Date:	Friday 7 February 1941
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	2 EFTS RAF
Registration:	T7160
MSN:	83619
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Diglis Weir, River Severn, Worcester, Worcestershire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Worcester, Perdiswell, Worcestershire
Destination airport:	RAF Staverton, Gloucestershire

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 83619: Taken on charge as T7160 at 33 MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 27.7.40. To 2 EFTS RAF Staverton, Gloucestershire 21.9.40.

Written off (destroyed) when hit overhead H.T. cables during low flying, and crashed into River Severn at Diglis Weir, near Worcester 7.2.41; instructor pilot killed, pupil pilot u/t injuired.

Crew of Tiger Moth T7160:
Instructor Pilot, Pilot Officer Benjamin Gordon Baring-Gould (Service Number: 88441) killed in service 7.2.41, buried at Worcester (Astwood) Cemetery, Worcestershire, England, Grave 34864.
Pupil pilot Under Training LAC (Leading Aircraftman) J Thompson - survived with injuries

According to a published source ("The Fallen of Lewtrenchard from the Second World War")
A memorial to those that fell in the Second World War is placed inside St. Peter’s Church.
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Benjamin Gordon Baring-Gould
=
Benjamin was born on July 14th, 1918 at Kuching, Malaysia, to Julian and Elizabeth Joan Baring-Gould (née Ramsden) of Weymouth, Dorset. He joined the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve as a Pilot Officer (Pilot, Service No. 88441). Benjamin was the Pilot Officer of Tiger Moth T7160 of No2 Elementary Flying Training School. His aircraft hit high tension wires and crashed into Diglis Weir, Worcester, on February 7th, 1941 aged 22. Benjamin was killed in the crash, however, his pupil, Leading Aircraftman J Thompson survived the crash.

On the 7th February 1941, PIlot Officer Baring-Gould and his pupil took off from RAF Worcester, in a Tiger Moth light aircraft; on a dual instrument lesson. While flying on a course which followed the River Severn, Pilot Officer Baring-Gould retook control of the aircraft while close to the City. After a brief time, the plane lost power and struck a set of high tension cables, and went into a violent spin in mid-air. Within seconds the plane lost altitude and began to cartwheel down the River Severn. After 500 metres, the plane finally came to a stop, when it crashed into the Diglis Weir, and began to sink. Pilot Officer Baring-Gould’s pupil was able to escape, but Benjamin remained stuck in the cockpit. As the remains of the aircraft began to sink deeper, the pupil and a local man tried in vain to save Benjamin, but to no avail. Some hours passed before the RAF was able to dispatch a recovery team to the area. When the salvage unit pulled the cockpit section from the river, the body of Benjamin Baring-Gould was discovered, still strapped into his seat. After an initial RAF enquiry, the cause of the crash was classed as mechanical failure.

Benjamin was interred at the Worcester (Astwood) Cemetery, Grave 34864. In his will, he left a total of £233 14s 5d listed to his widow, Elizabeth Joan Baring-Gould, which is believed to actually be his mother.

Tiger Moth T7160 written off, not repaired and Struck off charge 17.2.41 as Cat.E.

Diglis is a suburb of Worcester, England. It is located around half a mile south of the city centre on the banks of the River Severn. Diglis Weir, is a mile south of Worcester Bridge, and was built in 1844. The weir permanently raised the level of the River Severn by about 3 metres (10 feet).

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft T1000-V9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1997 p.58)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/5038: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16689136
3. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2712436/BARING-GOULD,%20BENJAMIN%20GORDON
4. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?2393-Unaccounted-airmen-7-2-1941
6. http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/marg/crashes1941.htm
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p836.html
8. Isaac Tozar of www.DevonHeritage.org
9. https://launcestonthen.co.uk/index.php/the-parishes/lewtrenchard/
10. https://www.geni.com/people/Benjamin-Baring-Gould/6000000012810892162
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diglis

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
16-Feb-2017 13:37	Laurent Rizzotti	Added
05-Aug-2021 16:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
05-Aug-2021 17:36	RICK	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
08-Aug-2021 17:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Narrative, Operator]]
01-Mar-2022 18:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]