13's.... (5 Viewers)

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Tuesday 13 May 1947
Time: night
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/operator: 7 ANS RAF
Registration: RP560
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: RAF Bishop's Court, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland - United Kingdom
Phase: Landing
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Bishop's Court, County Down, Northern Ireland
Destination airport: RAF Bishop's Court, County Down
Narrative:
Vickers Wellington RP560, (Air Navigation School): Written off (damaged beyond repair) 13 May 1947 in a night landing accident at RAF Bishop's Court, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland

The Wellington was landing at night on the short runway at RAF Bishops Court in conditions of no wind, after a night bombing/navigation exercise. The Wellington overshot the runway on landing, and came to a halt in boundary hedge. The aircraft was written off as Cat. E(FA) but all the crew on board survived uninjured.

The pilot of Wellington RP560 on this occasion was Pilot II Colin Bass RAF (1603236) - the same pilot who was killed in the crash of Wellington RP565 at RAF Topcliffe, North Yorkshire on 17 March 1948.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Tuesday 13 January 1948
Time: 15:00
Type: Vickers Wellington T Mk X
Owner/Operator: 1 ANS RAF
Registration: RP555
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: RAF Topcliffe, North Yorkshire, England - United Kingdom
Phase: Initial climb
Nature: Military
Departure Airport:bRAF Topcliffe, North Yorkshire
Destination Airport: RAF Topcliffe, North Yorkshire
Narrative: On 13th January 1948 Vickers Wellington RP555 (1 Air Navigation School) took off from RAF Topcliffe, North Yorkshire, in the mid-afternoon so the pilot could train on instrument flying. Also on board was a second pilot who was acting as an instructor, a signaller/radio operator, and a radar mechanic The purpose of the latter was so that he could carry out radar tests during the flight.

The aircraft took off in the gusty conditions with the pilot having to use both hands to maintain lateral control, the aircraft climbed normally to 400 feet but after which the nose rose sharply. The pilot pushed the control column forward to try and make the aircraft return to level but this had no effect, full power was applied but the aircraft continued to climb at this rate until it was at about 1,000 feet. The speed of it had now dropped to 80 knots so the pilot ordered the crew to bail out before it stalled.

Only the second pilot was able to get out before the nose sank and the aircraft entered a dive from which it could not be recovered from. The survivor sustained slight injuries after being dragged by his parachute when on the ground after it caught in the strong wind. The other three had no chance to get out before it crashed and were sadly killed in the crash at 15.00 hours.

The resulting investigation found that the aircraft had been stored outside in a strong wind without any control locks been installed. The strong wind had, over time, effected the elevator control cable and it was thought that it had become disconnected. Whilst it appeared to operate normally when the control column was moved it had no effect on the elevators.

Crew of Wellington RP555:
P.2 (Warrant Officer) William Frederick Barber (1614255) pilot RAF. Of Market Harborough. Buried Market Harborough Cemetery, Leicestershire.
P2 Frederick Osmond Bosomworth (instr. pilot) RAF slightly injured.
Sig2b (Warrant Officer) Kenneth John Feary (1813068) signaller RAF, of London. Buried Highgate Cemetery, London.
AC.1 Peter Arthur Lindus (3088756) Radar Mechanic RAF . Of St Lukes, Surrey. Cremated Croydon, Surrey.

P2 Frederick Osmond Bosomworth, the sole survivor, was born 4 March 1915, and died in 1982 in Claro Wapentake, West Yorkshire.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Tuesday 13 July 1948
Time: morning
Type: Vickers Wellington
Owner/Operator: Armée de l'Air
Registration:
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 14
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Unknown
Location: Imin-Tanout region - Morocco
Phase: Unknown
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: BA Marrakech
Destination Airport: Algiers
Narrative: Forced belly landing into terrain after engine failure.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Tuesday 13 September 1949
Time: afternoon
Type: Vickers Wellington
Owner/Operator: Armée de l'Air
Registration: F-TKIU
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 9
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: English Channel, near Island of Jersey, Channel Islands - France
Phase: En route
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: Bordeaux, France
Destination Airport: Cherbourg, France
Narrative: Crashed into Canale Della Manica (English Channel) between the French coast and the Island of Jersey, Channel Islands during training flight. Three survivors rescued by a Norwegian ship. According to a rough translation from Italian into English of a contemporary newspaper report ("L'Unita" 14 September 1948 p.4)

"IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
A plane crashes with nine people on board
SAINT HELIER (Channel Islands). September 13. —
A military French aircraft is reported to have crashed this afternoon in the sea between Jersey and the French coast. The aircraft, which had taken off from Bordeaux on training flight, with 9 people on board. Operations were immediately reported to search for the aircraft"

Wellington was F-TKIU/BE706, ex-RAF PG316.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Monday 13 August 1951
Time: day
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk XVIII
Owner/Operator: 228 OCU RAF
Registration: PG367
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7
Other Fatalities: 2
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: Hudswell, 2 miles W of Richmond, Yorkshire - United Kingdom
Phase: En route
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Leeming, Yorkshire
Destination Airport:
Narrative: On 13 August 1951 Flight Lieutenant Quinton was a navigator under instruction in an RAF Wellington aircraft (PG367) which was involved in a mid-air collision with an RAF Miles Martinet (NR570).

An Air Training Corps cadet was with Quinton in the rear compartment of the Wellington when the force of the impact caused the Wellington to break up and plunge to earth out of control.

Flight Lieutenant Quinton picked up the only parachute he could see, clipped it on to the cadet's harness, showed him how to pull the rip-cord and ordered him to jump. The cadet landed safely and was the only survivor of the disaster, all the other 8 occupants of the two planes perished. For his selfless action he was awarded the George Cross (GC).

Pilot - F/O Peter Frederick Keeling RAF (582152), aged 22, of Southend on Sea, Essex. Buried Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Navigator - F/O George Michael Trotman RAF (1606829), aged 27, of Wooton under Edge, Glocestershire. Buried Painswick, Glocestershire.
Navigator U/T - F/Lt John Alan Quinton RAF GC DFC (115714), aged 30, of Lewisham, London. Buried Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Navigator U/T - P/O Frank Leslie Farrell RAF (582254), aged 22, of Docking, Norfolk. Buried Hessle Cemetery, Hull.
Navigator U/T - P/O Edwin George Percival Garratt RAF (2436405), aged 20, of Tooting, London. Buried Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.
F/O Dawyck George McLeod Veitch R(Aux)AF (178711), aged 37, of Harrogate, Yorkshire. Buried Wilford Hill Cemetery, Nottingham.
Passenger - Cadet Derek Coates ATC, aged 16, of Middlebrough. Survived.

Crew of the Miles Martinent that were also killed were

Pilot - F/Lt Alexander Hannay RAF (120473), aged 32, of Stranraer, Scotland. Buried Kirkcoln Cemetery, Stranraer.
Passenger - Cpl Malcolm Bruton ATC, aged 16, of Middlesbrough. Buried Acklam Cemetery, Middlesbrough.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Wednesday 13 February 1952
Time: night
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/Operator: 104 FRS RAF
Registration: MF567
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: Fradley, near RAF Litchfield, Staffordshire, England - United Kingdom
Phase: Approach
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Litchfield, Staffordshire
Destination Airport: RAF Litchfield, Staffordshire
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative: Vickers Wellington T.Mk.X MF567, 104 FRS (Flying Refresher School), RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 13/2/1952 when struck the ground at Fradley, Staffordshire, on final approach to RAF Litchfield. The Student pilot set the altimeter to a QNH of 900 feet, which meant the altimeter gave a false reading, showing the Wellington to be at 900 feet when it was at ground level.

The instructor pilot did not check the setting (or did not notice it), and one of the crew - Flight Sergeant L Sutcliffe (Air Signaller) - was injuried. The remaining crew appear to have survived uninjured.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Monday 13 October 1952
Time: day
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/Operator: 6 ANS RAF
Registration: RP387
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Other Fatalities :0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire, England - United Kingdom
Phase: Approach
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire
Destination Airport: RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire
Narrative: Vickers Wellington Mk X RP387, 6 ANS (Air Navigation School): Written off 13/10/1952. The crew was completing a local training sortie at RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire. During the approach completed in IMC conditions, the pilot-in-command deactivated the automatic pilot system and decided to continue manually under VFR rules. In heavy rain falls, he did not realize that the aircraft was losing height when it crashed in a field short of runway threshold, and collided with a tree. Two crew members - Sergeant L Bahal and Pilot Officer C Cooke - were injured, while the third occupant was killed.

