Date:	Tuesday 22 July 1941
Time:	17:00 LT
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	96 Sqn RAF
Registration:	T4071
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Eddisbury Hill, Delamere, 7 miles West of Northwich, Cheshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Squires Gate, Blackpool, Lancashire
Destination airport:	RAF Cranage, Middlewich, Cheshire

Narrative:
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I T4071/'ZJ-P' of 96 Squadron, RAF: On 22 July 1941 P/O Smithson and his air gunner Sgt. I N Robinson were conducting an air test on Defiant T4071 from RAF Squires Gate, Blackpool, Lancashire when the aircraft struck high ground at Eddisbury Hill, Delamere, 7 miles (11 km) west of Northwich, Cheshire en-route to RAF Cranage, Middlewich, Cheshire. The aircraft was burnt out and both of the crew perished.

According to a published source from David Smithson, son of the pilot (see link #10):

"Boulton Paul Defiant T4071 was a relatively new aeroplane, having only 60 hours recorded flight time on its airframe. It had been involved in an incident in which it had undergone a “heavy” landing. It was touch and go whether or not it should be repaired or scrapped. It was taken to R.A.F. Squires Gate (near Blackpool I believe) where it underwent extensive repairs.

Richard was tasked in flight-testing it on its return to Cranage. Richard wanted to go alone, but Ivan was determined not to miss out on any action, should the flight test be interrupted for approaching enemy aircraft. Ivan got his way. The flight took off just after 4.30 pm and all was going well until just after 5 pm when a Police Sergeant in Delamere village saw the aeroplane flying low over the village and the engine noise made him think that the plane was in trouble. Seconds later he heard an almighty explosion come from Eddisbury Hill direction. He knew that this was the plane crashing into the hillside. Both occupants were killed instantly on impact (Richards Death Certificate is quite graphic and grimly to read).

At a Board of Inquiry the following week, the R.A.F. adjudged that it was pilot error. They ignored the facts that the aircraft should not have been repaired. They ignored testimony from colleagues that Richard was a very able, careful, cautious pilot. They did not ask any of the “A/C Plonks” who had repaired the aircraft to attend the tribunal. This, to me, was to avoid any awkward questions being asked about the aircraft condition after repair. There was no examination of the wreckage to determine any mechanical failure. They didn’t even call the Police Sergeant to give his evidence.

There is a total lack of thoroughness clearly apparent in any documentation still existing regarding this crash (other than from the Coroner). There is a general air of “sweep it under the carpet and everyone will forget about it” attitude and “Let’s blame the pilot” ethos."

Crew:
Pilot Officer Richard SMITHSON (46174) RAF Pilot, aged 25 - killed on active service 22 July 1941, buried at Holy Trinity Churchyard, South Hetton, County Durham
Sergeant Ivan Norton ROBINSON (40208) Air Gunner RNZAF, aged 20 - killed on active service 22 July 1941, buried at St. John's Churchyard, Byley, Cheshire

P/O Smithson had only been commissioned as at Pilot Officer on 17 July 1941, just five days earlier

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft T1000-V9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain 1997)
2. Eyes of the Night: Air Defence of North-western England, 1940–41 By Joe Bamford & Ron Collier
3. 96 Squadron ORB for July 1941: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/764/18: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8384692
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/7780: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16757077
5. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2696360/richard-smithson/
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1526033/ivan-norton-robinson/
7. https://www.middlewich-heritage.org.uk/RAF_Cranage/raf-cranage-1941.html
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=T4071
9. https://bbm.org.uk/airmen/Smithson.htm
10. https://www.middlewich-heritage.org.uk/RAF_Cranage/richard-smithson.html [biography of Pilot Richard Smithson - by his son]
11. https://www.middlewich-heritage.org.uk/RAF_Cranage/ivan-n.-robinson.html [biography of Air Gunner Ivan Robinson]
12. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C27744?lang=en-nz
13. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_Wales_and_West_Midlands.pdf
14. http://www.newmp.org.uk/article.php?categoryid=99&articleid=1373&displayorder=3
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddisbury_hill_fort
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delamere,_Cheshire

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Jan-2011 15:29	thW	Added
12-Jan-2012 13:10	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport]
16-Oct-2013 01:14	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport]
01-Nov-2013 20:38	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative]