Wekllington bomber crash

[paul1801]

Hi all,

can anyone tell me where I can find out about a plane crash in WW2,
my gran tells me that it was in 1942 near a village called West Roddymoor,Crook,Co Durham.
It was a wellington bomber and the crew were killed, my grandparents lived very near with my grandfather being in the home guard at the time had some involvement with the crash.
Ive found a small article in the Northern Echo but it doesnt give much info,

any help appreciated

Paul

[Jolly Roger]

If I was looking at Newspapers in County Durham at the time, I would be looking at The Auckland Chronicle/Durham Advertise Series, they are Weekly papers but sometimes had more local news than the Echo.
Jolly Roger

[peter nicholl]

Hi Paul
The crash happened on 21 May 1942. The Wellington was from 25 Op Training, RAF, piloted by Flight Seargent Rambler David Roberts, RAAF. The other crew members were Sergeant Rae Groom, RAAF, Flt Sgt Angus Frederick Roberts, RCAF, Flt Sgt Robert Melbourne Boates, RCAF and Flt Sgt William Neil Reeves, RCAF. All of the crew are buried in West Cemetery, Darlington.
The CWGC site is closed for maintenance on 1st & 2nd March.
HTH
Peter

[peter nicholl]

Hi Paul
As a follow up try The Northern Echo Archives for 19 and 26 May 2005,
http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2005/5/19/12710.html for the 19th.
Peter
PS Unless that was the small article to which you referred?

[Neil Wilson]

Hi Paul
Regarding Peter's 25 OTU, I found this
No 25 Operational Training Unit
Formed at Finningley on 1 March 1941 within No 7 Group, equipped with Hampdens and later Manchesters tasked with training night bomber crews. By April 1942 the Manchesters had been retired and on 11 May it was transferred to No 92 Group and then on 1 September, No 93 Group, also being reduced to 2/3 status. Flying ended on 7 January 1943 and the unit disbanded on 1 February with its aircraft being passed onto No's 27 and 30 OTUs
Codes used: -
PP Mar 1941 - Feb 1943
ZP xxx 1942 - Feb 1943

Not sure where you would start these days seeing that Finningley is closed, is there a local history group in Sheffield that could help.

[Jack Richards]

Hi Friends

Reference this air crash and references to checking newspapers at the time.

By all means do so, but I respectfully suggest that you may be disappointed.

The 1942 crash was in war time and surely there may have been a news blackout on such matters as this.

On my web site, I have a chapter/story that I have written of a similar crash of a Halifax bomber that crashed in (within half a mile) of my home village. I was 10 years old and remember it clearly. There was "high security". One could not get close to the plane once the police and military arrived. The wreckage was removed within a few hours.

Anyone interested can look at my web site and look at the chapter "Crashed Aircraft"

Regards Jack

[Neil Wilson]

What Jack has said could be true, even these days crash sites are cordoned off for a number of reasons and the truth about it may never be known.
Jack - been on your site again, knew I had read about a Wellington crash before and now know where.

[paul1801]

Thanks to all who contributed, I have passed all this on to my Gran who is aged 86 she is delighted with the response, many thanks to all

PS ignore my latested post re this subject I did not recieve any e-notification of replies, must have re set the wrong button

Paul