Fokker F.XII G-AEOT crash 19 November 1936

Does anyone know precisely where G-AEOT crashed?

A.J.Jackson (British Civil Aircraft 1919 – 1972, Volume II) simply states that it was “near Gatwick”. However the AIB report into the crash apparently gives the location as “Round Hill, Telgate Forest, 4 miles south of Gatwick Airport”.

Taking a line 4 miles south from the Beehive brings one into Tilgate Forest (just south of the M23). But having checked the 1930s O.S. maps, no feature appears thereupon, in Tilgate Forest, described as ‘Round Hill’. However SSE of the old Gatwick Airport is a district of Crawley called Pound Hill. Although originally a mere hamlet, by the 1930s residential development had commenced there (preceding that of the Crawley New Town). However it’s only two miles from the Beehive and if one contines the line 4 miles SSE, it brings one into Worth Forest (to an area in the region of Worth Abbey).

So did the Fokker crash at Pound Hill? If so, not only has the place name been mistranscribed but the AIB has incorrectly stated the compass direction and the distance from Gatwick Airport. But maybe the Fokker crashed in Tilgate Forest, so that the compass direction and distance were right and the only error was to slightly mistranscribe the place name. If so, what about ‘Round Hill’? It could have been that it was simply an appropriate topographical description of the feature of the landscape where the crash took place. But no round hills, 4 miles (or thereabouts) south (or thereabouts) of the old Gatwick Airport appear on either the O.S. map of today or the 1930s.

Boring and irrelevant to many? Yes. A mystery? Yes. So are there any takers who like solving mysteries and are not yet bored by this one? I hope so! And whilst I wait, I’ll see if there are any reports of the crash in the Crawley Observer or other periodicals.