In the quiet road of Bishopdale, Brookside, Telford nothing today shows of the sad loss of a Typhoon Ib and its young Canadian pilot.
22nd of March, 1943 R.A.F High Ercall 4 pilots boarded their 247 Sqn [China-British] Typhoon Ib’s which had been sent from R.A.F Middle Wallop on 30hr inspections. The pilots were P/O Herbert Langree Van Zuilecom, Sgt William Leslie Wheeler, P/O Aitchison and Sgt Quentin MacPhail 'Mac' Shippee.
Spending the morning sorting flight plans and checking the weather as one plane was still not ready, the flight leader P/O Zuilecom, decided that the planes would take off at 16.00 hrs as the weather seemed ok though marginal with haze and low cloud. Leaving the ground the 4 Typhoons formed up and set course but almost immediately the flight flew into worsening conditions, unable to maintain formation 2 of the big fighter bombers flew back to High Ercall and the leader made it as far as R.A.F Defford, Worcestershire.
One of the Typhoons, DN444 Piloted by Sgt Shippee was not seen by the other pilots after take off ,not long after the flight broke up Sgt Shippee was over Windmill Farm, Madeley. A young boy near the railway in Madeley heard the plane overhead and noted its engine noise was erratic, looking skyward he saw a large shape break the mist only 15 ft above the ground and at high speed the plane crashed and was totally destroyed, Sgt Shippee did not survive the crash.
Sgt Sgt Quentin MacPhail 'Mac' Shippee was buried in St Cuthberts Church , Donington , Albrighton
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