The 1942 Ruislip Wellington accident occurred on 18 October 1942 when a Vickers Wellington 1C

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized bombloads over medium range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers. Mediums generally carrie ...

of No. 311 Squadron RAF crashed near

South Ruislip station South Ruislip is a station served by London Underground and Chiltern Railways in South Ruislip in North-West London. The station is owned, managed and staffed by London Underground. The station is in Travelcard Zone 5. History The GWR/GCR ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, on approach to

RAF Northolt ("Ready to carry or to fight") , pushpin_map = Greater London , pushpin_label = RAF Northolt , pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London , coordinates = , type = Royal Air Force station , code = , site_area = , height = , owner ...

. The crash killed all 15 people aboard the aircraft, and six civilians on the ground including four children.

Background

311 Squadron was a

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

unit based at RAF Talbenny in Pembrokeshire, Wales. All of its personnel were serving in the

RAF Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) ...

, and all but one of those on the aircraft that crashed were Free Czechoslovaks. In September 1942 two Wellingtons from the squadron had each successfully attacked German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s. In October both crews were invited to London for a de-brief. On 9 September a Wellington with serial number DV738 and code letters KX-C, flown by Plt Off František Bulis, had depth charged an unidentified U-boat, forcing it to dive. Large patches of oil appeared on the sea surface after she dived, suggesting that the U-boat had at least been damaged. On 27 September a Wellington with the serial number Z1147 and code letters KX-Q, flown by Flt Lt Václav Študent, depth charged . The U-boat returned fire with her 20 mm FlaK 30 machine guns, wounding four crew members including the co-pilot. KX-C's hydraulic equipment was damaged, and Študent crash-landed the plane at St Eval,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. However, the attack succeeded in sinking ''U-165''.

Flight

On 18 October 1942 the two crews took off from Talbenny in a single Wellington headed for Northolt. Plt Off Bulis and his crew flew the aircraft, and Flt Lt Študent's crew flew as passengers. Two of Študent's crew were unable to come as they were still in hospital after being wounded on 27 September. 18 October is Czechoslovak independence day, so a few other members of 311 Squadron came with them to enjoy the day in London. There was a total of nine passengers, including one

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

, Plt Off Georges Strauss-Leemans, who was 311 Squadron's transport officer. The aircraft was a Wellington with serial number T2564 and code letters KX-T.

Crash and fatalities

Wellington T2564 approached RAF Northolt from the west at about 1600 hrs at an altitude of and with its undercarriage lowered. Bulis turned the plane steeply to

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

to approach Northolt's east-west runway from the east. The Wellington stalled, then dived toward the ground near South Ruislip station. At 16:08 hrs its wing-tip clipped a main road, flipping the plane over onto a piece of waste ground where dozens of children were playing. The Wellington burst into flames. This detonated the ammunition of its .303 inch machine guns, which started firing in all directions. All the crew and passengers were killed, making the crash 311 Squadron's largest loss of life in a single incident. Six civilians on the ground were also killed: two adult sisters, each with two young daughters. All but one of the crew are buried in the Czechoslovak section of Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey. The women and children are buried in St Nicholas' parish churchyard,

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the North East, while Bournemouth is also nearby, South West. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

Inquest

As well as a service inquiry an inquest was held at

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...

, Middlesex into the deaths of the two sisters and their four children. The aircraft was deemed to have been serviceable and not overloaded. A witness at Northolt said it was flying quite normally: "It made a quarter circle, gradually losing height. Then it appeared to lose height rather more quickly and disappeared behind some houses". The Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. The Times Digital Archive, accessed 30 December 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruislip Wellington accident 1942 disasters in the United Kingdom 1942 in England 20th century in Middlesex Accidents and incidents involving Royal Air Force aircraft Aviation accidents and incidents in 1942 Aviation accidents and incidents in England Aviation accidents and incidents in London Disasters in Middlesex History of the London Borough of Hillingdon Military history of Czechoslovakia during World War II October 1942 events Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Vickers Wellington

Background

Flight

Crash and fatalities

Inquest

See also

References