Hampden AD 983, 44 Sqn RAF Waddington Lindum Hall School for Girls Greenstone Stairs , Lindnum hill 23 July 1941

On a trip to Lincoln for a steam punk festival I managed to find the locations of 3 sites in and around the city the first is the crash site of Hampden AD 983, 44 Sqn RAF Waddington which crashed onto the staff residence of Lindum Hall School for Girls Greenstone Stairs , Lindnum hill 23 July 1941 .
The Bomber was returning from a mine laying mission to the Frisian Islands at about 4 am the plane was flying over the cathedral when something happened that caused the bomber to fall out of control diving into the residence and exploding the tail fell onto the stairs, the crew of 4 were sadly lost also tragically Miss Edith Fowler, the 49-year-old senior French mistress who was trapped in the building .

Today nothing remains to be seen of this sad incident the building has long gone I did notice there are some small marks on the walls that may date from the crash but i was unable to tell nearby but inaccessible at the time as it was Sunday there is a memorial in Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School (LCHS)

Crew=
Sgt W.R.B.Relyea RCAF
Sgt D M Bruce
Sgt J A Connolly
Sgt P J Lynch.

Armstrong Whitley V BD257 7/9/43 Sleap Airfield Shropshire , Wartime aircraft recovery group museum

I had chance to visit Sleap airfield Shropshire to visit the Wartime aircraft recovery group museum a fantastic collection plus the nearby cafe is excellent and also the site of the loss of Armstrong Whitley V BD257 which crashed into Sleaps control tower on the 7/9/43 during takeoff the plane veered left a trait of the type, over correcting the pilot lost control and the plane ran at high speed over the grass hitting the windsock and tower exploding in flames, tragically one of the sites fire trucks and a 30 cwt truck were also destroyed .

                                           

In this sad accident
F/O. R W. Browne
F/O. E L. Ware RCAF
Sgt. W D. Kershaw
Sgt. E. Young
were lost in the bomber
Sgt. S. Williams was injured
In the Control Tower and ground vehicles
Cpl. N W. Peate
ACW2. K M. Ffoukles WAAF
ACW2. V. Hughes WAAF
were lost with
LACW. A B. Jowett WAAF. Injured
ACW2. H. Hall WAAF. Injured

Defiant N1766 96 Sqn, RAF Cranage Rowlee pasture, Derwent valley april 12th 1941.

This is my second site from my trip out and is Defiant N1766 96 SQN, RAF Cranage which crashed on Rowlee pasture above the Derwent valley on the night of april 12th 1941.
The plane with 2 crew was on a night flying practice flight from RAF Cranage to Digby, Lincolnshire but due to very poor weather the aircraft strayed 20 miles off course, with a failing RT and engine trouble the 2 crew elected to bail out over the unknown ground but luckily both survived the defiant impacted on a high flat moor where it buried itself .

The engine was recovered from its hiding place in 1980 and i belive is now to be seen at the Yorkshire air museum though much surface wreckage has gone a small collection of items can still be seen on site the best being a large piece of battery and a small panel with scoop which I think maybe from one of the engine covers the hole the engine was dug out of still remains though now full of water .

Crew =
Pilot F/Lt P.W.Rabone D,F,C , RNZAF
Air gunner F/O John Ritchie
Rabone later promoted to Squadron leader would by the time of his loss on the 24/7/1944 during a sortie in a mosquito gained a total of 10 air to air kills

Meteor RA487 of 66 fighter squadron RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Hagg side, Derwent valley, December 8, 1950

A wet and windy trip out to the hills with Sean Moran from  https://peakwreckhunters.blogspot.com/ to visit sites around the Drewent Valley first is Meteor RA487 of 66 fighter squadron RAF Linton-on-Ouse which crashed during a night training flight on Hagg side in the Derwent valley December 8, 1950 .
The plane piloted by Sgt J. Harrington was flying a triangular route over cloud and had completed the first leg when trouble started unable to gain a fix on the ground the pilot discovered his radio was U/S unable to call for help the pilot attempted to put down on a long stretch of road but this proved impossible with no other option he elected to climb and bail out of the plane before his fuel ran out the pilot successfully left his plane and landed safely in a field his falling jet impacted the slope of Hagg side blasting a large crater , on returning to his base the pilot was given a talking to by the head of the parachute section as during his bail out he had lost his ripcord handle which very much annoyed the NCO!

In the woods today there remains a noticeable crater with a few small remains in the bottom not a lot as much of what was seen in photos looks to have gone quite recently given the speed and total destruction of the plane other bits will lie under the pine needles and moss

Crew =
Pilot J.Harrington