Mr shack and A2, I did not challenge Mr crun. I have followed his contributions for years now and if he says something is so I accept it as so unless I have very good evidence to the contrary, which so far I have yet to find.

A year or two ago I was chatting with an ex-RCAF pilot of fairly recent vintage, and the topic of attrition came up. I was astonished to learn that in his time he had known two pilots who were killed.

I once idly made a list of pilots who had to my knowledge gone to glory, 1953 to 1957, in the RAF and FAA, all in conditions of peace. I stopped the depressing task at 34.

As I was being strapped into a hot pursuit ship, lukewarm anyway, at one of Mr shack's FTS during his years, the cheery airman offered the pensee: "About time again, Sir!". He and his mates, so he told me, reckoned on at least "one" per ten weeks, and we were now at week 9.

I have never seen the statistics on the Vampire 5 and the Venom, but I'd like to.

Meteor 8 Explosion, Filey
 

Dear Mr. Crun.

I've slept on it; I've racked my memory....but I cannot for the life of me reconcile myself to a 1953 date line for the above. Be in no doubts, my memory is not a patch on what it once was, so let me explain. I also witnessed an in flight collision between Meteor 7s from RAF Driffield FTS, at least 2 pilots were killed. But as best I can remember this incident preceded the Meteor 8 incident! One of the reasons I want to be sure about this date is because I want to get hold of a national paper that gave full coverage of this accident (done by the Daily Express, as I vaguely recall).Without a date to be sure of, it'll cost me a small fortune on buying wasted papers ! But the rest of what you said remains valid. Only the year still does not ring true.
Thank You
Voyeur
p.s. best wishes to you " no "who

Voyeur: Although I think it unlikely, it is possible Broken Wings has the wrong date.

Rather than approach the Express would it not be easier to check with a local newspaper ?
An event like that would almost certainly be given prominence, and you are more likely to get a prompt reply from a small local paper than a national daily.

Edit to add, In the period Jan 52 to Dec 1957 I can find only two references to collisions involving Mk 7's.
The first is between a Mk8 and a Mk7 at Bllackmore, Essex, on 3/4/54 when one pilot was killed.
Second was two Mk 7's of CFS who collided at Upper Heyford on 28/7/54, the four occupants where killed.

The is one entry involving a Mk7 at Driffield in that period, when on 9/4/53 WL413 (type not given) landed on top of Mk 7 VT240. No fatalities involved in that accident.

To return to the Filey location, there is another entry on 27/8/54, 2 mls south of Filey, aircraft abandoned in a dive after a tailchase, but that was a Mk 7, not an 8.

Following my post about a Meteor that crashed at Westcliff on Sea, the details confirmed by henry crun, a friend of mine told me of another
that he says he and his brother actually saw crash in the early 1950s at
South Benfleet in Essex.

I had never heard of that accident, does anyone have any further details?

tilewood: this might be the one your friend witnessed.

12/4/52: Meteor F8: WF700: 41 Sqn: South Benfleet, Essex: Engine caught fire, abandoned.

It appears that those who didn't see a Meteor accident are in the minority. I saw one do a wheels up at Finningley in or around 1953-55. It was later jacked up and towed away so I presume the damage was slight.

Thankyou henry I will pass those details on.

My friend and his younger brother took off on their bikes and arrived
at the scene within a few minutes, but the police had already secured the
area. I believe it is now part of a housing estate.

Gainesy, that's me - I was lucky to be at Mildenhall the day before the Meteor and Vampire collided...

I notice Henry's figures 1953-56 prove a year to year reduction in accidents. Luck, improved training or diminution of available airframes and drivers?