Been to East Riding Archives today to find info on a differing Bomber but came across the hand written telegrams sent to HQ by police, ARP, fire etc on the following 17/3/1945 2200 hrs plane crashed one mile west of Withernsea, plane on fire 2200 hrs not know if enemy plane or not 2253 hrs 2 bailed at Stone Creek, 1 at Patrington and 1 airman dead lying near to machine which is British. His details are F T Wright later the telegrams conform exact location as field next to water tower Rimswell, Withernsea. I cannot find a FT Wright in the CWGC records for any dates near to 17/3/45 or even the mention of a plane crash in the above area. Can any of the experts on here please have a look as you will know where to look better than me. TIA
i can find a crash on the date/time/location, Lancaster NG132, but cannot link Wright RAFCommands Archive :: Lancaster Shot Down c17.3.45 Withernsea Last men down – the loss of Avro Lancaster BQ-E2/NG132 of No. 550 Squadron RAF on the night of 17 March 1945. Ross
Thank you RAF Commamds for the above info. Both these above links say that it crashed at the seafront in Withernsea but all the telegram messages state the water tower which is about 4 mile inland. It does sound like the same aircraft though as one of the aircrew was found several months later off the coast of Withernsea on one telegram. I think I trust local knowledge of the police and Fire etc on these than a report written by others miles away. Just got to find the crash site now with which field. I do wonder why they have the deceased airman at the side of the A/C as F T Wright. I mean as a rescue person you may say Wright but 53 mins after crashing they had his initials FT and surname Wright
Gunner 400, I have sent a link to this thread to a comrade who lives in Withernsea, so he might be able to help. Yes, there is a water tower inland by a few miles (three or four) and Google refers to: Could this be the cause of the confusion?
David thanks for the above re comrade in Withernsea who I may know as I live there. Can’t imagine the police, fire etc from Withernsea town would confuse lighthouse for water tower. Maybe the RAF records office at the time did who knows. Plus telegrams do say water tower at Rimswell, Withernsea which is just about right.
Sergeant Denis Lucey’s grave in Canovee, Eire: I can well imagine the mixed emotions on the family’s subsequent St Patrick’s Day celebrations. An elderly nephew still lives in the family home. He visits the graveyard regularly. He was born some years after the War. There are no family photos or memorabilia. He is interested that the event is being researched. If the location of the crash site is confirmed, or a crew photo is found, copies would be really appreciated. I will get him a suitable photo from Bracebridge Heath.
The 550 Squadron ORB Appendices, pages 24-25 for 1945 summarize this incident. AIR 27/2039. It can be downloaded here: Squadron Number: 550 Appendices: Y | The National Archives I've attached a PDF of the pages. Hopefully they can be viewed? Jim
Thank you for the above appreciated. Does anybody know of a map that will give me this grid reference mentioned in the log please?
Concerning this incident, Theo Boiten's final book from the Combat Archive series, January1, 1945 - May 3, 1945. identifies Fw. Heinz Hommel of 7./NJG2 as shooting down 550 Squadron Lancaster NG132 at Withernsea at 2135 hours. This was Hommel's third victory. He did so on one engine. He then went on to drop bombs on Hull. Owing to copyright concerns, I will not post the page on which this information is recorded. Jim
Use the co-ordinate translator by EchoDelta. Not pinpoint accurate - see site notes but put you in the location You want modified british cassini grid - find the letters for Yorkshire from see Grid link -wA The "Coordinates Translator" British Cassini Grid wA815470 Latitude : 53.73015 ° Longitude : 0.03778 ° British Cassini Grid wA785415 Latitude : 53.6812 ° Longitude : -0.00907 ° Southside/Kiln Lane Ross
I note that you aid you had gone to the East Riding Archives looking for information (L7523?) and came across this aircraft. Did you realise that you could request Casualty File details from the RAF Air Historical Branch on both aircraft - will cost £30 each but as the info has not yet been released to public domain you will not find the full details contained elsewhere. Request information held on the RAF Casualty Files Ross
No 550 Squadron has an active squadron association .... 550 Squadron and RAF North Killingholme Association (550squadronassociation.org.uk) There might be further information on the loss of this aircraft under "Requests for Information" Incidentally Bill Chorley has NG 132 intercepted by Fw Rudi Morenz (1V./ NJG2) from an intruder sweep and shot down at 1800 crashing on Sunk Island in the River Humber.(This can be misleading for Sunk Island is about 8 miles south west of Withernsea and in the past apparently ,was recovered land on the north bank of the Humber) NG 132 was a relatively new aircraft being delivered to the squadron in September 1944.The crew, skipper F/O A C Lockyer RNZAF were engaged on a training exercise. It was their first flight together since joining the squadron. Squadron Roll of Honour. No F T Wright noted. but a W/Op Sgt L F Wright is.
