Accident Short Stirling Mk I W7455, Tuesday 7 September 1943
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Date:Tuesday 7 September 1943
Time:night
Type:Silhouette image of generic strl model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Short Stirling Mk I
Owner/operator:1657 HCU RAF
Registration: W7455
MSN:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants:
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:Great Thurlow, Haverhill, Suffolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Stradishall
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Shot down by an Me410 of VKG2 intruder during an evening exercise flight. The aircraft weas unable to hold height and the pilot effected a forced landing 21:39 in a cornfield between Great Thurlow and Withersfield, two miles north-east and four miles north-north-east from Haverhill. A fire broke out but the crew escaped dazed; F/O Smith ignored his own safety and re-entered the burnng wreckage to rescue F/S Reddy, suffering fatal burns in doing so. F/S Reddy also died from his injuries on September 27th 1943.

Crew:-
Pilot : Flying Officer Leslie Frederick Smith RAFVR 136933 (NCO:1220624 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 02 February, 1943) [Fatal Injury] Bletchley Cemetery, United Kingdom (51.996417 / -0.745691)
Sergeant E V Cramp RAF [Injured]
Flight Sergeant C G Gilkes RAAF [Injured]
Flight Sergeant Gordon Raymond Greaves RAAF Aus/415579 [Injured]
Sergeant J M Hadman RNZAF [Injured]
Pilot Officer N E Miles RAF [Injured]
Sergeant Oulton RAF [Injured]
Flight Sergeant Douglas Edward Lanyon Reddy RAAF Aus/420596 [Fatal Injury] Cambridge City Cemetery, United Kingdom (52.212382 / 0.166554)


Sources:

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?10825-Stirling-W7455-7-Sept-1943
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
05-Sep-2018 12:17 TigerTimon Added
16-Feb-2025 20:54 Rob Davis Updated [Source, Narrative, ]

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