THAMESIDE AVIATION MUSEUM

COALHOUSE FORT, EAST TILBURY, ESSEX, ENGLAND.

THE HOME OF AVIATION ARCHAEOLOGY IN ESSEX

ON THE 26TH NOVEMBER 1942, TWO HURRICANES OF No 3 SQUADRON TOOK OFF FROM THEIR BASE AT HUNSDON HERTFORDSHIRE FOR A COMBAT PRACTICE TWO AIRCRAFT AND ONE PILOT DID NOT RETURN!

The story starts back in March 1998,

The Thameside Aviation Museum (TAM) was invited to give a talk on aviation archaeology at "THE SQUADRON" North Weald Airfield, Essex, Dave Thorndike, Ron Wingrave and myself.

Dave set up a display of some of our finds with photos of the museum while Ron was in charge of slides and cine film { most digs were filmed on super 8} and myself, left to do the talking, all went very well with a fantstic turnout of members with some very good questions. After the talk had finished we were chatting to members of the Squadron when I was asked by one of them if I knew about two spitfires that had collided over the village of Great Easton near Great Dunmow Essex, I said I did not but I knew of Two Hurricanes somewhere up that way, his name was John Hitchens, he had grown up in the village and could take me to the spot where they had crashed we exchanged numbers and I told him I would start the research as soon as I got home.

A couple of days later I contacted John and told him that the aircraft were definitly two Hurricanes and would now further my research, With the help of the Ministary of Defence Air Historical Branch who confirmed that it was two Hurricanes AM280 and Z5449 both of 3 sqdn.

At around 11.30 we had Anglia TV News come on site to film some of the excavation and interview John Hitchens and myself which was to be screened that night, which it was! this promted a local man to come to the site that evening and inform us that his father-in-law had pulled the rest of the wreck out around five years after the war and scraped it and as the next day produced very little finds we found this to be true.

We found a very oily patch at about 8 feet { 2.4m } which was where the engine had layed all those years earlier but alas it had gone.

 

The finds we have are very interesting, we have parts from all over the aircraft including a pair of wing bolts, fuse box cover,one set of induction pipes from the top of the Merlin and of course we have the history.

81682 Flt. Lt John Lonsdale R.A.F.V.R.

Born; 18th September 1914

Son of ; Robert and Esther

Husband of: Doris

Home; Norton-on-Tees, nr Stockton-on-Tees

Buried; Duram Road Cemetery , CI, row B, Grave 24

Joined 3sqdn at Wick early July 1940. 25th July 1940 he shares in the distruction of a Heinkel 111, shot down into the sea off Pentland Firth During a weather reconnnaissance mission. (see new addition below)

Promotion Dates

Pilot Officer. 29/6/40,

Flying Officer. 29/6/41,

Flight Lieutenant. 29/6/42

Total flying hours, 1'069

Aircraft History AM 280

Built by Canadian Car and Foundry Corporation, Ontario Canada, as a Hurricane X/11B

AM280 was built as a part of the 3rd production batch of 100 aircraft, the batch were built in 1941 using revised manufacturing procedures and tolerances to conform to British standards. The aircraft were shipped to the uk during 1941/42 and had eight gun wings and Packard merlin 28s fitted, most were refitted with Rolls Royce Merlin XXs as did AM280, eng No 26955.

The aircraft was taken on-charge 31st March 1942 to 13 MU, 15 MU on 28th May 42, to 1 sqdn on 13th June 42, 3 sqdn 30th July 42.

Category "E" 26/11/42,

Struck of-charge 26/11/42, with a total flying time of 179.55 hrs.

We have not been able to trace any details of Sgt Rankin, over to you?.

Aircraft History Z5449

Built by Glosters, taken on-charge 3/941 to 46 MU, To Russia 8/9/41, to 17 sqdn on 20/941, 32sqnd 12/6/42, 247 sqdn 22/9/42, 3 sqdn 22/11/42, 71 MU 27/11/42, struck of-charge 26/11/42

LATEST ADDITION / INFORMATION

THE AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN BY JOHN LONSDALE

Heinkell He111 on the 25th July 1940 shared with F/O D.A.E. Jones. The Heinkel from Wetterkundungsstaffel 1, was on a weather reconnaissance sortie and crashed into the sea off Pentland Firth at 08.30 hrs.

The pilot, Gefr PAUL MÜLLER, was Killed, his body was washed ashore on 1st August and buried at Kirkwall in the Orkneys where he remains to this day.

Uff A. BAUCH, Uffz R. FRIETAG AND Uffz E. LOCH were also lost but a fifth crew member E. FRANKEN was rescued from a dingy 12 miles off Roro Head by a Royal Navel Destroyer.

The aircraft T5 + AL was lost.

My thanks to; Frank Gee and Ian Hallatt.