Date:	Sunday 23 August 1942
Time:	11:35
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb
Owner/operator:	421 (Red Indian) Sqn RCAF
Registration:	BM589
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Cefn Bryn Common, Broad Pool, near RAF Fairwood Common, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Fairwood Common, West Glamorgan, South Wales
Destination airport:	RAF Fairwood Common, West Glamorgan, South Wales

Narrative:
Delivered to the RAF at 6 MU 24-4-42; issued to 421 Squadron 10-5-42. Loaned to A&AEE Boscombe Down 18-8-42 for handling and stability trials, with special reference to pull outs from dives and tight turns. Tested with and without 6.5 lb inertial weight. (This after reports from pilot's who did not like the inertia weight). The outcome was that it was suggested that the inertia weight only be fitted into aircraft (Spitfire V's) with the Rotol propellor

Written off (destroyed) when dived into the ground at Cefn Bryn Common, Broad Pool near RAF Fairwood Common, Swansea, West Glamorgan (at approximate co ordinates 51°34′48″N 4°08′25″W) on 23-8-42. Despite diving from 6,000 feet, the aircraft remained largely intact. Pilot, Pilot Officer Donald Iverach, RCAF killed.

Crew: Pilot Officer Donald Munro Iverach (pilot, RCAF J/7768, aged 30) killed Buried Killay (St. Hilary of Poictiers) Churchyard, Grave 182.

Struck Off Charge 3-9-42



Mission: Air Test.
Details:
Spitfire BM589, built at Castle Bromwich then issued to the RAF at No.6 MU on the 24th of April 1942. Her one and only squadron was 421 squadron RCAF arriving on the 10th of May 1942 at RAF Fairwood Common. 421 Sqn’ was the last unit of the RCAF fighter squadron to be formed in the UK during WW2.
The Dieppe Raid was launched on the 19th of August 1942, and one of those pilots giving support to the Canadian Forces was Pilot Officer Donald Iverach. During the ill-fated invasion part of the air force involved were six fighter squadrons, two British and two Canadian flew the Spitfire on 2,500 sorties over the area. On the 23rd of August, P/O Iverach was flying Spitfire BM589 and practising dog fighting tactics with another Spitfire BM414.
(The following is a transcript of the squadron records.)
23-8-42 Fairwood Common.
“This is a sad day in the history of the squadron, our first fatality P/O D M Iverach was carrying out Cine Gun & fighting tactics practice together with F/Lt Hall in Spitfire BM414. When from a height of approximately 5,000 feet, P/O Iverach went into a spin and crashed at 11:35 hours about 4 miles from base at Broad Pool. According to F/Lt Hall, P/O Iverach did not appear to make any attempt to come out of the spin. At this time, the crash is unknown.”
On the ground, a local man of Great Lunnon was cycling his bike when he saw an aircraft of which he recognised as a Spitfire.
Emrys Jones.
“I saw it come spinning from out of no-where and hitting the ground not more than fifty yards from the old Gower Road” which crosses over the spine of Gower, known as ‘Cefn Bryn’. Emrys Jones. “I immediately went to see if I could help the pilot, the Spitfire had crashed into the ground which is very soft at this area near the ancient pool and just stood there with its engine buried in the ground and the wings and the tail high in the air. I looked into the cockpit, but I saw straight away, the pilot was up against the gun sight and control panel and the seat straps were snapped and he was dead. I peddled as fast as I could to get help!”
(Second transcript of the squadron records.)
26-8-42 Fairwood Common.
“RCAF padre, S/Ldr Prayne arrived to conduct the funeral of P/O Iverach which was held at ‘Sketty’? and in the churchyard of which the body was to be interned. The funeral procession assembled about a quarter of a mile from the church and led by the band and firing party, proceeded to the church where the NCO’s & airmen of the squadron & a detachment of WAAF’s were assembled. Following the services, the casket was carried to the rear of the church for burial in the stations plot. Full military honour in keeping with P/O Iverach’s rank was accorded.”
Nearby there was an unoccupied ‘Starfish’ command bunker. The decoy beacons run from the point of the Spitfire crash up to the base of the high ground of the Bryn. If it was still used at this stage of the war, it is unclear. Its remains can still be seen at the side of the road.


Crew:
P/O Donald Munro Iverach 30yo J/7768 RCAF. Pilot. Killed.
Son of David and Catherine Mary Esther Iverach of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Wreckage:
All the aircraft was taken away but there has been a rumour that some fragments remain, I however, haven’t been able to locate anything in the deep heather.
Memorials:
CWGC Headstones.
The Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Additional Information:
The Q sites and Starfish sites were a top-secret method to confuse and draw the enemy bombers during the late 1940’s with the last recorded ‘Illumination’ taking place during the early 1942. The method was to use electric fired fires in the decoy area with the command bunker outside of the impact area. This Starfish site on this part of the Gower was not called upon to draw enemy aircraft away from its mirrored target (RAF Fairwood Common) but it nearly had its only aircraft crash due to a practice lighting and a Defiant pilot mistaking the fire beacons for Fairwood and came very close to crashing into the steeply rising ground before realising his error and climbing away!
The bigger Q sites were designed to mimic large targets such as towns or industrial interests to the Luftwaffe, the closest type in this area of Gower being behind the sand dunes of Oxwich, the Gower had one other Starfish site at Whiteford Point and had three Q sites with an early one now built on at Fairwood Common which straddled the North Gower Road near Upper Killay.
During the last raids on Swansea during February 1942. Many locals would say of how the hillside of Kilvey Hill was on fire from the missed bombs etc. There was a Q site on the top of the hill which remained a secret until the 80’s. The fires were the result of successful decoys drawing the enemy bombers to drop their loads on a false burning Swansea.

1. Fallen Flyers: Tragedy in the Skies Over Wartime Gower (Wartime Record) Bryngold Books Ltd; First edition (1 May 2005) by Steven H. Jones
2. http://www.ggat.org.uk/timeline/pdf/Military%20Aircraft%20Crash%20Sites%20in%20Southeast%20Wales.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p027.html
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2717285/iverach,-donald-munro/
5. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/489555421979770181
6. http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RAF_owned_BK100.html
7. http://ciapoldiescorner.blogspot.com/2009/08/events-for-23rd-august.html
8. http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showpost.php?p=449306&postcount=620
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cefn_Bryn#Broad_Pool
10. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2717285
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25152398/donald-munro-iverach
www.rafcommands.com
national archives/421squadron/records/summery
local knowledge.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Apr-2019 01:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
29-Apr-2019 08:29	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
25-Nov-2019 17:00	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator]
24-Feb-2020 16:48	Xindel XL	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
19-Jul-2022 19:15	Davies 62	Updated [Time, Phase, Source, Narrative]
11-Jul-2023 21:37	Nepa	Updated [[Time, Phase, Source, Narrative]]