ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 318417
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| Date: | Sunday 8 August 1943 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington MkIII |
| Owner/operator: | 29 OTU |
| Registration: | BK497 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Ticklas Point, Pembrokeshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Bruntingthorpe |
| Return. |
Details:
A significant variant of the Wellington was the B Mark III which featured the 1,375 hp Bristol Hercules III or XI engine and a four-gun tail turret, instead of the two-gun. A total of 1,519 Mark IIIs was built, becoming mainstays of Bomber Command from late 1941 through into 1942, with all but the two prototypes being built at Broughton in Flintshire and at Blackpool.
Bruntingthorpe airfield was constructed in 1942 and was home to 29 OTU. Later used extensively by Sir Frank Whittle's Powerjets company for early test and development with the Gloster Meteor after the end of the war. In 1954 a new airfield was constructed for the US Air Force and used as a strategic heavy nuclear bomber base (code-named 'Big Thunder') until 1962. A Cold War jet-aircraft museum with about twenty aircraft from that era opened on the site and used to hold two 'Open Days' each year when they demonstrated fast taxi and take-off runs. Today, Bruntingthorpe is used mainly for vehicle storage, and it was reported in June 2020 that the museum had permanently closed.
BK497 took off from Bruntingthorpe during the early morning of the 8th, the crew were tasked to navigate around England and Wales, taking in seven legs that took them north to the Isle of Man, down the Irish sea to Pembrokeshire, across the mouth of the Severn to Cornwall and returning to Bruntingthorpe along the southern coast. However, whilst over the Irish sea they encountered issues and requested to land at RAF Talbenny. Unfortunately, the approach from the North was too low and they undershot, hitting the cliffs sending some wreckage up, onto the cliff top and the majority fell back into the sea, killing all the crew.
Crew:
F/O George Edward Bilke 23yo 151454 RAFVR. Pilot. Missing. 1
Son of George Edward & Christina Bilke of Middlesbrough.
Sgt James Baxter 20yo 1537044 RAFVR. Engineer. Missing. 2
Son of Thomas and Elizabeth Baxter of St Helens.
F/Sgt Gordon Douglas Scott 22yo R/140573 RCAF. Bombardier. Killed. 3
Son of Sparling and Myrtle Scott of Brandon Manitoba, Canada.
Sgt Bernard Martin Semark 25yo 1311346 RAFVR. W/Op-A/G. Killed. 4
Son of William Arthur & Winifred Myrtle Semark; husband of Evelyn Joan Semark of Hove.
Sgt William Arthur Widdowson 21yo 1458991 RAFVR. Navigator. Killed. 5
Son of Walter & Annie Elizabeth Widdowson of Worksop.
Sgt George William James Hopkins 19yo R/180665 RCAF. A/Gnr. Killed. 6
Son of William & Flossie Hopkins of Smiths Falls Ontario, Canada; husband of Lillian Mary Hopkins, also of Smiths Falls.
Buried:
1 Runnymede Memorial. Panel 123.
2 Runnymede Memorial. Panel 142.
3 Bath (Haycombe) Cemetery. Plot 39. Section H. Row B. Grave 257.
4 Patcham (All Saints) Churchyard. In Extension.
5 Worksop (Retford Road) Cemetery. Section 3. Grave 222.
Bath (Haycombe) Cemetery. Plot 51. Section H. Row R. Grave 248.
Wreckage:
Remains of the Wellington have been seen sticking out of the sand after a storm at low water. Probably seen from the clifftop as access there is extremely hazardous with the risk of falling and being cut off with the tide.
Memorials:
CWGC headstones and the Runneymede Memorial.
F/Sgt Scott has a hill named in his memory and is found in Manitoba between White Stone Lake and Waskalowaka Lake.
Additional Information:
The Wimpy. After trials in 1942, the Wellington III was cleared it to tow Hotspur, Hadrian and Horsa gliders, although this was observed to have an adverse effect on the geodetic structure. The Wellington III was also seen over Salisbury Plain while towing Spitfires. This would have allowed Spitfire reinforcements for the defence of Malta to be towed from Gibraltar to within range of Malta before being released. Whether this was done is unconfirmed.
The airfield. In 1997, an ex-Air France Boeing 747-100 was used by the Federal Aviation Administration of the USA and the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a test at Bruntinthorpe, to study the effects of a terrorist planted bomb explosion on board a wide-body aircraft such as had happened over Lockerbie.
Sources:
www.cwgc.org
www.rafcommands.com
https://canadianfallen.ca
www.findagrave.com
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Jul-2023 19:13 | Davies 62 | Added |
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