Thank you for the above information it all helps to find the location so we may be able to get a plaque erected and local archives in town can have all the paperwork for others to see.
lat and Long give the lighthouse at WIthernsea and the two street names are In Patrington about 8 miles by road. the police telegrams of the day state water tower Rimswell which is the opposite way from Patrington about 4 miles from the lighthouse. Confusing
Map Refs could have been mistyped in the ORB but do correspond to locations given for F/Eng landing by parachute and burning wreckage on sea front. Aircraft may have broken up in air after F/Eng abandoned creating multiple reports but these would have been along the line of flight as the estimated height given by F/Eng was 1000ft. A possible for the calls heard from sea is that the aircraft orbited over the coast to allow others to jump before either structural failure or pilot tried to crashland being too low to abandon. The lack of bodies recovered could be a result. At the moment only consistent factor with police telegrams is time, date and place that's why I suggest RAFAHB for info from Casualty File - this will not be released to TNA for several years. Sgt L F Wright is impossible to have been aboard Sergeant Leonard Frederick Wright | War Casualty Details 2447781 | CWGC Ross
Ross again thank you for all the above info. Two bailed out over Humber and report from Lt Col in charge of AA battery confirms this. The F/Eng who survived bailed out over Patrington so maybe the two street names is where he landed. He did not bail out at same time as others as he got his parachute stuck so that saved his life in the end when he finally released it. Will defiantly contact and pay the RAFAHB thanks Daz
I plotted the F/Eng map ref 785415 for landing then expanded the map on EchoDelta - it gives a field and I transcribed the street names which would have meant more to you as a local. So map ref from the ORB Appendices, street names my addition. Yes agree looks like a track over Stone Creek, Patrington and crash at Withernsea. I looked at the RNLI Records of Service to try to see where the lifeboat mentioned was searching as this track did not suggest a track out over the North Sea. No Record of Service or Launch of any Institute Vessel or a record of a shore boat so it looks like the mention related to a shore boat who did not apply for reward. But it does tend to suggest that the lifeboat searched the Humber and the calls heard were from the estuary rather than offshore from Withernsea. Now it gets interesting - I started to go along the route of looking at the death registrations for the crew. Only 2 - can be readily found in either GRO or FreeBMD indexes. Berry, Farmer, Elliott and Matthews are all on the RAF Overseas Death Register. Ok so the report was for one body beside aircraft so check place of registration of Lucey and Lockyer - both Holderness. Next step is to get pdf copies of death register entries March Quarter 1945 for Lucey and Lockyer £7 each from the GRO Online Application Dennis Lucey 25 Holderness Vol 9d Page 130 Alfred C Lockyer 23 Holderness Vol 9d Page 129 This may say where and how they died. AND at the same time apply for the certificate for Wright Frank 38 Holderness Vol 9d Page158 Not in CWGC but buried in Sheffield I think we have an unrecorded RAF airman death Ross
Ross ——“looked at the RNLI Records of Service to try to see where the lifeboat mentioned was searching as this track did not suggest a track out over the North Sea.” Yes the place where they were heard shouting was around Stone Creek, Sunk Island on the river Humber. ——“Next step is to get pdf copies of death register entries March Quarter 1945 for Lucey and Lockyer £7 each from the GRO Online Application Dennis Lucey 25 Holderness Vol 9d Page 130 Alfred C Lockyer 23 Holderness Vol 9d Page 129”. Will order these today ——“AND at the same time apply for the certificate for Wright Frank 38 Holderness Vol 9d Page158”. I will apply for this one too. ——-“Not in CWGC but buried in Sheffield I think we have an unrecorded RAF airman death” wow now that’s very interesting and would not have found this without you, where is he recorded being buried in Sheffield is it Find A grave
If you have an Ancestry account do a search for family trees Frank Wright Death 17 March 1945, Yorkshire You should get a hit on a tree from Moore_2017 The last entry says Took own Life but the most interesting bit is the picture in RAF OR uniform - typical uk greatcoat so no rank or trade obvious. 1939 he was married in Cheltenham as a Machine Shop Foreman (I think airscrews so Rotol) I'm thinking death register will say "gunshot wounds" and that suggests to me he was ground crew onboard against orders. Your police telegrams will link him to the crash - and I'm hoping death register entry will confirm his RAF identity. With this evidence an application can be made to CWGC for inclusion. Could be he had been discharged and was in the area when the aircraft crashed and died in a rescue attempt. Frank Wright (1909-1945) - Find a Grave Memorial. I like these breadcrumb weekend brain teasers - so thanks for posting. Ross
