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| Date: | Tuesday 30 November 1943 |
| Time: | 01:30 |
| Type: |  Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V |
| Owner/operator: | 81 OTU RAF |
| Registration: | BD259 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | New Salts Farm, 300 yards south of RAF Shoreham, West Sussex, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Tilstock, Whitchurch, Shropshire |
On the night of 29/30 November 1943 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley BD259, of 81 OTU at RAF Tilstock, was engaged on special duty operations, 'nickelling' (I believe this to have been propaganda leaflet dropping) over Versailles. On its return, sparks and flames were seen to emanate from its port engine. However its crew pressed on, one one engine, in the hope of making it back across the Channel. This they achieved and at about 01:30 on 30 November 1943 they were near Shoreham Airfield.
Pilot : Sergeant Curtis-Hayward RAF
Some hikers in the Scottish Highlands reported that wreckage from this aircraft can be found at Cawdoor Moor.
Whether they were attempting to land there is not known (I don't think that the airfield was equipped with lights in 1943) but the Whitley crashed 300 yards south of the airfield, presumably on the fields of New Salts Farm between the railway line and the A259 road, and broke into three sections. None of the crew of the Whitley were injured but their aircraft was destroyed.
Sources:
1. The Whitley File (R.N. Roberts, Air Britain, 1986 p.48)
2. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=19766.0
3. https://oakleyproperty.com/downloads/New%20Salt%20Farm%20Brochure.pdf
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitchurch_(Tilstock)_Airfield#RAF_Tilstock
5. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-May-2024 10:19 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Operator] |
| 06-Jun-2024 10:44 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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