Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Hi guys

I have read that Rapide G-ACPY was shot down by German fighters off the Scilly isles on 3 June 1941. Any truth in this? Any details?

Cheers
Brian

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

HI. BRI.

from what i heard was friendly fire, but i heard that story .
did you know that there were at least 6 other civi planes all shot down off prestwick.around 41 43.i guess by some yanks.and RAF. "bizarre?
GARY

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Apparently shot down by a He-111 according
www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/leq/hist.htm describing the history of Land's End Airport.
Services between the Scillies and Land's End were suspended until 27 Oct 41
when some contact with a radar station was established to confirm that no enemy aircraft were around.


Regards,

Leendert
Brugge/Belgium

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Thanks for the information.

Gary, what can you tell me about civil aircraft losses off Prestwick, or where can I find this information?

Cheers
Brian

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Hi
there was an article sometime back ( air pictorial ?) or aviation news that had info and photos on the a/c.
The opinion was it was shot down by a luftwaffe a/c, ( can't recall which type ) and that due to the visual conditions it would have been difficult to indentify the civilian markings.
cheers
jerry

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

HI. bri
the site was in my favs kept but lost im after it right now.over 300 .
it lists civi and RAF planes in the NW england , there were at least 8 civi same type of aircraft shot down by RAF and USA pilots??? in 5 months periods, some in one month,
also a US flown p40 from specke to prestwick he went missing. in 42!
if i find the site ill pass it on .
GARY
ps still lookin..sorry

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Brian
there was an article in an AE on loss of a Rapide off Scilly Islands years ago with colour profile etc

Juha

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

thanks again for info.
Gary

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

this is just a review from a book i did own regarding a beufighter. in scotland, that was to be tested out.
in 1942 a pilot was to test a beu out but felt unwell, well a other pilot test flyer came down from the tower and said whats up. the pilot said he was to take that beu up but was not well , the other pilot said ok ill do it.......tea can wait.
then he put on his gear then started up the plane then went, later on 3 to 4 hours past the pilots were a bit concerned by him not arriving, they looked on the hangers top to see if any fires were seen nothin" THAT WAS THE LAST ANYBODY HEARD FROM HIM EVER AGAIN, his push bike was still there were he parked it.when leaving. he was never seen again ,
well it was near the coast..
Gary

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Brian

First of all G-ACPY was NOT a Rapide, but a DH 84 Dragon c/n 6076. According to John Hamlin and the book The de Havilland Dragon/Rapide family the aeroplane was shot down by the Luftwaffe, probably a Ju 88, on June 3rd 1941. Registered owner was Great Western & Southern Airlines Ltd, Land's End. Operating a service between Scilly Isles (St Mary's) and Land's End (St Just), pilot Capt W D Anderson and five pax were killled. The aircraft was cancelled from the British civil register on June 11th the same year.

Cheers
Stig

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Many thanks, Stig, much appreciated.

Give my regards to the Trolls!

Cheers
Brian

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

What makes this very sad is it appears a whole family was killed...

Crew: Captain W.D. Anderson DFC (Australian)

5 Passengers:

Mrs Sheelagh Leggitt - Secretary to Sir Walter Monckton, Director-General of the Ministry of Information. Who had been on holiay at Penzance

Mr John Leggitt - Husband, Secetary of Anglo-Egyptian Chamber of Commerce in London

Jeannie Leggitt aged 11

Romalita Leggitt aged 9

Mrs. Georgina Griffith (Mother of Mrs Leggitt)

Mrs. Leggitt was in her early 30's and was previously secretary to Lord Astor, and was only married the previous August, so probably Step Mother to the children

It appears the flight was from the Scilly Isles to Penzance

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

The Rapide service to the Scillies continued into (I think) the mid 1960s and I'm pretty sure that when it ended someone wrote a book about it with a title like "Airway to the Isles" or "Air Bridge to the Isles."

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Thanks Paul and Nick

What a sad story. Thanks for sharing. War is shit!

Cheers
Brian

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Brian
You can find the story of the Dragon in AE 66 Nov/Dec 1996. According to it G-ACPY was shot down by a He 111 from I./KG 28.

HTH
Juha

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Also read somewhere that Dragon was victim of a chance encounter with a He-111 returning from an abortive raid on carrier HMS Indomitable at Barrow-in-Furness shipyard.
Six Hurricanes of No 87 Squadron, detached to St Mary's on 19th May 1941, had been withdrawn only four days prior to incident.

Leendert

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Thanks guys,

An off the cuff enquiry has resulted in a very interesting, if sad, story. I hope to use it in a future work! Thanks again.

Juha, any chance of you scanning the AE account for me?

Cheers
Brian

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Sorry Brian, but I don't own a scanner. Maybe some other forum members have both a scanner and the AE. I only glanced the article but Leendert description is same that what I glanced from the article, at least the crew, of which at least the commander of the He 111 H-4 was named, has orders to attack a British carrier In???? at some Barrow-??? shipyard. The attack was made from behind and above and the Dragon was shot down by the front gun of Heinkel. One engine was hit and the Dragon banked and went to sea. The Dragon was contracted by government and was camouflaged. Civilians were allowed to use it if there were vacant seats, that’s why Leggitt family was travelling in it. The tragedy was “seen” by British radar operators.

Sorry
Juha

Re: Rapide G-ACPY lost 3 June 1941
 

Captain William Donald ANDERSON - DFC - is listed by the CWGC in "Air crashes at sea". In same register are for 3-6-1941, and what may have been the passengers:
Mrs Georgina E.L. GRIFFITH
Mr John LEGGITT
Mrs Sheelagh M. LEGGITT
Jeanine LEGGITT - age 11
Ronalita LEGGITT - age 9

Henk.