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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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220 Squadron Crest
01.02.1942 No. 220 Squadron Hudson AM615 Fl/Sgt. George Ireland

Operation: Training exercise

Date: 01st February 1942 (Sunday)

Unit: No. 220 Squadron

Type: Hudson 

Serial: AM615

Code: -

Base: RAF Nutts Corner, Northern Ireland

Location: Near base?

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. George Ireland 622635 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Pilot 2: Fl/Sgt. Colin Robert Morley 1170683 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

Nav: Sgt. Falkner Cotton Young AUS/404354 RAAF Age 24. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Charles Walker 751141 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Wallace Harold Mace Watts 1209099 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Kenneth Horton 1260890 RAFVR Age 25. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Hudson AM615 took off on 1st February 1942 from RAF Nutt’s Corner in County Antrim with the Pilot instructed to carry out low level attack exercises against troops. The aircraft crashed at 11:20 hrs - all the crew were killed. At the time the weather was poor with low cloud and rain.

A report on the flying accident later reported : The accident was caused by dangerous flying due to the pilot carrying out the instructions to the extreme. The two pilots were the normal crew.

The CO of RAF Station Nutt's Corner stated “ The accident was due to over keenness and to take full advantage of the opportunity to fly low.”

The AVM Group Commander stated : “I concur in the CO’s remarks. I am satisfied the crew were adequately briefed for the exercise and the accident was the result of over keenness rather than lack of flying discipline. The deceased pilot was the only individual who could be considered to blame for the accident.”

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. George Ireland. Paisley Cemetery (Hawkhead) Scotland. Sec. P. Grave 102. Son of George Sinclair Ireland and Margaret Ireland, husband of Janet Braidwood Weir Ireland, of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Fl/Sgt. Colin Robert Morley. Brookwood Military Cemetery. Grave 24.A.3. Son of Alfred W. Morley and Mabel E. Morley, of Kempley, Gloucestershire, England (Bsc - honours, Reading University). A commemorative stained glass window in St Mary’s church, Kempley was installed in 1950 as a memorial to those lost in World War II. Left Reading University and joined the RAF

Sgt. Falkner Cotton Young. Killead Church of Ireland Churchyard (St. Catherine) Sec. 24. Grave 18. Son of William Vivian and Grace May Young, of Condamine, Queensland, Australia.

Sgt. Ronald Charles Walker. Long Eaton Cemetery. Sec. B7. Grave 41. Son of Charles William and Maud Walker, of Long Eaton Derbyshire, England.

Sgt. Wallace Harold Mace Watts. Wigston Cemetery. Sec. H. Grave 34. Son of Walter and Gladys Edith Watts, husband of Mary Watts, of Wigston Magna, Leicestershire, England.

Sgt. Kenneth Horton. Killead Presbyterian Churchyard. Grave 24. Son of Arthur George and Annie Horton, husband of Kathleen Horton, of Isleworth, Middlesex, England.

Researched for Andy Watts, nephew of  Sgt. Wallace Watts and family. With thanks to Geoff Swallow, Alan Storr and Melvyn Fletcher for detailed information. For further details our thanks to the following sources shown below.

KTY 09.11.2015

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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 Captain 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', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, 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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