory.org.uk
www.rafcommands.com
www.rafweb.org
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 October 1940 | K9801 | 7 OTU RAF | 0 | Norley, west of Northwich, Cheshire, England | |
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| 6 February 1943 | K9801 | 53 OTU RAF | 0 | RAF Stormy Down, Bridgend, Wales | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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