Remembering, Roy Chadwick, S.A. Thorn, D. Wilson and J. Webster died 23rd August 1947

Tomorrow marks the 69th anniversary of the deaths of four of the crew of the prototype Avro Tudor II G-AGSU in a tragic accident. G-AGSU G-AGSU Those killed were, the pilot Mr. S.A Thorn, chief test pilot of Avro, S/L D. Wilson, chief of test section, Mr. J. Webster, the radio operator and Roy Chadwick CBE, FRSA, FRAeS. The crash occurred very shortly after take off from runway 25 at Woodford as a result of a fault in servicing the previous evening in which the aileron cables were crossed. Roy was only 54 years old when he died and yet had contributed so much to aviation and the war effort. Roy is buried in the graveyard at Christ Church, Woodford which is just a short distance from the crash site. Roy was born in 1893 at Farnworth near Widnes where a commemorative plaque has been erected. Woodford where Avro built more than 20,000 aeroplanes ranging from the 504 to the Vulcan and including the Anson, Lancaster and Shackleton, is now closed and the Avro factory has gone befalling the fate that has overtaken many airfields, that of a housing estate with the runway cross becoming a tree lined boulevard to remember the legacy of the site. The future of the original two green Avro hangers is unknown to me but they do not appear on the developers plan. The Avro Heritage Museum remains on the site together with Vulcan B2 XM603. Pause tomorrow and think of these men, amongst many others, who died pursuing the development of the airplane industry in this country. RIP, Roy Chadwick, Mr. S.A Thorn, S/L D. Wilson, and Mr. J. Webster, we remember you.