More questions arising from a taped interview with Wing Commander Dereck ‘Bill’ Kain I am currently transcribing for my website.
A few questions.
Question 1
Bill mentioned that when 73 Sqn moved to RAF Digby and got Gloster Gladiators in June 1937, there were a couple of squadron members lost in night flying incidents. Does anyone have details of the accidents (dates, circumstances, names of people involved?)
Question 2
He also mentions at that time that No. 46 Squadron was also based there, and he recalled that they had seven Hawker Audaxes up flying one night when fog rolled in and blanketed all of England. They had little chance of getting down, and each aircraft had two people aboard. Bill said he rememebred standing on the ground listening to scratchy radio calls coming in from each plane stating they were about to bail out, and in all twelve men bailed out.
The interview is a poor recording and difficult to hear what he said happened to the two crew in the seventh plane, but he does say they got away with it so must have landed ok somewhere. Does anyone know the date of this incident where at least six Audaxes of 46 squadron lost in a night? Did any of them die I wonder? It must have been quite a disaster for a peacetime air force.
Question 3
A little later on No. 73 Squadron disassembled their Gladiators and handed them to No. 80 Squadron to take to the Middle East he says. And then he says that 73 took over the Hurricanes from the first squadron that had been issued with them. Which Sqn was that? No. 111?
Apparently the original Hurricane Sqn’s airfield wasn’t long enough for operating them safely so they were moved to Digby and given to No. 73 Sqn.
Bill says that they had all sorts of teething troubles with the aluminium heads on the Merlins overheating on taxi out and the Glycol igniting on take off, and they’d burst into flames. It happened to him twice and he managed to sideslip back in safely. But he says two pilots from 73 were killed due to this before Rolls Royce sent a team over from their HQ at Huckton (sp?) and they sorted it out.
He recalled one of the pilot’s names was Le Mart (sp?) and cannot recall the other. I’m curious as to who these two were too.
Any info would be gratefully accepted please.
By: Dave Homewood - 10th March 2007 at 01:42
Thanks Alex. This is quite possibly the incident he recalled.
See the same thread on Planetalk.
By: Alex Crawford - 9th March 2007 at 08:31
Hi Dave,
Very intrigued about the Audax losses. I’v had a quick look through my files but can’t come up with anything. 46 Sqn formed in September 1936 at Kenley and operated Gauntlets then Hurricanes. No mention of Audaxes.
However I do have details on five Demons of 64 Squadron being lost in fog during night excersises on 7 August 1938. One of the Demons K8187 undershot while landing at Digby and was declared a write of. The crews of the other four all baled out when they ran out of fuel.
K8185 abandoned near Leicester.
K8199 abandoned near Debden.
K8200 abandoned near Wittering.
K8201 abandoned near Duxford.
Don’t know if it helps, but you never know.
Alex
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March 9, 2007 at 3:43 am