DH Mosquito DD753

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Aircraft Type Photo

BELOW: de Havilland Mosquito Mk.IV's.

de havilland mosquito mark iv's

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

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito NFII / DD753

(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).

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

D.H.98 Mosquito DD753 had taken off from RAF Charterhall on a night exercise when it flew into a hillside after a constant speed unit (CSU) failed.

The aircraft burned out when it impacted the ground at The Curr on the slopes of The Cheviot hills near Kirk Yetholm [map].

Aircraft Crew Casualties

Both air crew died in this accident. These were:

131074 Flt Lt Henry John Medcalf (27), RAFVR, Pilot
154591 F/O Ronald Edward Bellamy (21), RAFVR, Navigator / Radar

(Please click on the names above to locate burial locations.)

Crash Site Photos

NOTE: It is possible that the engines were blown up afterward at the crash site. Therefore, the crater shown in some of the photos below, together with the remaining wreckage in and around the crater, may indicate where the engines were destroyed. [Thanks to Jim Corbett (ACIA) for this info.]

BELOW: Overview of debris from Mosquito DD753 at The Curr near Yetholm.

In recent years, much of the wreckage has been removed. (Compare with photos further down this page taken several years earlier by Gary Nelson.)

debris field on The Curr near Yetholm

BELOW: A small pile of wreckage still lies on the hillside.

small pile of wreckage on the hillside

BELOW: Some larger sections, possibly from the wings.

larger sections, possibly from wings

BELOW: Possibly, remains of landing gear from Mosquito DD753.

remains of landing gear from mosquito

BELOW: A larger section of wreckage.

a larger sections of wreckage

BELOW: General overview showing small pieces remaining on The Curr near Yetholm.

general overview of debris field

BELOW: A larger section of remaining wreckage. (Size estimated in relation to 1.2m fence post.)

larger circular wreckage section

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Earlier Photos

The photos shown below were taken several years earlier than those above. Over the years since these earlier photos were taken, several sections of wreckage have been removed from the crash site.

BELOW: Taken some years ago, this photo shows an overview of the crash site on The Curr near Yetholm. 'Sharni', the retriever was well-accustomed to climbing the hills!

overview of crash site on The Curr