Wellington crash on Trucial Coast 1943

[l.garey]

A few years ago I did some research on the crash of Wellington HX748 in 1943. It was on the strength of the Aircraft Delivery Unit, 4 Ferry Control Unit, Middle East Command.

On 13 February 1943, it landed at the Staging Post, RAF Sharjah, and on 14 February 1943, took off for Karachi. Some 30 minutes later, when over the sea, the pilot noticed oil on the reduction gear casing of the port engine. This coupled with a visibility of only 2 miles made him decide to return to Sharjah. After about 7 minutes the port propeller flew off . The pilot was forced to land on a rocky strip of coast at Dhadnah, now in the UAE: the aircraft was badly damaged and the navigator killed.

On 17 February, an aircraft (I presume a Bisley) from 244 Squadron Sharjah took off to drop supplies. This aircraft reported that four members of the crew were apparently uninjured.

On 22 February three of the crew, rescued by the Royal Navy, reached Sharjah, the fourth survivor, the passenger, remaining on board HMS Capetown in order to continue his journey to Karachi.

The crew and passenger were as follows: Sgt. G. Chadwick (pilot); Sgt. W.H (Billy) Donnelly (navigator); Sgt. G.A. Wharton (wireless operator); Sgt. W.J. Brown (wireless operator); Lt.-Col. De Watteville (passenger).

Billy Donnelly was buried by the crew near the aircraft. A month later someone photographed the grave, and I have just been sent a copy of the photo by a member of Billy's family. Apparently it was labelled 244 Sqd on the back. However, the exact site seems not to be known.

The question is: does anyone know any more about this accident, or have any way of contacting the surviving crew members?

Billy's family is keen to know more, and locate the crash site.
As I shall be in that area soon, I agreed to try to help them

Thanks all.

Laurence

[Paulok]

Dadna is on the east Coast of the UAE approx 45KM north of Fujairah. This area has been developed extensively in recent years and I doubt you will find any evidence of a crash site or anything else.

We go over to the east coast on diving trips and i will ask a friend of mine who was over there in the 1970's building the road infrastructure.

You can see Dadna on Google Earth. At one end of the Beach is Sandy beach Motel and the other end is Le Meridien. This looks like the only landing spot.


Good luck
Paul

[l.garey]

Thanks Paul. I know the area fairly well having been 4 years in Al Ain. I have even dived myself around there and stayed at Sandy Lodge. I knew it before the Meridien came.
In fact I was over there last September, and know the amount of building that has taken place in the last 5 years or so.
Of course, it is one of the areas where the HP42 Hannibal might have crashed in 1940, between Karachi and Sharjah. The big mystery. All points to it being in the sea, but one never knows! I never found it though.
However, getting back to the Wellington, if you have a friend who knows the situation in the 1970s I would be very interested to hear.

Laurence

[Paulok]

I will check with him this weekend. he did mos tof the roads infrastructure on that coast and used to live in what is now Sandy Beach. It was a construction camp at that time.

[l.garey]

Thanks Paul. I am sending you an e-mail. I hope it gets to you.
Laurence

[l.garey]

Just opening up this post again.

A bit of searching at Dhadnah has revealed some possible sites for the grave I mentioned above. It would be great if I could find if any of the surviving 1943 crew are still around:
Sgt. G. Chadwick (pilot); Sgt. G.A. Wharton (wireless operator); Sgt. W.J. Brown (wireless operator); Lt.-Col. De Watteville (passenger).

What was the passenger doing on board that flight?

Laurence

[bigjok]

When flying in and out of Masirah in the 60s/70s an aircraft could be seen at low tide in Um Rasas (?) Bay, some miles SW of the airfield. It was said to be a ditched Blenheim.
Does anyone have any info about this?

[l.garey]

That was a 244 Sqd Bisley that landed on a sandbar between Umm Rusays and Shaghpar Island on 9 June 1943. It was still there until a cyclone in 1977, although the engines had been recovered in 1974. Colin Richardson reported on it in his book on Masirah.

Laurence

[Scottish_Airman]

I'm researching this crash myself. Does anybody have any further info?
Thanks

[Goofa]

I think my father was on board the Blenheim that crashed in this location so I am also starting to research this.

[Chipkalis]

That was a 244 Sqd Bisley that landed on a sandbar between Umm Rusays and Shaghpar Island on 9 June 1943. It was still there until a cyclone in 1977, although the engines had been recovered in 1974. Colin Richardson reported on it in his book on Masirah.

Laurence

From the 244 ORB's: BA656 Made an attack on a 200' Sub, D/C's did not deploy and aircraft crash landed near Um Rassas.

[Chipkalis]

I think my father was on board the Blenheim that crashed in this location so I am also starting to research this.

Hi There!

Any luck with your research! I've been studying the 244 squadron ORBs for quite sometime if you can PM me his name I'll be more than happy to have a look for you.

Regards,

Ali

[JW411]

I used to see the wreck of BA656 frequently as I flew into and out of Masirah between 1966 and 1971. The props used to come out of the water at low tide sometimes and once or twice the whole wreckage came to the surface during an exceptionally low tide.

Masirah ATC did an expedition at one low tide and came back with the control column which they had in the tower with some photographs of one of them sitting in what was left of the cockpit. It was in shallow water just off the old Catalina base at Umm Rasays.

I have attached an appallingly bad photograph taken on one of my trips.

[l.garey]

Thanks for that. I've not seen it from that view before.

Laurence

[Chipkalis]

Nice Picture!

Apparently The port engine caught fire and the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude and ditched.

Lots of similar reports for Bisleys during that time

[Goofa]

Nice Picture!

Apparently The port engine caught fire and the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude and ditched.

Lots of similar reports for Bisleys during that time

Somewhat late to the party but I have checked my fathers logbook and he was the navigator on this aircraft. I also have details of the Pilot. I was also told by an Oman AF Sation Commander that the engine was used as a naviation turning point as it was dragged ashore and is now on a promentary somehere possibly near Umm Rasas? Obvioulsy hugely interested in the control column story. I plan to visit Masirah at some point to visit the crash site area.