A bit out of my research area but I can add that the April 1918 Air Force List records him as an Aeroplane and Seaplane officer, seniority of Lieutenant as of 1 April 1918.

Try the Online London Gazette to determine his promotions before and after that date.

Regards
Ross

Hi David,

Ask if it was in Weymouth Bay rather than Portland Harbour or was it off Ney Breakwater.

Hate to say it but it could also have been trawled up from the channel in another location and dumped by a home bound Weymouth trawler.

Regards
Ross

Hi Atcham Tower,

A few months ago there was a thread on RAF Stores References. It included the aircraft references. So assuming the ref is 26F:

26FA Brigand
26FC Vampire & Sea Vampire
26FH Sea Fury
26FK Hastings
26FL Valetta & Viking
26FM Prentice T1
26FN Devon C
26FP Shackleton
26FR Winged Targets
26FU Balliol & Sea Balliol
26FV Dragonfly HC & HR
26FW Heron
26FX Hunter & De Havilland N139D(Type 110)
26FY Sea Vixen
26FZ Canberra

No Gnat, but it would be worth eliminating losses of these types first.

Regards
Ross

Amazing how often this one surfaces.

From Air Clues:
The pilot of the accident aircraft was a USAF exchange officer who had completed 2 tours on the USAF F-102 all weather fighter. He had accumulated 121 hours on the Lightning, of which 18 were at night. He had been declared Limited Combat Ready after only 8 weeks on the squadron; this unusually short period of time was based on his previous operational status as well as his performance thus far on the Lightning. The limitation on his operational status was partially due to the requirement to complete all the stages of the visident profiles; at the time of the accident, he was qualified in 2 of the 3 phases of visident, which meant that he would be capable of carrying out shadowing and shepherding tasks only if he was in visual contact with the target.

The Squadron was participating in a Taceval at RAF Binbrook and the squadron Cdr had authorised this pilot to participate, in the belief that he would not be involved in a shadowing or shepherding mission. However, unbeknown to the station or squadron, the Taceval team had just changed the exercise scenario from normal interceptions to shadowing or shepherding on slow speed low-flying targets. The targets were Shackletons flying at 160kts at the minimum authorised height of 1,500ft.

After maintaining one hour at cockpit readiness, the pilot was scrambled. While he was taxying, the scramble was cancelled and he returned to the dispersal, ordering fuel only and no turnround servicing. This was contrary to standing instructions and the engineering officer ordered a full turnround. The turnround was delayed and, during this delay, the pilot was warned that he would be scrambled as soon as he was ready. He told the groundcrew to expedite the servicing but started his engines and taxied before the servicing was complete. He got airborne at 20:30.

The pilot climbed to FL 100 and was handed over to GCI; he was then given a shadowing task against a 160kt target at 1,500ft. At a range of 28nm, he was told to accelerate to M.95 in order to expedite the take over from another Lightning. He called that he was in contact with the lights but would have to manoeuvre to slow down; his voice was strained, as though he was being affected by ‘g’. His aircraft was seen by the other Lightning pilot; it appeared to be about 2,000yds astern and 500-1,000ft above the Shackleton, in a port turn. The Shackleton crew then saw the aircraft, apparently very low. Shortly afterwards, the Lightning pilot failed to acknowledge instructions and emergency procedures were initiated. A search by the Shackleton, and a further air/sea search the following day, failed to detect any trace of the aircraft or pilot.

The wreckage was located nearly 2 months later with surprisingly little damage. The canopy was attached and closed, and there was no sign of the pilot. The aircraft appeared to have struck the sea at a low speed, planed the surface and come to rest comparitively slowly. The ejection seat handle had been pulled to the full extent allowed by the interruptor link in the main gun sear. (The interruptor link ensures that the seat does not fire unless the canopy has gone). The canopy gun sear had been withdrawn but the cartridge had not been struck with sufficient force to fire it (during servicing the firing unit had been incorrectly seated because of damaged screw heads). The canopy had been opened normally, the QRB was undone, as was the PEC, and the PSP lanyard had been released from the life jacket.

It was concluded that the difficult task, carried out in rushed circumstances, combined with a lack of training in this profile, led to the pilot failing to monitor his height while slowing down. He had inadvertantly flown into the sea but had attempted to recover the situation by selecting reheat; this was ineffective with the tail skimming the water. He attempted to eject, but this was unsuccessful due to the canopy failing to jettison. He then manually abandoned the aircraft, but was never found. He was, therefore, presumed to have drowned during or after his escape.

