Spitfires P7304 and P7444 collision, 22nd August 1943 60 OTU RAF Rednal, Hincks Plantation Telford

22^ND August  1943 two 60 OTU Mk2A  Spitfires sat waiting for their young pilots at RAF Rednal, Shropshire. The pilots both Belgian exiles Sgt J.J.Albert  and P/o H.M.Goldsmit  who were training to fight on for the UK, boarded the Spitfires and taxied out on a combat training mission over Shropshire. The pilots commenced a turning fight near Newport and during this the aircraft P7304 [Albert] and P7444[Goldsmit] collided, P7304 went out of control diving into soft ground at Hinks Plantation not far from Donnington , Telford with the sad loss of the pilot Sgt Albert, P7444 limped away.  There is some debate where  P/o Goldsmit made for to land his damaged plane, but as RAF High Ercall is very close seems it would have been a  good place to get down ASAP .

 

In 1977 WARG [Wartime aircraft recovery group ] carried out a dig at the site and found many remains including the battered engine, these are now on show in the fantastic museum on Sleap Airfield near Shrewsbury. Also on the access road at the old RAF Rednal  a memorial to Sgt J.J.Albert  is visible in a small fenced area .

 

I cannot say whether the Spitfire model in a garden near Hinks Plantation is to do with this loss, the codes are not of P7304 and I couldn’t find the owner to ask but I like to think it’s a fitting reminder.