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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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56 Squadron
01.11.1941 56 (Punjab) Squadron Typhoon Mk. Ia R7592 Plt Off. James F. Deck

Operation: Non-Operational Flight Test

Date: 1st November 1941 (Saturday)

Unit No: 56 (Punjab) Squadron

Type: Typhoon Mk. Ia

Serial: R7592

Code: US:Z

Base: RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire

Location: Redham Hall, near East Harling, Norfolk

Pilot: Plt Off. James Frederick Deck 100648 RAFVR Age 26. Killed

Note: In April 1941, 56 Squadron, known as The Firebirds, gained its Punjab' nickname after the Indian province of Punjab raised money to have their name attached to a fighter, thus becoming an Indian 'gift' squadron.

Above: Typhoon Mk IA R7580, from the same production batch as R7592, at the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) (Courtesy of World War Photos)

REASON FOR LOSS

On the 1st November 1941 Plt Off. Deck took off from RAF Duxford on a test flight in Typhoon Mk. Ia, R7592. He had previously flown a number of flight tests of the Typhoon and accumulated a total of 12hrs 20 mins on the type. R7592 was one of the first five Typhoon Mk. Ia fighters delivered to 56 (Punjab) Sqn which was to be be the first Sqn to covert to the new aircraft.

The Typhoon was seen by Observer Corps personnel flying normally on a straight and level course at approximately 4000 ft up to within 2 or 3 minutes of the accident.

Plt Off. Deck had been in constant communication with the RAF Duxford Operations Room until approximately one minute before the accident occurred. The last message received from the pilot was to acknowledge a vector (course) and appeared to be in no difficulty at that time. Immediately prior to the accident the aircraft appeared to have entered cloud as it was seen to emerge from cloud in a spiral dive which continued until it hit the ground.

It was reported that the Typhoon crashed at Redham Hall near East Harling, approximately 4 miles NE of Thetford in Norwich at 12:30 hrs.

Note: Redham Hall is believed to be Roudham Hall which is some 5 miles ENE of Thetford and about 2 miles WNW of East Harling.

The subsequent investigation determined that there was three possible causes for this accident:

Structural failure or failure of controls;
The loss of control in cloud due to faulty instrument flying;
Loss of consciousness by the pilot.

It was considered unlikely that structural failure or failure of controls was the cause as if either of these had occurred, the height at which the aircraft was the pilot had sufficient time to have at least have made an attempt to abandon the aircraft, which did not appear to be the case.

It was also considered unlikely that faulty instrument flying was the cause in view of the fact that the pilot had done a considerable amount of Link Trainer practice and the usual amount of cloud flying practice in service types, albeit not on the Typhoon.

Link Trainer - Also known as the "Blue box" and "Pilot Trainer" was commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Link Aviation Devices. During World War II, they were used as a key pilot training aid by almost every combatant nation.

In an effort to determine if the loss of consciousness by the pilot was the cause of the accident a piece of the pilot’s tissue was sent to the Aviation Medical services to determine, if possible, if Carbon Monoxide was present in the blood. Information received from the Hawker Aircraft Company that tests carried out since this accident had shown that there was a lethal density of Carbon Monoxide in certain parts of the fuselage of the production model Typhoon although on the aircraft on which tests were carried out there was not a lethal density in the vicinity of the pilot’s face.

The investigation concluded that the most probable cause of the accident was due to the loss of consciousness of the pilot, due to Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

As a result of this accident all Typhoons were grounded pending further investigation

Note: The first problem encountered with the Typhoon after its entry into service was the seepage of carbon monoxide fumes into the cockpit. In an attempt to alleviate this, longer exhaust stubs were fitted in November 1941 ("Mod 239"), and at about the same time the port (left) cockpit doors were sealed. The Pilot's Notes for the Typhoon recommended that "Unless Mod. No. 239 has been embodied it is most important that oxygen be used at all times as a precaution against carbon monoxide poisoning." Despite the modifications, the problem was never entirely solved, and the standard procedure throughout the war was for Typhoon pilots to use oxygen from engine start-up to engine shut down.


In 1987 parts of the aircraft were recovered by an excavation undertaken by the East Anglian Aircraft Recovery Group, who located and reopened the sand-filled impact crater. Although finds were recovered, much of the wreckage was damaged by fire, the foam used to put out the fire, and acidic soil conditions.

Start of Excavation

Left: Jeff Carless and Nigel with one of the propeller blades and Right: Bob with the extracted propeller blade

Other finds from the excavation, showing parts of the instruments and buckles.

Picture of the East Anglian Aircraft Recovery Group with the finds

Completion of excavation (A tree was later planted by the group)

Above: Images of the recovery of parts of Typhoon Mk. Ia R7592 from the crash location at a hedgerow near East Harling, Norfolk. (Courtesy of Claudio Meunier and the East Anglian Aircraft Recovery Group)


Burial details:

Above: Honington (All Saints) Churchyard (Courtesy of the TWGPP)

Above: left Plt Off. James Frederick Deck (Courtesy of Claudio Meunier), right: Grave marker (Courtesy of the TWGPP)

Plt Off. James Frederick Deck. Honington (All Saints) Churchyard, Suffolk, Row D. Grave 5. Born on the 12th December 1914 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Son of Frederick James and Violet Mabel (née MacFarlane) Deck, of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

James Frederick Deck joined the RAF at Uxbridge as an airman on the 5th September 1940. 1377722 LAC James Frederick Deck was granted a commission and promoted to 100648 Plt Off. on the 6th July 1941.

There is a Window dedicated to him, his brothers and their father at the Church of St. Peters at Westleton. The window is dedicated to a father who died in February 1939 in Uruguay and his three sons who were killed in WW2 in the RAF. The window is in the south wall of the chancel, facing the WW2 Victory window in the north wall.

(courtesy of War Memorials on Line)

His brothers Plt Off. Harold Frederick Deck and Flt Lt. Charles George Frederick Deck were KiA on the 27th July 1942 and the 19th April 1945 respectively.

Researched by Ralph Snape, Kelvin Youngs and Stefen Youngs and dedicated to this pilot and his family. Special thanks to Claudio Meunier for his contributions.

Thanks to The War Graves Photographic Project (TWGPP) for their great work.

Other sources as quoted below:

RS, KTY, SF 05.12.2022 - Initial upload

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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