ON THE 26TH NOVEMBER 1942, TWO HURRICANES OF No 3 SQUADRON TOOK OFF FROM THEIR BASE AT R.A.F HUNSDON, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND. FOR A COMBAT PRACTICE TWO AIRCRAFT AND ONE PILOT DID NOT RETURN!
THAMESIDE AVIATION MUSEUM
Hurricane AM280
ON THE 26TH NOVEMBER 1942, TWO HURRICANES OF No 3 SQUADRON
TOOK OFF FROM THEIR BASE AT R.A.F HUNSDON, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND. FOR A COMBAT
PRACTICE TWO AIRCRAFT AND ONE PILOT DID NOT RETURN!
A view of the crash site in 1999, Darren Wingrave stands on the impact point
The story starts
back in March 1998
The Thameside Aviation Museum (TAM) was invited to give a talk on aviation
archaeology at "THE SQUADRON" North Weald Airfield, Essex, Dave Thorndike, Ron
Wingrave and myself.
Dave set up a display of some of our finds with photos of the museum while Ron
was in charge of slides and cine film { most digs were filmed on super 8} and
myself, left to do the talking, all went very well with a fantastic turnout of
members with some very good questions. After the talk had finished we were
chatting to members of the Squadron when I was asked by one of them if I knew
about two spitfires that had collided over the village of Great Easton near
Great Dunmow Essex, I said I did not but I knew of Two Hurricanes somewhere up
that way, his name was John Hitchens, he had grown up in the village and could
take me to the spot where they had crashed we exchanged numbers and I told him I
would start the research as soon as I got home.
A couple of days later I contacted John and told him that
the aircraft were definitely two Hurricanes and would now further my research,
With the help of the Ministry of Defence Air Historical Branch who confirmed
that it was two Hurricanes AM280 and Z5449 both of 3 sqdn.
26th NOVEMBER
1942
On the 26th November 1942 at 11.40 hrs two Hurricane
aircraft have just taken off from R.A.F Hunsdon, to carry out air fighter
attacks, the pilots of the two aircraft were Flt Lt JOHN LONSDALE, RAFVR. flying
AM280 and Sgt A. RANKIN in Z5449, after a couple of minutes they had arrived
over the villages of The Easton's and started there practice attacks, on the
third attack at about 12.05 hrs Sgt Rankin being temporarily blinded by the sun
resulted in the two aircraft colliding, John Lonsdale was killed, his Hurricane
AM280 crashing to earth at Wermigs Flower Farm Great Easton.
Sgt Rankin found himself in a spin but managed to bale out of Z5449 and his
Hurricane crashed at Nevills Farm , Mill End Green, 1 mile north of AM280.
In a field about a half mile away a young boy had seen what had happened he was
called John Hitchens, he started to run towards the crash site of AM280, on
arrival at the field he was stopped by some adults working nearby who told him
not to go over to the wreck as the pilot was still in it.
The next day John Hitchens went back to the site of the crash, a guard had
been posted on the wreck, he asked if he could have a look, the guard said he
would take him to it as the pilot had now been removed. He peered inside the
tangled remains and could see smashed instruments inside the smashed hulk. Two
days later he went back again and it had now been taken away! the guard told
John that they could not get the engine out as it was to deep, so the story ends
for fifty seven years.
Sgt Rankin took to the air again the next morning at 07.25hrs and carried out a
dawn patrol in Barrow Deep - Clacton - Orfordness area, Refuelled at Manston and
landed back at Hunsdon at 10.00hrs.
THE DIG EASTER 1999
We arrived on site at 8.am on Good Friday, the digger was already waiting for us
, Tony had to plot the crash site before the digging could commence this was
done in a couple of hours and by then the whole team had arrived. This was going
to be a long slow dig as we did not want to miss a piece of the aircraft.
a view of the excavation underway
At around 11.30 Anglia TV News come on
site to film some of the excavation and interview John Hitchens and myself which
was to be screened that night, which it was, this prompted a local man to come
to the site that evening and inform us that his father-in-law had pulled the
rest of the wreck out around five years after the war and scraped it and as the
next day produced very little finds we found this to be true.
We found a very oily patch at about 8 feet { 2.4m } which was where the engine
had layed all those years earlier but alas it had gone.
The finds we have are very interesting, we have parts from
all over the aircraft including a pair of wing bolts, fuse box cover, one set of
induction pipes from the top of the Merlin and of course we have the history.
Fred Dunn smiles from the digger
|
81682 Flt. Lt John Lonsdale R.A.F.V.R.
Son of ; Robert and Esther Husband of: Doris Home; Norton-on-Tees, nr Stockton-on-Tees Buried; Duram Road Cemetery , CI, row B, Grave 24 Joined 3sqdn at Wick early July 1940. 25th July 1940 he shares in the distruction of a Heinkel 111, shot down into the sea off Pentland Firth During a weather reconnnaissance mission. (see new addition below)
|
A Hurricane IIB of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
|
1369341 Sgt A Rankin We have not been able to trace any details of Sgt Rankin, over to you?. Aircraft History Z5449 Built by Glosters, taken on-charge 3/941 to 46 MU, To Russia 8/9/41, to 17 sqdn on 20/941, 32sqnd 12/6/42, 247 sqdn 22/9/42, 3 sqdn 22/11/42, 71 MU 27/11/42, struck of-charge 26/11/42 |
|
ADDITION THE AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN BY JOHN LONSDALE
|
|
|