60 years ago today

On the same page is a panel about a dinner and the unveiling ceremony
on the 1st of May. It has Eric Brown’s photo in it.
mmitch.

The Test Pilots Memorial is to be unveiled at FAST Farnborough on 1st May.
http://www.codystatue.org.uk/news.html
mmitch.

Assuming the link worked correctly this is a statue of Cody

The thing I was thinking of was a generic memorial to all test pilots.

Thank you everyone for your posts on this grim subject. As I get older I understand more and more that aviation is about human beings first, aeroplanes second.

It would be very hard for me to argue against your recollection, but contemporary reports state that Venom VV612 with reheated Ghost was next on the display and was running and holding for its slot when the accident to WG236 occured, it took off as soon as the runway was cleared.
I haven’t confirmed the pilot but I would think it was de Havillands’ Wg Cdr, C.D. Beaumont who flew the aircraft on trials.
The Vulcan and four 707s then performed their daily fly through, and Duke in the Hunter waited for clearer weather at the end of the show before displaying.

It seems to be one more populor myth around the whole event that Duke jumped into his aircraft and took off forthwith.
He did however deliberately perform a sonic boom during his act, which was said to be his way of disproving the then current nonsense surrounding the soundbarrier in the populor press, and possibly pre-empting the press’ obvious (and incorrect) jumping to conclusions to linking the loss of the DH.110 and the sonic boom.
He did indeed receive the letter from Churchill for his act, and doubltess partly to do with his standing at that time as a well known test and display pilot.

Thanks for that. I think I would rather go with your scholarship than my recollections as a 10 year old, coloured no doubt by time and myth.

Gringoal, thank you for joining and adding your recollections of this terrible event, which can’t have been too easy to do.
From pictures I’ve seen of the scenes, I would concur with your engine theory in that it hit the ground complete before bouncing and becoming two main sections, the main compressor stages seem to be in a relatively clear area.
Your comments about the press are interesting and I have often wondered if the press has actually got worse or not. This event, Cdr Russells loss on Victorious, and various other accidents of the time seem to display the very worst of what the media has always been capable of.

I would query just one aspect of the story, which is that my recollection was that it was Duke in the Hunter who took off, as he was scheduled to do, immediately after the crash.

It would be very hard for me to argue against your recollection, but contemporary reports state that Venom VV612 with reheated Ghost was next on the display and was running and holding for its slot when the accident to WG236 occured, it took off as soon as the runway was cleared.
I haven’t confirmed the pilot but I would think it was de Havillands’ Wg Cdr, C.D. Beaumont who flew the aircraft on trials.
The Vulcan and four 707s then performed their daily fly through, and Duke in the Hunter waited for clearer weather at the end of the show before displaying.

It seems to be one more populor myth around the whole event that Duke jumped into his aircraft and took off forthwith.
He did however deliberately perform a sonic boom during his act, which was said to be his way of disproving the then current nonsense surrounding the soundbarrier in the populor press, and possibly pre-empting the press’ obvious (and incorrect) jumping to conclusions to linking the loss of the DH.110 and the sonic boom.
He did indeed receive the letter from Churchill for his act, and doubltess partly to do with his standing at that time as a well known test and display pilot.

Going back to the Brian Rivas book, one bit that sends a chill down the spine in retrospect of what would happen just the next day, is the flight in WG240 where Derry is flying at high speed with Richards.
He happens to loosen his straps and look out across the wing and comments about the wing waggling up and down, Richards looks out and sees his side doing the same, something which hadn’t been noticed before.

This thread appeared before I joined. It has brought back many memories. I was there on the Friday and so was deeply shocked by Saturday’s tragedy. The test pilots of the day were very much my heroes and I much appreciated pagen01’s detailed descriptioon of the events. I would query just one aspect of the story, which is that my recollection was that it was Duke in the Hunter who took off, as he was scheduled to do, immediately after the crash. Churchill sent him a letter which read:

“”My dear Duke, it was characteristic of you to go up yesterday after the shocking accident. Accept my salute. Yours, in grief, Winston Churchill.”

The images we all saw have stayed with me all through the years but, as others have mentioned, have never diluted my enthusiasm for air displays, which arguably became less exciting as safety requirements, rightly, became more demanding.

What happened to the Test Pilot memorial supported by Aeroplane? Was any money collected? Was it completed?

The Test Pilots Memorial is to be unveiled at FAST Farnborough on 1st May.
http://www.codystatue.org.uk/news.html
mmitch.

I was there at the age of 7,with my father and his best friend. I consider myself lucky to be alive and am still haunted by the images I saw that day.

We were sitting on the hillside where the engine came down. I vividly remember the D.H.110 seeming to come to stop and rear upwards as the aerodynamic forces caused by the wing failures tore it apart. There was no explosion, it just silently disintegrated. I also remember seeing the engines drop away and hurtle directly towards us at virtually the same speed as the aircraft had been traveling. At the last second my dad pushed me down and lay on top of me.

When we got up it was to a scene of absolute horror, 3 of the 4 people who had been sitting only a few feet in front of us had been reduced to a bloody pulp only a pair of legs recognizable as human body parts. The fourth person, a women, was very badly injured and in agony. All around us people were dead, dying and severely injured . We were splattered with blood, none of it ours, but we were uninjured.

