RAF Non-operational loss 21 March 1944

[Henk Welting]

Unveiling a memorial and having the correct words on it means that the AHB/RAF (Air Historial Branch) M U S T come up with all the available info on this accident (even if the questioner is not a next of kin). The aircraft was from OADU (Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit) and on a ferry- or test flight from Hurn, Moordown. It crashed short after take-off. The crew may have been 7 (Appleton/Evans/Gent/McGregor/Alexander/Green/Roberts). Killed on the ground were Mrs Dorothea BENNETT, age 59, from 9 Meadow Court, Wimbourne Road and Mr Percy Frederick CHISLETT, age 49, from 1027 Wimbourne Road, Bournemouth.
Success with the planning of the memorial; we may not forget those heroes.
Regards,
Henk.

[Arjay1949]

Many thanks for your post Henk. I shall pass on your advice, regarding contacting the Air Historical Branch for any further information, to the relevant committee members, and hopefully we can confirm (or not!) whether Sgt Green and Sgt Roberts were on board.

Would it be normal for an aircraft to be ferried to, say, a new overseas squadron by it's operational crew, or would it have been 'delivered' by a separate, possibly smaller, crew?
If it is the operational crew we could well expect, as you suggest, a complement of 7, and not just the 5 currently thought to have been on board.

Thanks again for your post.

[Arjay1949]

Gentlemen - sorry to impose again. The memorial for JP 137 continues to get closer to realisation. Funding shortages, and ill health have slowed things down a little, but we crack on!

As the official records 'snippets' come to light, various aspects of local 'legend' have had to be revised -perhap understandably!

One thing perhaps I may ask for your comments?
I have attached a copy of part of the crash records, which gives the serial numbers of the 4 Merlin XXII engines installed on JP 137. As you can see, one (highlighted) has a significantly different serial number from the other three.
Would it be reasonable to deduce that this engine may have been changed? Although the aircraft was less than 4 months old, and had yet to be delivered to it's operational base, it had already spent time in 3 different Maintenance Units in the weeks preceding the loss.

Eye witness reports of the time record, not only the port wing 'dipping' shortly after takeoff, but civilians on the ground reported an engine on fire.
As was common in these cases, the 'Category E (Burnt)' comment on the aircraft record card was a bit of an understatement. Contemporary newspaper photos of the wreckage show virtually nothing left!

Nevertheless, the Court of Inquiry decided 'no mechanical failure' and seemed to blame the pilot for 'flying visually'.
The sad thing is that, probably as a result of that conclusion, the descendants of Sgt. Evans (the pilot) have decided not to become involved with the memorial. Which is sad.

With the 'stall' and rudder overspill design flaw of the Halifax MKII, an engine failure on take off, combined with a full fuel load for the flight to North Africa ahead, it all probably meant that Sgt. Evans had no way of saving the aircraft, whatever he did.
And if one of the engines had been 'troublesome' in the preceding weeks, and changing it had not got to the root of the problem?.....

Of course, I realise this may just be a red herring, and that it may have been pure chance that 3 of the 4 engine serial numbers are close together.
And I may be doing a huge injustice to those vital ground crews at the 'MU's, by suggesting that they hadn't got to the root of the problem, but if we can gather any evidence that helps convince Sgt. Evans' family that they should be involved, and that no one is attaching any blame to him......