115 Squadron

14 September 1943

Lancaster Mk II - DS780 KO-Z

T/O little Snoring - Crew trails of new a/c and bombing practice.
Crashed 1115 hours on to a railway embankment between Magdalen Station and Magdalen Fen,
N of Downham Market, Norfolk.

Errol Martyn writes:
both starboard engines were closed down during feathering practice, but could not be restarted.
During an attempted emergency landing in a 300 yard field near Magdalan the aircraft bounced,
caught fire and then became airborne again before crashing on a railway embankment on the east
bank of the Great Ouse river at 11:15 hrs.

* The investigation concluded that the engines could not be restarted as the master fuel cock was closed.

6 Killed, 2 injured.

Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan. - * More info on Aircrew Remembered.

ORB. 14th Sept., 1943. FLYING TRAINING.
2 crews undertook BOMBING PRACTICE.
10.53 F/S. BRADFORD, E. and crew took off in A/C. DS.780 on crew trails of new aircraft and
levelling of Bombsight after Acceptance Check.
Performance was apparently good until the operation of leveling the bombsight, when the Air Bomber
told the Captain to maintain 2,000 feet or the bombsight would jam.
Pilot reported inability to maintain height and detailed crew to get to crash stations.
Aircraft crashed into a railway embarkment at MAGDALAN
(about 4 miles North of R.A.F. STATION, DOWNHAM MARKET).

Left to right:

F/Sgt Jack Williamson NZ, WOP - seriously injured, survived.
F/O Colin Morse NZ, Nav. - killed.
F/Sgt Rex Griffiths NZ, R/G - killed. My Uncle.
F/Sgt Bert Bradford NZ, Pilot - Killed.
F/Sgt Fred Jones UK, MUG - Killed.
F/Sgt Mick Read UK, BA - seriously injured, survived.
F/Sgt Nobby Clark Uk, Fl. Eng. Not in crash as replaced due to air sickness.

Photo send by Garry Taylor, thanks

On 14 September, the crew had been allocated a new aircraft, serial DS780 and at 10:53 took off from their base at
RAF Little Snoring in Norfolk to carry out air tests on their new charge.

In addition to the regular crew of seven, the Lancaster was carrying an additional crew member, Sgt. Harold Ashwin,
Flight Engineer who was on detachment from 1678 Conversion Flight but serving as a member of 115 Squadron.

All seemed to have been going well until the operation of levelling and calibrating the bomb sight,
at which point the Air Bomber, Sgt. M Read, requested the pilot, F/Sgt. Bradford RNZAF to maintain a height of
2,000 feet to ensure that the bomb sight would not jam but it soon became apparent that something was wrong and
the pilot advised that he was unable to maintain height.
F/Sgt. Bradford ordered the crew to their crash stations but shortly afterwards, the aircraft ploughed into a railway embankment
at Magdalan, about four miles north of the RAF airfield at Downham Market.

There were only two survivors, the Wireless Operator, Flight Sergeant Williamson and the Air Bomber, Sgt. Read.
The investigation revealed that the two starboard engines had been feathered as part of the air test but could not be restarted due to
the master fuel cock having been closed.

With the exception of Sgt. Ashwin, who was not a regular member, this was an experienced crew which had completed thirteen
operational missions, with Flight Sergeant Bradford having logged a total of 743 flying hours, since he joined the squadron on
14 July 1943 from 1678 Conversion Flight.

Of the survivors, the Wireless Operator, F/Sgt. Ivan Williamson RNZAF went on to complete two operational tours with 115 and
75 Squadrons, and left the service in 1946 as a Flying Officer. He died in his native New Zealand, aged 69 in 1981.

Incidentally, 115 Squadron was one of the 'original' Bomber Command squadrons, active at the outbreak of war and apart from a
very short spell where they were attached to Coastal Command, served continuously with Bomber Command right through to the end
of the war in Europe.

They dropped the second greatest tonnage of bombs - approximately 23,000 tons - of any RAF Squadron during the war
as well as participating in the third highest number of raids.

As a counterpoint to these fine achievements and undoubtedly as a direct result of their almost continuous availability,
115 Squadron suffered the highest losses of any squadron within Bomber Command and were indeed,
the only squadron to lose more than 200 aircraft in the war.

Source: blitzwalkers.blogspot.com