Operation: Ferry flight to new base

Date: 18th March 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 440 (City of Ottawa) Squadron, RCAF, 143 Airfield, 2nd Tactical Air Force

Type: Typhoon Ib

Serial: JR439

Code: I8:?

Base: RAF Ayr, Scotland

Location: Little Water of Fleet, Kirkcudbright, Scotland

Pilot: Plt Off. Kenneth Osborne Mitchell J19123 RCAF Age 22. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS

On the 18th March 1944 Squadrons from 124 Airfield were detailed to relocate from RAF Ayr [RAF Heathfield], Ayrshire to RAF Hurn in Dorset via RAF Woodvale.

RAF Woodvale is some 232 km (144 mls) SE of RAF Ayr on a direct route.

A flight of five Typhoons from 440 Sqn, with the callsign Jujube Blue Section, were airborne between 10:30 and 10:45 hrs on a coastal route to RAF Woodvale. The flight was lead by Fg Off. Milne in a Loose Vic formation.

Relative positions of Jujube Blue Section:

#4 MM961: Fg Off. Leonard Ralph Allman J13588 RCAF.

#2 JR439: Plt Off. Kenneth Osborne Mitchell J19123 RCAF.

#1 Fg Off. Ramsey Herbert Milne J16142 RCAF.

#3 Fg Off. James Hughes Beatty J14471 RCAF.

#5 Fg Off. Albert Allen Watkins J26919 RCAF.

Note: Fg Off. Leonard Ralph Allman J13588 RCAF was KiA on the 6th June 1944 over France.

They climbed up to 4500 ft and flew between two layers of cloud. About 8 km (5 ml) south of New Galloway, approximately 60 km (37 ml) SE of RAF Ayr, the flight ran into thick cloud and became separated.

After they became separated Fg Off. Milne called on the R/T and gave instructions to steer 210^o for 10 mins and then let down over the sea. Fg Off. Milne broke cloud after a few mins and let down to ground level and continued onto RAF Woodvale. On breaking cloud he called the rest of the flight and received acknowledgments at the time of the call that they were all OK.

Fg Offs. Milne and Allman landed at RAF Woodvale and Fg Off. Milne later found out later that Fg Offs. Beatty and Watkins had landed at RAF Great Orton. He was not aware that Plt Off. Mitchell was missing until he arrived at RAF Hurn.

The subsequent investigation determined that the aircraft had crashed at Little Water of Fleet at Kirkcudbright, adjacent to the Viaduct on Big Water of Fleet. The location is some 7½ km (4¾ ml) SW of the flight’s last known position south of New Galloway.

The area of the crash site is about 400 ft above sea level and the aircraft struck a rock 8 ft high and disintegrated.

The prevailing weather conditions at the time of the crash had mist down to between 50 ft and 100 ft above ground, and the visibility at about 600-800 yards.

Burial details:

Above Courtesy of The Montreal Star, dated 7th April 1944

Plt Off. Kenneth Osborne Mitchell. Interred at the Ayr Cemetery, Ayrshire Sec. R. 1931 Div. Grave 2720 on the 22nd March 1944 at 15:00 hrs. Inscription: ‘UNTIL THE DAY BREAK AND THE SHADOWS FLEE AWAY’. Born on the 23rd January 1922 in Montreal, Quebec. Son of Theodore Osborne and Ethel Lucy (née Wilson) Mitchell, of Greenfield Park, Province of Quebec, Canada.

Researched by Ralph Snape and dedicated to this pilot and his family.

Other sources as quoted below:

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