Vickers Wellington HE802

Corrydown, Huntly, Aberdeenshire

MainMenu

NationalFlags

Operator/Nationalities

Operating Country

UK (RAF / RAFVR)

Pilot, Navigator and Air Bombers.

Canada (RCAF)

MediaCredits

Acknowledgment

Many thanks to Mrs B Clark (Canada) for kindly providing information for this page.

Many thanks also to Bob Milne for pointing out an error in the crash location. The location has now been altered from Corrydown near Turriff to Corrydown near Huntly.

Copyright Notice

All photos remain the property of the original author, and may not be reproduced elsewhere without the author's prior written permission.

GoogleAds

Food/Drink

Local Area

Huntly

The Grouse Inn (TripAdvisor)

(Other suggestions welcomed)

Fast Food (Locate nearest)

NavigationAids

Maps, Compass, GPS

Maps

Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps (Hillwalking Bookshop)

Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps (Home page)

Harvey Maps

Computer Graded Map Reading Skills Test

Compass

Silva Compass

How to navigate with map and compass

GPS / SatNav

Is it time I bought a GPS (cautionary advice)

Walks with GPS Waypoints and GPS Data

Garmin

Magellan

Handtec.co.uk

Garmin, TomTom, and NavMan Sat Nav / GPS. Also, Mobiles, Smart Phones, iPhones, and laptops, etc.

Mobile Phones with GPS

mobile phones comparison

mobile fone reviews (GPS)

go4awalk.com

Advice, ideas, walks, places to stay, peaks and mountains, GPS waypoints, camping, and much more.

MunroMagic.com

All 283 Munros, 221 Corbetts and 224 Grahams are covered in detail including descriptions, pictures, location maps, walking routes, weather reports, and many tools to help you find all the mountain information you require.

OtherAircraft

Aircraft Indices

Aircraft Index (listed alphabetically by manufacturer).

Regions Index (list of crash sites by Regions / Districts).

Aircraft Photo

BELOW: Vickers Wellington bombers.

RAF Wellington bombers in flight

Photo: [Pre 1950] Crown Copyright (expired)

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF Vickers 290 Wellington Mk IA / HE802

(Click hyperlink above for RAF history of this type)

Aircraft Type Nickname: Wimpy (or Wimpey).

The Wellington was a medium bomber, of which there were 16 variants, the first Wellington bombers were powered by two 1,050 hp Bristol Pegasus Mk. I radial engines. It had a maximum speed of 235 mph (410 km/h). The Wellington featured on this page was fitted with two Bristol Pegasus Mk. XVIII engines.

Like the Vickers Wellesley, the Wellington was constructed using a geodetic (lattice) framework to provide additional strength and durability for the fuselage. As a result of this design by Barnes Wallis, Wellington bombers were able to survive and return safely to base even after sustaining considerable damage.

The first Wellingtons entered service with No. 9 Squadron RAF. Later, an improved version entered service with RAF Bomber Command. The aircraft carried a crew of six.

Aircraft Accident Details

On 26 August 1943, Vickers Wellington HE802 ¹ of 20 OTU took off from RAF Lossiemouth on a cross-country training flight.

It is believed the Wellington was struck by an object of some sort, which may have damaged the propellers (injuries to the pilot suggest he may have been killed, or incapacitated, by a fragment of propeller blade entering the cockpit), before it crashed on Corry Down (or Corrydown) near Gartly (on the A97, S of Huntly).

Although not shown on large scale maps, this Corrydown is located within Clashindarroch Forest, Aberdeenshire.

Footnote 1:

On 3 July 1943—about 6 or 7 weeks prior to the incident described here—Wellington HE802 had been involved in another incident in which it had caught fire while airborne and enroute to Cologne. On that occasion, the pilot of HE802 had aborted the mission and had landed at RAF East Moor airfield.

Following repairs to the damaged aircraft, Wellington HE802 was assigned to 20 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at RAF Lossiemouth.

For further details of the previous incident and the aircrew involved, please see this website.

Aircrew Casualties

Those who died in this tragic accident were:

Flt Sgt Frank Edwards Adams (22), RCAF, Pilot (Lossiemouth Burial Ground / Grave 981)
Flt Sgt Basil Elliot Clark (34), Navigator, RCAF (Lossiemouth Burial Ground / Grave 983)
Sgt Brian Gray Donbavand (20), Nav., RAFVR (Manchester Crematorium)
Flt Sgt Edward Howard Weeks (20), RCAF, Air Bomber (Lossiemouth Burial Ground / Grave 982)
Sgt Alec Percy King (20), W.Op / Air Gnr., RAFVR (Luton General Cemetery)
Sgt Kenneth Gordon Soutar (37), RCAF, Air Bomber (Lossiemouth Burial Ground / Grave 984)

(Please click on hyperlinked name above for further details)

The non-RCAF members of the crew were claimed by their relatives while funeral services for the four Canadians were held at Lossiemouth Burial Ground, Drainie.

[Much of the information in the above two panels was provided courtesy of Mrs B Clark (Canada) and is based on details supplied by Peter and Jacqui Westley of RAF Lossiemouth.]

Crash Site Photos

There are no photos of this crash site.

Crash site location

The exact location of this crash site is uncertain. The report says that the aircraft crashed at 'Corry Down' or 'Corrydown' (in what is presently a forested area).

TOP OF PAGE

Crash Date / Site

Accident Date: 26 Aug 1943

Accident Site:

Corrydown near Gartly.²

(Clashindarroch Forest)

Region: Aberdeenshire (Strathbogie)

Nearest town or village:

Huntly

OS Grid Ref. N/A

GPS Ref: N/A

Present Condition: Unknown.

Footnote 2:

The location of this accident was originally given as Corrydown near Turriff. Apparently, this was an error. No records of the crash and subsequent loss of life exist in that area. Furthermore, local farmers have not been able to recall such a crash, nor have they come across any remaining wreckage. From this, it is concluded that the crash may have occurred some miles SW of this location, at Corrydown near Gartly (south of Huntly) in Clashindarroch Forest.