ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 213373
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| Date: | Monday 11 January 1943 |
| Time: | 22:15 LT |
| Type: | Handley Page Hampden Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 455 Sqn RAAF |
| Registration: | AD792 |
| MSN: | UB-P |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Kincardineshire, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland |
| RAF Leuchars, Fife |
Handley Page Hampden Mk.I AD792: Built by English Electric Co., Preston. Converted to Hampden T.B.I (Torpedo Bomber), and issued 15/12/1942 to 455 Squadron, RAAF, Coded UB-P.
Lost on combat operations 11/01/1943: Lost on anti-shipping strike off the coast of Norway. At 22.13 hours, the aircraft was instructed to turn on to a QDM (magnetic bearing) of 218 degrees to start the next leg of the return flight to Leuchars. Ground radio stations heard a brief response by Sergeant Smithers but it ended abruptly. After waiting for the aircraft to signal again they tried to re-establish contact but nothing came back.
During the course of Smithers’ transmission, Hampden TB.I AD792 crashed in to a blackened Scottish hillside in Kincardineshire. Poor weather had obscured the view from the aircraft until it was too late and responding to the course change the aircraft came upon the sloping hillside which struck the Hampden under the nose.
Being in the forward section of the aircraft, Hill and Rees were both killed on impact. The two Australians survived the crash but while Spohn was able to clamber out of the wreckage, Smithers was in a bad way and couldn’t be moved. Spohn was left with the agonising decision of either remaining with his comrade and hope they were found soon or leaving him there and trying to find help. He chose the latter and set off in to the night walking for several hours before he was finally able to contact Leuchars and get help for Smithers.
Crew:
122499: Flying Officer Philip James Hill RAF (Pilot, aged 22) KIA
123457: Pilot Officer William John Rees RAF (Navigator/Bomb Aimer, aged 27) KIA
411656: Sgt R A Smithers (W/Op,aged 25) Died of injuries sustained 18/1/1943
412208: Sgt R K Spohn (Air Gunner) survived, but Injured
Smithers was rescued in the early hours of the morning and rushed to hospital but sadly his injuries were too severe and exactly a week later (18/1/1942) he succumb to them and died.
Flying Officer Phillip Hill was buried in Fettercairn cemetery while Sergeant Reginald Smithers was buried at Leuchars. Pilot Officer William Rees’ body was returned to Abercarn in Wales and Spohn travelled down to attend his funeral and meet his family. Spohn himself returned to flight operations and survived the war, returning home to Australia where he lived out his life until he passed away in 1995.
Sources:
1. https://defenceoftherealm.wordpress.com/tag/handley-page-hampden/
2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/hampden.htm
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2927201/hill,-philip-james/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2447904/rees,-william-john/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2457154/smithers,-reginald-allan/
6. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/air-force-deaths-involving-raaf-raf-australians-in-scotland-chronologically.33548/page-4#post-415856
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 8 November 1941 | P1201 | 455 Sqn RAAF | 0 | Onoz, Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, Namur |  |
w/o |
| 12 December 1942 | P2078 | 455 Sqn RAAF | 2 | off coast of Norway |  |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Jul-2018 20:44 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 19-Jul-2018 18:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 19-Jul-2018 18:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location] |
| 19-Jul-2018 18:17 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time] |
| 19-Jul-2018 18:18 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 11-Nov-2018 13:14 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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