Wing Commander Spry says. There are a number of points which are raised by this article, the first of which is do not believe all you read in the newspapers! Among the serious points to consider are the distractions and stress caused by the false scramble and interrupted turnround, as well as the supervisory failure of allowing a LCR pilot to participate in a Taceval by night. Close supervision during exercise conditions, in a single seat environment, is almost impossible. Minimum qualifications are laid down for a reason!

Regards
Ross

Looks like the Main Stores.

The larger building is the Fabric store.

Too many windows for an AML Bombing Teacher or a Hunt Turret Trainer.

The Airfield Plan from the RAF Museum will confirm.

Regards
Ross

The River Dee estuary claimed quite a few aircraft but some times the sea did not claim the pilot. The following are a few of the RNLI records (I’ve added the aircraft serials):

Martinet HP242
LLANERCHYMOR, FLINTSHIRE.
At 11.20 in the morning of the 17th of July, 1944, the skipper of the auxiliary rescue boat saw an aeroplane crash into the River Dee about a mile south-east of Llanerchymor. The weather was fine and the sea calm. The auxiliary rescue-boat put out with a crew of three. Two young men who were out in a sailing dinghy had gone at once to the rescue and picked up one airman, wearing a life-jacket. The rescue-boat picked up the other airman, who was without a life-jacket and had swum or drifted some distance away. She returned to the dinghy, took on board the man it had rescued and, with the dinghy in tow, made for Llanerchymor, arriving at 12.30. – Rewards, £2 17s. 6d. with 4s. 6d. for
fuel used and £1 2s. 6d. for loss of fishing.
(Source: RNLI Records of Service 1939-46)

Spitfire BM113
Hit drogue during firing practice and dived into Dee Estuary, Flint.

JULY 24TH. – RHYL, FLINTSHIRE.
A Spitfire aeroplane had crashed in the sea, but disappeared without leaving any trace. Rewards, £9 6s.
(See Llancrchynmor. Services by Auxiliary Rescue-boats, page 68.)
(Source: RNLI Records of Services 1939-46)

LLANERCHYMOR, FLINTSHIRE.
As a result of information given by the Mostyn police, and confirmed by the Hoylake coastguard, the auxiliary rescue-boat was launched about four in the afternoon of the 24th of July, 1944, to search for a Spitfire aeroplane, which had crashed into the sea off Talacre, River Dee. The weather was fine with a light north-east wind and a smooth sea. On her way the rescue-boat met a fishing boat and learned that the aeroplane had nose-dived into deep water. As the fishing boat had already searched for the pilot without result, the rescue-boat turned back, bringing the fishing boat with her. They reached Llanerchymor at six o’clock, The Rhyl life-boat had also put out, but found nothing. – Rewards, £1 5s. and 6s. 6d. for fuel used.
(See Rhyl, Accounts of Services by Life-boats, page 28.)
(Source: RNLI Records of Service 1939-46)

Anson EG186
Ditched off Llanerch-y-mor, Flint.

LLANERCHYMOR, FLINTSHIRE.
At 12.15 in the afternoon of the 15th of March, 1945, an Anson aeroplane came down in the Dee Estuary, off Llanerchymor. A strong south-west wind was blowing, but the sea was calm. The crash was seen by Mr. N. Jones, who ran and told Mr. J. C. Mealor and Mr. S. Mealor, fishermen. All three went by car to the wharf and the two Mealors put out in their rowing boat Flint Castle. They sculled to the aeroplane, 300 yards out. It was sinking rapidly and the two airmen were up to their shoulders in the water, both exhausted, and one with his foot entangled in the wire controls. With difficulty the two fishermen rescued them and brought them ashore. They went out again, fixed the aeroplane with anchors and rope, and later helped to salve her. For this they received £3. – Rewards, £1.
(Source: RNLI Records of Service 1939-46)

Regards
Ross

Hi,

Did a water treatment works in North London last year. Part of project was to refurbish drawoff tower from local reservoir.

Checks into Police Occurence/Telephone logs and ARP bomb plots showed no UXO in the vicinity but revealed that numerous Incendiaries were collected by ARP and dumped into Reservoir on a regular basis.

As a result EOD was planned to appear when the reservoir levels had dropped sufficently to allow scanning to take place.

Needless to say despite all agreed precautions including 24 hr guards one device was taken from site and caused full scale attendance from emergency services. Device recovered quickly and made safe but subsequent reports failed the “chuckle test” in front of the management.

Check the records, plan accordingly, plan for the unexpected, plan a new position if the slightest detail missed.

Ross