ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 72928
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| Date: | Tuesday 8 February 1944 |
| Time: | 20:00 |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk XIII |
| Owner/operator: | 85 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | HK374 |
| MSN: | VY-R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Emsworth, Hampshire. England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF West Malling, Kent |
Mosquito HK374/R: Took off for Night Training flight/ Bull's eye exercise. 08/02/1944
Collided with Wellington LN185 and crashed Emsworth Hants. at 20:00 hrs.
The Wellington bomber had set out from RAF Finningley in Yorkshire and had flown out into the English Channel, turned round and headed for Portsmouth to simulate a German bomber raid on the city.
The Wellington crew:
Sgt Ronald Henry RAMSEY (1801882) pilot RAFVR
F/O John RIDDELL (J/28219) navigator RCAF
Sgt Reginald Gordon GRAVES (1336898) air bomber RAFVR
Sgt John Lomax HARRISON (1620624) WOp RAFVR
Sgt Stanley Gordon JOHNSON (1314210) AG RAFVR
Sgt William VARLEY (2210716) rear gunner RAFVR
As they neared Portsmouth a Mosquito night fighter was scrambled from 85 Sqn based at RAF West Malling in Kent. The pilot was Arthur Woods, originally from Liverpool, considered too old for combat, but being an experienced pilot was helping to train a young Norwegian navigator who was making only his second flight with the squadron.
The Mosquito was fitted airborne interception radar, and the purpose of the sortie was to enable the trainee navigator to carry out a practice attack on the bomber. On this occasion it is thought that the pilot may have been blinded by the search lights of the Portsmouth defences reflecting on the under side of the clouds, because the night fighter collided with the bomber cutting it in two in front of the rear gunner's turret.
The front section, containing six of the crew, fell in flames into a field at Southbourne, and all inside died instantly. The rear turret containing Sgt Varley "fluttered down into Prinsted Harbour like a sycamore leaf" and fell into the mud flats about one hundred yards from the shore.
Crew:
F/Lt (75403) Arthur Bickerstaffe WOODS AFC (pilot) RAFVR - killed (Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 07 November, 1939)
2/Ltn. (N.5183) Jan Otto Richard BUGGE (nav.) RNoAF - killed
Sources:
1.http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txtt
2.https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/large-engine-part-raf-wellington-424199734
3.Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 22 December 1944 | MV??? | 85 Sqn RAF | 0 | RAF stn Swannington, Norfolk, England | |
non |
| 1 January 1945 | MV543 | 85 Sqn RAF | 0 | Advanced Landing Ground B.58 Melsbroek/Brussels, Vlaams-Brabant. |  |
min |
| 4 March 1945 | MV??? | 85 Sqn RAF | 0 | RAF stn Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex, England | |
min |
| 2 April 1945 | MV??? | 85 Sqn RAF | 0 | RAF stn Swannington, Norfolk, England | |
non |
Images:
17ht May 2013, Brook Meadow, Emsworth, Hants
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Feb-2010 11:46 | NePa | Added |
| 15-Nov-2011 08:57 | Nepa | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Jun-2013 15:19 | Anon. | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 03-Jun-2014 20:21 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Jun-2014 20:22 | Nepa | Updated [Narrative] |
| 02-Sep-2014 04:46 | King T. | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 10-May-2015 20:55 | Faun | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Aug-2015 19:09 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
| 02-Mar-2016 21:46 | Nick Slaughter | Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative] |
| 05-Apr-2019 18:06 | Nepa | Updated [Narrative, Operator] |
| 21-Sep-2021 17:52 | Nepa | Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator] |
| 21-Sep-2021 17:54 | Nepa | Updated [Cn, Narrative, Operator] |
| 08-Jan-2022 22:58 | Nepa | Updated [Narrative, Operator] |
| 08-Jan-2022 23:02 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Narrative, Operator] |
| 05-Aug-2022 12:29 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Oct-2023 17:23 | Nitram | Updated [[Source, Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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