I have a vivid memory of a press photographer taking pictures of the dying with no intention of giving help or comfort to those poor people. That memory has colored my opinion of the gutter press ever since.

Part of the engine had come to rest about 15 feet behind us and rolled into a gulley overturning a fruit cart where people were jostling to steal fruit, another unfortunate lesson in human nature for a seven year old.

I believe the engine parts bounced up the hillside after the initial impact and the last bounce was over us.
I have also read that the engine broke into two parts but I do not know whether this happened in the air or when it hit the ground, there appears to be only one object on the film so I think it probably broke on impact. The part I saw and that narrowly missed me was the front third of the compressor, detaching turbine blades probably caused many injuries. I think the larger, hot, ignition chamber probably caused most of the carnage. If anyone reading this can confirm that I would be interested to know how lucky I was.

please email me at [email]smithav@shaw.ca[/email]

My fathers friend was nowhere to be seen but the legs of one of the poor guys mangled in front of us had similar corduroy trousers so my dad assumed it was his friend and reported him missing presumed dead.

We were treated for shock by the wonderful St.Johns Ambulance people and walked out of the airfield where a complete stranger kindly insisted that we stay at his house that night. At around nine the police arrived at the house, my dad was to upset to go to the door, but it was good news, his friend had been hit by a piece of the engine and had been found wandering dazed with a minor head wound.

I had nightmares for a year after, despite my life long interest in aircraft, I did not go to another airshow until Biggin Hill in 1980 where I witnessed the Invader fatal accident. Never again, those awful memories never leave you.

Thanx John for grave info…many thanx

What happened to the Test Pilot memorial supported by Aeroplane? Was any money collected? Was it completed?

I was there with my Dad: seven years of age but remember much about the incident. My Dad had decided it was likely I would get a better view from near the crowd line so we were there rather than back up on the hill where the engine fell with such devastating conseqences. Most of the crowd, including us, were unaware that people had been killed on the ground.

My my Mother was back at the caravan we were living in (adjacent to Lepe beach, near Southampton). Fortunanately she was not listening to the radio.

Coincidentally my present partner was also at the show, with her family. We were not to meet for another 46 years!!

Planemike

The full list of Memorial Medal awards is on the GAPAN website here:

http://www.gapan.org/about-the-guild/trophies-and-awards/award-winners/the-derry-and-richards-memorial-medal/

Lovely picture John.

I’m also struck by the ‘togertherness’ of Derry and Richards, worth remembering that there is an award commemorating their names.

The memorial was raised and paid for by de Havilland after the terrible loss and public realisation of the test-pilots’ dangerous work after the DH110 crash.

I have these listed from 1953 until 1965,

1953 Wg Cdr Jim H. Heyworth, Rolls Royce
1954 Roland Beamont, English Electric
1955 Peter Twiss, Fairey Aviation
1956 Sqn Ldr J.S. Fifield, Martin Baker
1957 Mike Randrup, Napier
1958 Tom Brooke Smith, Shorts
1959 A.W.(Bill) Bedford, Hawker Aircraft
1960 Michael J. Lithgow, Vickers Supermarine
1961 Brian Trubshaw, Vickers Armstrongs
1962 Hugh C.H. Merewether, Hawker Siddeley
1963 Peter Bugge, Hawker Siddeley (de Havilland)
1964 E.B.(Brian) Trubshaw, British Aircraft Corporation (Vickers)
1965 John Cunnigham, Hawker Siddeley (de Havilland)

The most recent recipient of the Derry and Richards Memorial Medal being Edward Strongman for testing of the Airbus A400.

In Knebworth in the lovely old churchyard. I was on a visit to friends and when during a walk they mentioned “an RAF grave” in the churchyard.

John

My grandfather was at Charterhouse with John Derry. They used to bunk off and watch the Gauntletts at Farnborough.

It is nice to hear Anthony Richards being remembered too. Flight Test Engineers/observers are often forgotten – many have lost their lives, and sadly as witnessed recently, still do.

The fact that they are buried together is poignant too. Where are they buried John?

I was there as well standing just below where the engine landed I was three years old but I can remember seeing the plane break up and the engines hurtling through the sky still running over our heads. My dad threw me on the ground and lay on top of me, then I was ushered away back to the car to leave. but if I close my eyes even now I still have that image of the plane breaking up, its has not put me of aircraft or flying I am pleased to say.

RIP

Nice write up James. I also can highly recommend Brian Rivas and Annie Bullens book on John Derry. I read it around twenty years ago and its still one of my favourite books, and a very sobering read.

Below is a pic of WG236 remains (minus cockpit, engines etc) where she fell like a leaf on the perimeter of Farnborough airfield. The failure of the outer wings is quite clear.

Rob

It’s was an era that I wish I was around for.

Amen. An era when this country was something to be proud of.

I spoke with Brian Rivas recently, and his dedication to the memory of Derry and the respect to his family is remarkable.
In fact I must credit him for helping with some of the info in my piece above.
The book is a must read, even my partner who is distinctly non aviation minded, enjoyed reading it.

It’s was an era that I wish I was around for.