Crew fatality:
Pilot Officer Francis Patrick PURCELL, RAF = killed in service 13/10/1952

Causes: Wrong approach configuration on part of the crew.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Date: Thursday 13 November 1952
Time: night
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk X
Owner/Operator: 6 ANS RAF
Registration: RP328
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire, England - United Kingdom
Phase: Approach
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire
Destination Airport: RAF Lichfield, Staffordshire
Narrative: Vickers Wellington Mk X RP328, 6 ANS (Air Navigation School): Written off 13/11/1952 when crashed near RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire. The aircraft returned from a night navigation sortie, and the pilot overshot on the first approach to the airfield, due to adverse weather condtiions. The aircraft then climbed above the low haze conditions, to an antitude of 900 feet.

The pilot then began a second attempt to apporach RAF Lichfield, with the aircraft descending to 400 feet, at which point the Vickers Wellington struck the ground. Although the aircraft was wrecked, the crew appeared to have survived uninjured.

The subsequent RAF Board of Inquiry into the incident concluded that the lack of approach lighting at RAF Litchfield may have been a contributary factor to the accident.

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Lucky13 said:
28th of April 1943, Stirling I W7513, 75 Sqdn, LWT....
Remarks: Took off 2042 28 April 1943 from Newmarket on a mine laying detail in the Radish Region of the Fehmarn-Belt. Lost without trace.

Date: Thursday 29 April 1943
Time: night
Type: Short Stirling Mk I
Owner/Operator: 75 (NZ) Sqn RAF
Registration: W7513
MSN:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Aircraft missing
Location: North Sea 40 km SW of Esbjerg or 80 km SW of Ringkøbing - Denmark
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Newmarket
Destination Airport:
Narrative: Probably shot down by a night fighter. Two different claims apply on this aircraft:
- shot down at 01:17 by Hauptmann Hans Baer of the 4./NJG 3, flying Do 217 N-1 D5+FM from Westerland airfield, Germany. Location: North Sea 40 km SW of Esbjerg
or
- shot down at 01:45 by Feldwebel Rudolf Mangelsdorf of the 12./NJG 3, flying a Ju 88 from Grove airfield. Location: North Sea 80 km SW of Ringkøbing

Operation: Gardening – mine-laying operations
Call Sign: AA-G
Takeoff time: 20:42

Crew:-
Pilot : Sergeant Keith Halliburton RNZAF NZ/415411 [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Devinder Singh Sidhu RAFVR 946455 [Killed]
Navigator : Sergeant Patrick Torre Hunter RNZAF NZ/42297 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 09 July, 1940) [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant Leslie Thomas Scarfe RAFVR 1261331 [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Sergeant David Church RAFVR 1196564 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Charles Henry George Boxall RAFVR 1393248 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Alexander Clunie Howell RNZAF NZ/392104 [Killed]

Lucky13 · Apr 13, 2025

Lucky13 said:
1st of October 1942, Stirling I W7613, 218 Sqdn, Denmark....
Remarks: Took off 1948 1 Oct 1942 from Downham Market. Cause of loss not established.

Wing Commander M F B Read, Flying Officer J C F Du Toit, Sergeant A I Parkinson: killed; Pilot Officer J R Drake, Sergeant K J Cooper, Sergeant J Speed, Flight Sergeant D Menard, Sergeant J W Dawson: missing believed killed; Stirling W7613, 218 Squadron, aircraft failed to return from an operational flight, 1st of October 1942.

Date: Friday 2 October 1942
Time: 01:22 claim
Type: Short Stirling Mk I
Owner/Operator: 218 (Gold Coast) Sqn RAF
Registration: W7613
MSN: HA-N
Fatalities: Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Other Fatalities: 0
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Location: North Sea west of Skallingen, Blåvand, Syddanmark - Denmark
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure Airport: RAF Downham Market, Norfolk
Destination Airport:
Narrative: Takeoff at 19:48 hrs local time for an operation against Lübeck in Germany.

On its way back to base W7613 was attacked by night fighter pilot Major Günther Radusch of the Stab II./NJG 3 based at Schleswig airfield in Germany.

Pilot F/Lt Johannes C.F. Du Toit and Pilot Wing Cdr. Montagu F. B. Read were both found drifted ashore near Hvidding on 17/10 and laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery in Esbjerg on 20/10. Air Gnr. Sgt Alan I. Parkinson RNZAF was found on the beach of Vejers, and laid to rest in Gravlunden (Fovrfelt cemetery, Esbjerg) on 30/10 1942.
Read originated from Canada and Du Toit from South Africa.

FLt Engr. Sgt John W. Dawson, Navigator F/O John R. Drake, Air Bomber Sgt Kenneth J. Cooper, W/Op Sgt James Speed and Air Gnr. F/S Joseph D.R. Menard RCAF have no known graves and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.