Operation: Training

Date: 15th March 1943 (Monday)

Unit No: 11 Operational Training Unit (OTU), ‘C’ Flight

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: X9792

Code: KJ:Q

Base: RAF Westcott, Buckinghamshire

Location: RAF Westcott, Buckinghamshire

Pilot: Sgt. John Henry Lawson 415434 RNZAF Age 20. Killed

Nav: Sgt. John Brims 416629 RNZAF Age 23. Killed

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. David Richard Trigg 1194209 RAFVR Age 20. Killed (1)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Eric Stanley Evans 1162655 RAFVR Age 22. Killed (2)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Arthur James Heppel Williams 1112414 RAFVR Age 28. Killed

Above: Sgt. Eric Stanley Evans (courtesy Phillip Evans)

If anyone has any further photographs of any of the crew, in particular Sgt. Evans - or if anyone is able to provide us with a higher resolution of the 11 OTU photograph shown, or has details of their names we would very much like to hear from you.

REASON FOR LOSS:

One of many training losses suffered by the hard pressed operational training units during the war, many of which are not remembered with their own page on the internet.

Returning from a cross country training flight and as they returned to the airfield to land the aircraft was not lined up properly and so the pilot applied full throttle to try and go round again. As they climbed something went wrong and the aircraft stalled and crashed just off the end of the runway killing all of the crew.

(1) The brother of Sgt. David Trigg, 23 year old, Sgt. Edgar John Alexander Trigg 659136 RAFVR was also to lose his life along with Flt Sgt. Geoffrey Prater Wilkinson 1236806 RAFVR..

They were posted MiA whilst flying in Beaufighter TF.X, LX816 WR:T of 248 Sqn, which ditched into the Bay of Biscay during a patrol following an engine failure on the 7th September 1943. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Panel 167.

(2) Eric Stanley Evans was educated at Gordon School before leaving and going to work at the then well known department store Featherstones in Parrock Street, Gravesend. He was a keen and ardent musician and in 1937 had formed a band called the Eric Evans and the Boys which played at dances and social functions around Gravesend.

Above: Eric played a piano and was a member of an RAF band. (Courtesy Phillip Evans)

After volunteering for the RAFVR he trained in Canada and returned in December 1942 and was then sent for further training. Whilst in the RAF Eric still had time for his passion in music and was part of an RAF band that entertained other service personnel.

Above: 11 OTU training at Westcott - sadly no names/description available.

Burial details:

Sgt. John Henry Lawson. Westcott Churchyard (St. Mary). Grave 8. Son of Harry and Moya Kathleen Lawson of Featherston, Wellington, New Zealand.

He had logged some 310 hrs with 24 of these solo on the Wellington.

Sgt. John Brims. Westcott Churchyard (St. Mary). Grave 7. Son of William and Lilias Aitken Brims of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Sgt. David Richard Trigg. Westcott Churchyard (St. Mary). Grave 6. Grave Inscription: ‘ALSO TO THE MEMORY OF HIS BROTHER JOHN LOST ON AIR OPERATIONS 7TH SEPTEMBER 1943 AGE 23’. Son of Thomas Edgar and of Florence Annie Trigg of Wrotham, Kent, England.

Sgt. Eric Stanley Evans. Gravesend Cemetery. Plot B.16. Grave 1698. Born on the 19th March 1920. Son of George Thomas and Gladys Mabel Evans of Gravesend, Kent, England.

Sgt. Arthur James Heppel Williams. Conwy Churchyard (St. Agnes) Sec. C. Grave 81. Grave Inscription: ‘IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF OUR SON. "BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHICH DIE IN THE LORD"’. Son of the Revd. Arthur Anderson Williams, M.A. and of Gertrude Williams, of Deganwy, Conwy, Wales.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) for Phillip Evans, relative of Sgt. Eric Evans and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Jul 2017). Thanks to Andrew Marshall for the additional information for Sgt. Eric Stanley Evans and for the newspaper cuttings (Sep 2024).

Other Sources listed below:

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