a/c I.D. Ipswich 1949 local rag report

Hi Rogier,

This Vampire F3, VF347 would have been painted high speed silver/bare aluminum all over. It was coded ‘ZY-Y in 1949 at the time of the crash.

Vampiredave

You may well be right about the use of Martlesham Heath, but in his book “Jet Jockeys”, Peter Caygill quotes Pilot Officer (later Group Captain) John Jennings as saying that on the afternoon in question 247 Squadron Vampires took off from Bentwaters where they had landed from a previous sortie.

At the resumed inquest, evidence was given by Flight Lieutenant R. A. Harvey, the pilot of a Hornet, and a Flight Lieutenant R. A. Harvey is listed as a pilot with 41-Squadron.

Goldilocks

Goldilocks: you are correct with the take-off time as being 1730hrs. My mistake – Fat Fingers!

I am almost certain that the six Vampires were refuelled at Martlesham; Sqn Ldr Beddow’s regular aircraft went u/s “at Martlesham” and he borrowed another to complete the sortie. I would also agree that the “white smoke” was a vapour trail as the aircraft was seen to carry out a series of “violent turns” as Beddow engaged the Hornets

Information compiled from the Aircraft Record Card, the Accident Record Card and my sister-in-law, who is a former Sub-Editor at the Eastern Daily Press. The first two cards are readily available at Kew, together with details of the accident and subsequent investigation contained within a file (I can’t think of the name of the document?) which is also kept at Kew – or was, as I no longer have the material to hand

Local newspaper reports in regard to the inquest at Martlesham-Heath on 28-year-old Squadron-Leader A. R. T. Beddow are contradictory. At the first session, the Vampires were reported as having been refuelled at Martlesham, but at the resumed inquest, they were said to have been refuelled at Bentwaters. Furthermore, the take-off time was reported as 5:30. At the time I lived on the other side of Holywells Park and had just finished my tea when we heard the explosion and saw a massive column of smoke rising into the sky. I wasn’t old enough at the time to go and see what had happened.

Hope that helps

Goldilocks

Thanks vampiredave
Just what I was seeking to find out
Please, what’s the source of your helpful info?
“white smoke” can also be vapour trails?

Just a little more:
Vampire F Mk.3, VF347.
Built at EECo, Preston, and awcn 1 Aug 1947; to No.33 MU Lyneham 6 Aug 1947 and transferred to No.27 MU Shawbury 6 Aug 1948; del No.247 Sqn, Odiham 9 Nov 1948 as /becoming ‘ZY-Y’; FA Cat E2 29 June 1949.
Temporarily operating from Martlesham Heath as part of the ‘friendly’ force in Ex ‘Foil’, six squadron Vampires were scrambled at about 17.30hrs to intercept an incoming raid of Hornet fighters. A low-level dog-fight developed in the Ipswich area. Sqn Ldr Beddow was heard to radio for assistance as he attacked two Hornets and was seen to make a steep left-hand turn in front of two of the ‘attackers’. The Vampire was last seen trailing white smoke as the Sqn Ldr Beddow appeared to lose control and dive vertically towards the centre of Ipswich and was killed as the aircraft hit the top storey of a house in Myrtle Road, crashing through a brick wall and exploding in trees on the edge of Holywells Park. Two children living in Myrtle Road were injured and rushed to hospital where one later died of her injuries.
The accident was ‘confirmed’ on 30 June 1949 and the aircraft was SOC as scrap on 13 July 1949

… and a memorial: http://www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/myrtlememorial.html to Sqn Ldr Beddow (apologies if this a ‘double-post’, had a ‘bit-of-trouble’…)

… and a memorial to Sqn Ldr Beddow: http://www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/myrtlememorial.html

Here is a link to pic of Sqn Ldr A R T Beddow’s grave

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=BEDDOW&GSfn=A&GSiman=1&GScid=2345232&GRid=96397864&

Thank you David

In the time lapse between posting my last post and now I spoke to two of the witnesses. One gentleman said the “companion aircraft” circled around afterwards, the other said that no aircraft hung around after the crash. Perhaps it was fortunate that I spoke to them independently, otherwise a roight owd Suff’kers ding-dong would have ensued!;)

Me maarm supports the latter gentleman’s account.

Hello Rogier

Sorry, the ORB is an abbreviation for Operational Record Book. My copy from 247 covers the vampire era only, and was passed to me from a vampire historian. I am told most ORB’s should be available from the National Archives at Kew, or maybe with the Department of Research at RAF Hendon?

“It must have been an unpleasant flight back to Linton-on-Ouse if they did.” – Indeed.

I’m going to get copies of these Hornet squadron ORB’s in the future, but if you find a copy of the “Hornet File” from Air Britain, it gives a good account of the Hornets in service. Unfortunately the vampire crash is not mentioned though.

