Vickers Vanguard , G-EBCP 1929. Test Flight Crash -Lieutenant E Scholefield

[DillTheDog]

Hi, I really hope that someone out there will be able to help, or at least can point me to a member or group that can
as struggling to find details.

I am doing historical local research of Laleham Surrey, and looking for some accurate information relating to the crash of the
test flight of Vanguard G-EBCP in May 1929, any information / photos / contact info, especially for the pilot Mr Scholefield and
also of the Mechanic Frank Sherratt, anything would be gratefully received.
This Being the Flight from Brooklands Airfield


Thank you for your time

Steve Brooker
Ashford Middx
Surrey
UK

 

[Snautzer01]

ASN Aircraft accident Vickers 170 Vanguard G-EBCP Shepperton plse see this

 

[nuuumannn]

Hi DilltheDog, have you contacted Brooklands Museum? The guys there have a sizeable archive that might be able to help. There is also a Vanguard/Merchantman there.

 

[DillTheDog]

Morning, yes I emailed one of the top guys yesterday so hope to hear back during the week, and will advise anything that I find just is case anyone else is interested

Kind Regards
Steve

 

[nuuumannn]

Oops, I just realised, I'm confusing Vanguards! You also might want to head down to Kew and go hunting through the National Archive, which has the BAe archives - Vickers obviously became part of BAC.

 

[DillTheDog]

Again thanks for the feedback, yes I did attempt last week and they do have a file on it AVIA 5/11/C140
but its not available to download as has not been digitized, but there web site is all over the place and cant
get it to recognise my request for a ticket or to get it scanned to view, so am going to have to call them,
time will tell what they have and will post when I finally get hold of it

thanks again
Steve

 

[nuuumannn]

Good luck with your enquiry Steve. You might have to either pay someone to do the research for you or hobnail it down there. Hopefully the file will have what you are after.

 

[DillTheDog]

Thanks and just for anyone that is interested this is poor old test pilot "Tiny" in his Buick in 1928 at Brooklands at a race meet, still trying to find his
Mechanic S.W. Sherratt , apparently know as Frank, but not sure yet of this, Sherratt is listed as having jumped from the aircraft before impact and
also died, seemingly neither had parachutes on this flight.

 

[DillTheDog]

Found these, another of Tiny at Brooklands and EBCP, not sure, it could be Brooklands, poss Croydon, but still nothing back from Brooklands yet ,
so am going to have to pursue the crash file at Kew

#

 

[Airframes]

Nice pics.
May take a while for a response from Brooklands Museum - mot of the staff are volunteers or part-time, but they are very helpful. If someone there has, or can find the info you want, I'm sure they'll let you know.

 

[DillTheDog]

Well, this is it, in short, and now have the official crash report just released from KEW, and about ten newspaper reports from archive. far to much to list here but if any one is interested just message me and will gladly forward all that I have, i have included the first page of the crash report and one newspaper article.. all has been sent over to Brooklands , and finally found a picture of Sherratt,
so here is what I now know....


Vickers Vanguard EBCP CRASH 1929 MAY 16

Flight Lieutenant Edward Rodolph Clement Scholefield 1893-1929 DCM AFC (known as Tiny Scholefield) and his Mechanic Rolls Royce engineer S.W. Sherratt both killed during a test flight of Vickers Vanguard EBCP

Scholefield was born on 22 October 1893 in Alberta, Canada. he married Dorothy Seymour in 1919 and they had one son, Kenneth Rodolph Seymour in 1923. Lived with his wife in Devonshire Road, Weybridge. Tiny was a member of the Caterpillar Club, flying circus.

Sherratt, was as best as I can find born 1900 in the UK in Hampshire, Lived in Bournmouth, and had four sisters, Millicent, b 1904, Violet Mary b 1906, Cicely b 1909 and Edith b 1911. Father was Thomas William Sherratt b 1875 Leek Hampshire d 1957
He worked for Vickers Aircraft Inspection Dept. lived/boarded in Byfleet Road, Weybridge.

Scholefield was awarded a French aviator's certificate on 5 April 1912.
He joined the Royal Flying Corps as an airman at the start of the First World War and was later commissioned.
In 1915 when on patrol over the Western Front he was shot down and taken prisoner; he remained a German prisoner of war until the end of the war. During the war he had won the Distinguished Conduct Medal and following the war he became an experimental test pilot at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. In 1923 he was awarded the Air Force Cross. Following his retirement from the Royal Air Force Scholefield
became Chief Test Pilot for Vickers at Brooklands and became well known as an air racer and demonstration pilot, and racing driving at brooklands, owning his own Buick .

Sherratt, was on board the first attempted flight from England to South Africa, 1920, Vimy G-UABA, named Silver Queen, Departing Brooklands 4 February, They landed safely at Heliopolis, but as they continued the flight to Wadi Halfa they were forced to land due to engine overheating with 80 miles Still to go. A second Vimy was loaned by the RAF at Heliopolis (and named Silver Queen II).
This second aircraft continued to Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia where it was badly damaged when it failed to take off.
The Pilot and Co, Rynevald and Brand along with Sherratt and Mr Newman (RAF airframe mechanic) then borrowed a Airco DH.9 to continue the journey to Cape Town.
They were disqualified as winners but nevertheless the South African government awarded them the price and a cash reward each.

The Crash of GB-EBCP ( total flight hours 629 )

1929, May 16th, Scholefield and Sherratt were test flying the Vanguard EBCP from Brooklands Aerodrome when control was lost and the aircraft nose-dived from around 2000 feet into the ground.
The crash site was on Ferry lane, being in Shepperton Middx, in a field next to the Boathouses owned by Mr Duncan.

Noted by an eye witness Mr John Taylor, that one one of the wings was broken and hanging, then fell off, this before part of the tail section rudder then broke away. Another witness Ms Mary Webster said that she observed it braking apart while in a nose dive.
Witness Alfred Pitfeild described that he saw the Right wing brake away just before it nose-dived, and was already in flames.

The Rudder may have never been found, as it was reported the next week that it was still being looked for and Mr Percy Muller
from Vickers offered a reward for its return.


Scholefield was found still in the burnt wreck, the coroner reported that its likely he died from head injuries on impact.
Sherratt who had jumped from the aircraft before impact was found 70 yards west from the aircraft,
Coroner reported that he would have died instantly from the fall.