Archive Report: Allied Forces

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303 FTU Wellington VIII LA995 Sgt, Ralph Spencer

Operation: Training

Date: 23rd February 1943 (Tuesday)

Unit: No. 303 Ferry Training Unit (Coastal Command)

Type: Wellington VIII

Serial: LA995

Code: -

Base: RAF Stornoray, Harris, Scotland

Location: Soay Island, St. Kilda, Scotland

Pilot: Sgt. Ralph Spencer 1215504 RAFVR Age 22. Missing - believed killed

Pilot 2: Sgt. George Bowman Stewart 1332286 RAFVR Age 32. Missing - believed killed

Nav: Fl/Sgt. Vincent Harold Knutson R/98799 RCAF Age 21. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. William Day 1378796 RAFVR Age 28. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Wilfred Turley 1204149 RAFVR Age 29. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. William Victor Charles Alston 1267971 RAFVR Age 21, Killed (1)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 14:50 hrs on a Navigation and Consumption exercise.

Route: Stornaway - Flannan Isles - St. Kilda - Rockall - Stornaway.

Weather conditions, squally showeres with the possibility of minor fronts.Visibility was described as good except in showers. Wind - S.W. 35-40 kms- at 1,000 feet.

The aircraft was last heard on H/F at 15:23 hrs. and gave signalX•548 1/F. No further signal was heard.

The last R.D.F. Plot was at 15:45 in position 58.12 N• 07•58 W at 1,000 ft. This was on track.

Right: Isle of Soay1300ft of cliffs on three sides at the crash site marked with an X. (Courtesy David Whalley)

The Wellington was last observed by another aircraft on same exercise at 16:01 in position 5753 N. 0830 W, in the vicinity of Boreray Island.

LA995 was then flying very low in the leeward of the island which is 1,245 ft high, and appeared to be flying towards very distinct downdraughts alongside of the island.

The aircraft was then lost to view in the rain and was thought to have gone into the sea.

The aircraft had taken off I hr. 1l min. before this with a full load of 3,0350 lbs. Despite extensive search the next day over the full area of the exercise carried out by ten aircraft and another aircraft searching the immediate vicinity of the island, no dinghy, wreckage or other indication was seen.

Above: 33 Course RAF Bobbibgton, Staffordshire, September 1942 War L-R; Sgt. Hancock, Sgt. Day *, Sgt. Turley *, Sgt. Barrett and Sgt. Bernard. Front; Sgt. Batty, P/O. Barry, Sgt. Alston *, P/O. Frezzeley and Sgt. Davis. (Courtesy relative of Sgt. Turley. via Keith Townsend) * Crew members on this flight.

David Whalley wrote:

In 1978 the Air Historical Branch (AHB) tasked the team to investigate aircraft wreckage that had been reported on the Isle of Soay, by some yachtsmen.

It was rumoured to be the remains of Wellington VIII LA 995 from RAF Stornoway which crashed in February 1943. Soay was extremely difficult to get to and we were deployed by a Sea King which had recently entered service.

On the first visit, we took EOD specialists from Wittering, the Procurator fiscal and a CID Sergeant from Stornoway. Despite three trips and a night stop over the next two years any evidence we found could not confirm that the aircraft was LA995.

(1) The body of Sgt. Alston was washed up on the Isle of Lewis and claimed by his family.

Above: The plaque at St. Kilda Church (Courtesy Ralph Snape)

Burial details:

Sgt. Ralph Spencer. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 165. Son of Walter Hepworth Spencer (died 1991, age 91) and Gertrude Alice Spencer (died 1988, age 88), brother of Graham Bellamy (died 1987, age 59) of Burley-in-Wharfedale, Yorkshire, England.

Sgt. George Bowman Stewart. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 166. Born on the 6th April 1910 in Newcastle, Northumberland. Worked as a bank clerk prior to service. Son of George and Mary Agnes (née Bowman) Stewart. Husband to Muriel Frances (née Neale) Stewart of North Witchford, Cambridgeshire, England. He had two daughters, Christina Mary and Valerie Ann.

Fl/Sgt. Vincent Harold Knutson. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 183. Born on the 18th September 1921 in Swift Current. Enlisted on the 25th October 1941 in Saskatoon. Son of Caleb Hiram Knutson (died 1990, age 95) and Margaret Knutson (née Pearson - died 1992, age 96).

Knutson Lake, Saskatchewan was named after Fll/Sgt. Knutson

Sgt. William Day. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 147. Husband of Linda Day, of Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, England.

Sgt. George Wilfred Turley. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 167. Son of George Lawrence Turley (1887-1927) and Lily (née Hanslow 1887-1925). Husband of Elsie Irene Turley (née Salmon -1913-2011 - married 26th December 1936), Smethwick, Staffs., England.

Sgt. William Victor Charles Alston. Manor Park Cemetery. Collective grave 20. Son of William Thomas Alston and Grace May Alston, of Clapton, London, England. Epitaph: 'Brave Son, You Left Sorrow And Pain. Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten Again'.

Researched for Keith Townsend whose wife is a relative of Sgt. Turley and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the National Archive, Kew, David ‘Heavy’ Whalley BEM. MBE and Old mans thoughts and tales..Government of Canada WW2 service records, RAF Commands Forum. Paradie RCAF Archives.

Above: David ‘Heavy’ Whalley BEM. MBE

Other pages that may interest you:

Pages detailing Accidents

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