1943 RAF Hudson crash
 A Lockheed Hudson Mark V, similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 May 1943 |
| Summary | Engine failure |
| Site | 50°24′36.28″N 4°56′37.11″W / 50.4100778°N 4.9436417°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed Hudson IIIA |
| Operator |  Royal Air Force |
| Flight origin | RAF Portreath |
| Destination | RAF Gibraltar |
| Crew | 9[citation needed] |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 7 |
The 1943 RAF Hudson crash was an aerial accident that killed two people. The aircraft crashed in a forced landing attempt near RAF St Eval, Cornwall, England, following engine failure.
Aircraft
[edit]FH168 was a Lockheed Hudson IIIA (a lend-lease A-29-LO serial no 41-36969 and c/n 414-6458), operated by No. 38 Wing RAF, based at RAF Netheravon. On 19 May 1943, it was en route from RAF St Eval to RAF Gibraltar when it crashed and burned 7 miles (11 km) south of St. Eval. The aircraft was unable to maintain height due to one engine failing, and the load it was carrying.
Casualties
[edit]Air Commodore Sir Nigel Norman, on his way to the Middle East for an Airborne Forces Planning Conference, died as a result of the crash. The only other airman killed in the crash was Pilot Officer (Obs) Arthur Rotenberg, who is buried in St Columb Major Cemetery.[1]
Rescue
[edit]The surviving crew and passengers were rescued by two nearby farm workers – William Richards and Eddie Thomas – and a nearby member of the Royal Observer Corps, George Gregory. In 1945, Gregory was awarded the British Empire Medal for his brave actions during the rescue of the crew.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Rickard, Kenneth H (12 December 2005). "St Dennis and Goss Moor – Military Aircraft Crashes". WW2 People's War. BBC History. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ^ "No. 37412". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1945. p. 325.
Further reading
[edit]- Keith McCloskey (1 November 2012). Airwork: A History. History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-9459-3.