DH Mosquito MM244

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Aircraft Type Photo

BELOW: A de Havilland Mosquito in flight.

a de havilland mosquito in flight

Photo: [pre-1957] UK Government. Now, public domain.

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF de Havilland Mosquito PR Mk IX / MM244

(Click hyperlink above for RAF history of this type)

Aircraft Type Nickname: "The Wooden Wonder"; "Mossie".

The de Havilland Mosquito was a multi-role combat aircraft which ranged from fighter to bomber to photographic reconnaissance types.

Mosquitoes were equipped with two Rolls-Royce Merlin in-line piston engines. The B IV type could fly at 380mph.

The fuselage and wings of the Mosquito were made largely of wood. This permitted construction of these parts to be sub-contracted to furniture manufacturers and piano builders, thereby relieving the strain on the overstretched conventional aircraft industry.

The first Mosquitoes to enter service with the RAF were the photo reconnaissance types (PR.IX's). It was one of this type which crashed at Corryfoyness in the Scottish Highlands.

BELOW: A de Havilland Mosquito B35 Bomber photographed at the Alberta Aviation Museum, Edmonton, Canada.

DH Mosquito on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum, Edmonton, Canada

Photo: 1980 'Bzuk'. Released by the author to the public domain under Wikimedia Commons licensing arrangement.

Aircraft Accident Details

Mosquito PR (Photo-Reconnaissance) Mk IX MM244 was on a squadron training flight, together with several other Mosquitoes. They had been instructed to fly out to a rock off the NW coast of Scotland and fly back.

It was extremely bad weather. Maybe one or two Mosquitoes returned to their base at RAF Benson; the rest had all sorts of problems and diverted to other airfields. Mosquito MM244 lost first one engine; and then, a little while later, the next.

The Navigator, F/O Alex Barron, went out of the aircraft first and landed on one side of Loch Ness. The Pilot, F/Lt Joe Burfield, landed in thick bush land on the other side. The aircraft continued to glide for a short distance, before impacting a hillside nor far from the loch.

After landing, F/Lt Burfield eventually found an old farmer who took him to the local police station in a horse and cart. Because neither of them could barely understand a word the other was saying (Australian v Scots accents), the farmer treated this large (6' 4") man in a flying suit with the gravest suspicion and had a shotgun within reach all the way.

Personal reminiscences of the incident by F/O Alex Barron, DFM, navigator, RAF

There were one or two training flights during the first couple of months. On one of these I had my second occasion to bale out. This happened on a flight from Benson routed around the North of Scotland. Three or four aircraft were routed round roughly the same course. The weather was very cold and at 30,000ft the temperature was just about as low as you could find it. I think it was something like -50 degrees Centigrade. Two of the other aircraft had to land about half way round due to fuel problems which were later found to be associated with the extreme cold. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any fuel feed problems until we were at the furthest point of the trip over the Outer Hebrides. The engines coughed and spluttered and finally cut out entirely. It is quite frightening to experience the eerie silence with no engines.

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Aircraft Crew

Both the pilot and the navigator of this aircraft survived the accident. These were:

F/Lt Joe Burfield DFC, Pilot, RAAF.

F/O Alexander Barron DFM, Navigator, RAF.

BELOW: 544 Squadron A Flight.

This photo was taken at RAF Leuchars in February 1945, where they were based briefly, in order to photograph targets in Norway.

See enlarged photo here

Front Row - 3rd from left: F/O Alex Barron DFM, Navigator, RAF
Front Row - 2nd from left: Malcolm Mosely, Vicker's navigator
Front Row - 4th from right: F/Lt Joe Burfield, DFC, Pilot, RAAF
Front Row - 3rd from right: F/Lt Harold Vickers, Pilot, RAAF
Front Row - 2nd from right: F/Lt Ron Foster, DFC, C de G, Pilot, RNZAF

Photo kindly provided by Dr. Grant Burfield

Together with his Australian pilot F/Lt Burfield, F/O Barron continued to serve with the RAF in the European theatre of war until 1945.

AWARDS

BELOW: Citation awarded to Flying Officer Burfield, RAAF, issued by the G. Q. Parachute Company (now, Airborne Systems) in Woking on 20th March 1944.

This citation shows official membership of the G. Q. Club, later renamed the Gold Club, and then Irvin-GQ Ltd.

See enlarged photo here

The above inscription reads:

Whereas by virtue of your successful accomplishment of a descent from the upper airs of this planet by parachute we have thought fit to nominate and appoint you No AUS 416927, Flying Officer N M Burfield, R.A.A.F. to be a member of the G.Q. Club.

We do by these presents bestow upon you the dignity of membership and hereby authorize you to have hold and enjoy the privilege of wearing its gold badge of two wings No 218, without challenge let or hindrance.

Given under our hand this day 20th March 1944

Signature (Chairman)

BELOW: Medals of valour and distinction awarded to F/Lt Burfield, DFC, during his service with the RAAF.

The G. Q. Wings Badge, No. 218, is attached to the top of the medals.

See enlarged photo here

F/Lt Joe Burfield had left Australia on a ship carrying mutton early in 1942, eventually arriving in Liverpool after sailing in convoy through the Panama Canal and on to New York. He returned to Australia in 1946. Of the 10 RAAF aircrew on the mutton boat who left Australia, he was the only one to return.

F/Lt Burfield passed away in 1995, aged 80. F/O Barron retired from the RAF in 1947, and passed away in 2000.

For more details on F/Lt Burfield & F/O Barron's service, please see the entry by Neil Barron on the BBC's WW2 People's War website.

Crash Site Photos

BELOW: Phillip Jones' two eldest sons at site of the crashed Mosquito PR.IX MM244 in Abriachan Forest near Corryfoyness. Wreckage fragments, including skinning and miscellaneous pipes, etc., lie scattered among the trees across the surrounding hillside.

See enlarged photo here

BELOW: Some parts of the aircraft have been buried onsite.

See enlarged photo here

BELOW: Some fragments of remaining wreckage.

See enlarged photo here

Photo Gallery

There are no additional photos for this crash site in the Photo Gallery.

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Crash Date / Site

Accident Date: 25 Nov 1943

Accident Site:

Corryfoyness

(1,111ft)

(Abriachan Forest , near Great Glen Way) PDF Document and Map

Region: Highland

Nearest town or village:

Achmony or Drumnadrochit

(by Loch Ness)

Nearest large town or city:

Inverness (NE) or Fort Augustus (SW)

OS Grid Ref. N/A

GPS Ref: NH 55022 BNG 32514

Present Condition: After the recovery of the two power plants, etc., much of the remaining aircraft wreckage was buried onsite. Some fragmented remains are to be found on or near the surface and scattered across the surrounding hillside. However, finding individual wreckage fragments is made rather difficult since the crash site is located within a forested area.