The UK based Hornet squadrons were 19, 41, 64, and 65, so a check on their ORB’s may produce an exact date?

Hello David

And perhaps whether the Hornet pilot witnessed the crash. It must have been an unpleasant flight back to Linton-on-Ouse if they did.:(

What is an ORB and who has access to them?

Litote! It most certainly is. Thank you.

Although not in my original question, it would be interesting to know if there is a RAF Wattisham connection. Through the grapevine I have heard that there is a book about to be published about the station and if there is then I am sure the author might include a mention if it is not too late.

I am afraid I do not possess Fighter Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Please might somebody have a look for 247 squadron and a Hornet squadron being on detachment there at the time of the disaster?

Hello Rogier

According to the 247 Squadron ORB, Exercise Foil started on the 25th of June 1949, and finished on the 3rd of July. Their Vampires were operated from RAF Odiham.

My records show that 19, 41, 64 and 65 Squadron Hornets were all operated from Linton-on-Ouse for the duration of Exercise Foil.

So unless an individual aircraft called mayday for example, and had to make a landing at Wattisham, from my records the aircraft involved in this Vampire crash would have operated out of Odiham and Linton.

Hello all

As promised, here is the ORB extract from 247 in June 1949, however there is no actual date for the crash:

“JUNE.
OPERATIONS.
All operations, this month, have been overshadowed by the tragic loss of the Commanding Officer, Sqn Ldr A R T Beddow, DFC, who, whilst chasing Hornets at low level in the Ipswich area, struck a house and was killed instantly. This was an Officer who the Royal Air Force could not afford to lose, and his loss will be felt by all who knew him.”

His funeral was held at Odiham Church on the 5th July 1949.

The UK based Hornet squadrons were 19, 41, 64, and 65, so a check on their ORB’s may produce an exact date?

Hope this is of interest,

Litote! It most certainly is. Thank you.

Although not in my original question, it would be interesting to know if there is a RAF Wattisham connection. Through the grapevine I have heard that there is a book about to be published about the station and if there is then I am sure the author might include a mention if it is not too late.

I am afraid I do not possess Fighter Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Please might somebody have a look for 247 squadron and a Hornet squadron being on detachment there at the time of the disaster?

Hi dcollins103
Just looked at your website and the cockpit section of the Hornet. It is a work of art and looks really fantastic.
G.

247 Squadron Operational Record Book extract.

Hello all

As promised, here is the ORB extract from 247 in June 1949, however there is no actual date for the crash:

“JUNE.
OPERATIONS.
All operations, this month, have been overshadowed by the tragic loss of the Commanding Officer, Sqn Ldr A R T Beddow, DFC, who, whilst chasing Hornets at low level in the Ipswich area, struck a house and was killed instantly. This was an Officer who the Royal Air Force could not afford to lose, and his loss will be felt by all who knew him.”

His funeral was held at Odiham Church on the 5th July 1949.

The UK based Hornet squadrons were 19, 41, 64, and 65, so a check on their ORB’s may produce an exact date?

Hope this is of interest,

Hello all

I have a copy of the 247 Squadron “peacetime” Operational Record Book relevant to the time this incident occured. I was given a copy of this because my vampire VZ193 served with that unit in 1949 also!

From memory the ORB states that the vampire and hornet were flying together at low level when the crash occured.

I will re-visit this thread shortly with the exact transcript from the event.

Merkle and Rogier.

Looking at the Google maps of the area it is easy to see how close these roads are now. Maybe 59 years ago they were closer still.

Might there be anything on the accident card for the Vampire? I presume it would be available from DoRIS at the RAF Museum. Perhaps there might be a note regarding a subsequent Court of Inquiry which might prove helpful?

Alternatively, the ORB for the Vampire pilot’s parent Squadron might have something? That should be available from the NA at Kew.

Regards,

kev35

So, it’s reader beware!

Two errors in Air Britain “Broken wings” book: (1) the date – out by a day, and (2) location – it’s Myrtle Road not Foxhall Road, though there are close to one another – third of a mile.

To be fair, I believe Air Britain record most if not all of there series of books from official RAF/FAA Records, and I suppose all they can do is write whatever ,the RAF officer decided to write in the first place, you should see some of them, sometimes it might say , 1.5 Miles west of a town etc,
the crashes were that common in the 1940s that sad as it was, they never really investigated like today, they just swept it up, filed a report card, that was pretty much it,
And no please dont think I am trying to teach you to suck eggs:), Just letting you know, even though air britain are brilliant books, the records Can be Sketchy sometimes,

as for the 29th of June 1949, there is Nothing Listed, Next crash is on the 30th a, spitfire miles away from Ipswich:D

So, it’s reader beware!

Two errors in Air Britain “Broken wings” book: (1) the date – out by a day, and (2) location – it’s Myrtle Road not Foxhall Road, though there are close to one another – third of a mile.