11.01.1937 N0. 101 Squadron. BP Overstrand K4564 P/O Watson.
Location: Abovemede Farm Swanbourne Buckinghamshire.
31.10.1939. No. 108 Squadron Avro Anson Mk.I N5177 F/O J D Cody RAF
Location: 4 miles to the North-East of Bicester airfield
Reason for loss: Two Avro Anson Mk. I’s were destroyed in a mid-air collision over Weston-on-the-Green; both aircraft had just taken off from RAF Bicester and crashed 4 miles to the North-East of the airfield. F/O D R G Green RAF in Anson N5158 and F/O J D Cody RAF (Canadian P/O R E Cox RAF (Australian) all the three pilots under training were killed. All are buried at Caversfield (St Laurence) Churchyard local cemetery used by the RAF for early WW2 aircrew losses close to RAF Station Bicester
31.10.1939. No. 108 Squadron Avro Anson Mk.I N5158 F/O Dennis Richard Dale Green
Location: 4 miles to the North-East of Bicester airfield
Reason for loss: Two Avro Anson Mk. I’s were destroyed in a mid-air collision over Weston-on-the-Green; both aircraft had just taken off from RAF Bicester and crashed 4 miles to the North-East of the airfield. F/O Dennis Richard Dale Green RAF in Anson N5158 and F/O James Doan Cody RAF (Canadian) and P/O Robert Ernest Cox RAF (Australian) in Anson N5177 all the three pilots under training were killed. All are buried at Caversfield (St Laurence) Churchyard local cemetery used by the RAF for early WW2 aircrew losses close to RAF Station Bicester
23.11.1939 No.49 Squadron Handley Page Hampden Mk.I Serial No: L4034 S/L Watt
Location: R.A.F. Waddington, 4.2 miles south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire U.K.
Operation: Training.
One of Bomber Commands worst flying accidents during 1939 occurred on Thursday 23rd November during the day when Squadron Leader P M Watt (Pilot), a Cranwell graduate from January 1925 entry to the collage, took-off from R.A.F. Scampton in Handley Page Hampden Mk.I Serial No. L4034 of No.49 Squadron, and flew over to Waddington in order to practice landings using ‘ZZ’ system.
The weather conditions were poor and eyewitnesses reported seeing the Hampden suddenly appear out of the gloom, flying at about 10 feet off the ground and heading straight for the Watch Office. It then made a tight climbing turn and smashed through the roof of a hangar, an engine breaking away and crushing several airmen working below.
Squadron Leader P M Watt was killed along with seven others killed on the ground, along with two others who were also injured on the ground.
30.11.1939 No.185 Squadron RAF Hampden I L4203 P/O Musgrave
Location: Grange Farm, Widmer End, Buckinghamshire, England.
18.12.1939 No. 615 Squadron Gloster Gladiator Mk. I N5582 P/O Wickham
Location: St. Invlevert, France
18.12.1939. No. 97 Squadron Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.II Serial No. K7260 F/O Howard
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.II Serial No. K7260 97 Squadron Took-off on a training flight on the 18th December 1939 and crashed at 1100hrs after losing height and striking a tree. The Whitley finished up inverted in a field near Kingston Bagpuize, six miles west of Abingdon, Oxfordshire all three crew on board killed.
22.12.1939. No.73 Squadron Hawker Hurricane Mk.I L1967 Sgt. Winn
Location: Homburg-Budange, France
22nd December 1939 Hurricane I L1967 73 Squadron
Mission Patrol: Crashed at Homburg-Budange after combat with Me109s of III/JG53. Sgt J Winn killed. Sgt Winn is buried at Chambieres French National Cemetery, Metz, France
22.12.1939 No.73 Squadron Hawker Hurricane Mk.I N2385 Sgt. Perry
Location: Altroff, France
22nd December 1939 Hawker Hurricane Mk.I N2385 73 Squadron
Mission Patrol: Crashed at Altroff after combat with Me109s of III/JG53. Sgt. R M Perry killed.
Sgt Perry is buried at Chambieres French National Cemetery, Metz, France
Thank you for Visiting.
The British Library is preserving this site for the future in the UK Web Archive at www.webarchive.org.uk All site sections are subsequently recorded as part of our nation’s history and heritage at The British Library.
