Valiant XD869 - Crash at Marham in 1959
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Missing Crew Chf
I joined 214 mid '59 as a lowly rigger and one of the first tasks impossed on myself and the other newbies was to assist in the clean-up of 869; we still though it to be 858 but who looks at the a/c # left on the pans?
There were only 6 bodies recovered and DNA would have been necessary to identify the deceased but dental records helped out there. To my recollection it wasn't Jarvis that had the flu but Barnet (?) - sorry, senile D kicks in now and again but I remember no-one but no-one could talk to him for yonks after. The TPI was blamed but I'm ashamed to admit that this was the first time I heard that if the crew survive then its either maintenance of unknown but if they die it will be human error. As you all have said, the TPI was a known fault and should have been 100% bypassed insteadm if my memory is correct, they put the swith next to the a/c trim controls. As Homer would say, 'DUH'.
I've just finished reading 'Vulcan 607' and it's great to see our Beetham and Price did so well; most deserveable.
GIGFY (guiness is good for you)
There were only 6 bodies recovered and DNA would have been necessary to identify the deceased but dental records helped out there. To my recollection it wasn't Jarvis that had the flu but Barnet (?) - sorry, senile D kicks in now and again but I remember no-one but no-one could talk to him for yonks after. The TPI was blamed but I'm ashamed to admit that this was the first time I heard that if the crew survive then its either maintenance of unknown but if they die it will be human error. As you all have said, the TPI was a known fault and should have been 100% bypassed insteadm if my memory is correct, they put the swith next to the a/c trim controls. As Homer would say, 'DUH'.
I've just finished reading 'Vulcan 607' and it's great to see our Beetham and Price did so well; most deserveable.
GIGFY (guiness is good for you)
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Hi, my father was C/T RV Sewell on that flight. I have all the paper clippings and photos that I could of that frightful night.
I have visited Marham and taken photos of all the graves there. and have a booklet from Marham when I asked for any information about the crash. Of course not much has come of that. I am in contact with a few people who were at Marham at the time. So feel free to email me. My sister and I never got over the horror of that crash that changed our lives forever, and it does not help when you cannot find out any information from any source, the article I read when I typed in my fathers name on google gave me probably more in the shortest time. Regards Sheila Sewell Eddy
I have visited Marham and taken photos of all the graves there. and have a booklet from Marham when I asked for any information about the crash. Of course not much has come of that. I am in contact with a few people who were at Marham at the time. So feel free to email me. My sister and I never got over the horror of that crash that changed our lives forever, and it does not help when you cannot find out any information from any source, the article I read when I typed in my fathers name on google gave me probably more in the shortest time. Regards Sheila Sewell Eddy
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Valiant Tanker info required please
Am currently browsing a Valiant tanker pilot (deceased) log book to write up his flying career. Have reached 1958 entries and he is clearly on Tanker trials duties in which he notes during separate sorties: Trial 306: XD816: '2 below'; XD869: '3 below'; XD812: '2 above & 8 below'; XD816: '7 below'. For the month in question: June 1958 he totals: 'Hook-ups: 32 (12 above). I believe all these relate to 'dummy' tanker/receiver flights but it is not clear (to me) what is going on. Is there anyone out there who could interpret this for me please?
I have sent a PM a week ago. I am in touch with friend who was called as witness to BoI and am willing to intercede.
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Having only just become aware of this website, this is a rather late reply to your question.
I was the duty Met Observer that night and can remember the crew coming in for their briefing. I knew the co-pilot, Peter Wormall, from school days. I was not privy to the forecasts or the briefing details and never saw the BOI findings or attended the enquiry. However, I can remember that visibility was misty, about 2000 to 3000m but perfectly reasonable for take-off.
Something that stuck in my mind was the unusually strong temperature inversion in the lower layers at the time of take-off. The aircraft was fully laden with fuel and instead of having extra lift from the usually denser air aloft as it ascended (temperature usually decreases with height), the warmer and less dense air it probably experienced was a distinct disadvantage. Please remember that I was not a trained forecaster and had no input into the proceedings apart from observing and plotting tephigrams and charts.
Dave Taylor
I was the duty Met Observer that night and can remember the crew coming in for their briefing. I knew the co-pilot, Peter Wormall, from school days. I was not privy to the forecasts or the briefing details and never saw the BOI findings or attended the enquiry. However, I can remember that visibility was misty, about 2000 to 3000m but perfectly reasonable for take-off.
Something that stuck in my mind was the unusually strong temperature inversion in the lower layers at the time of take-off. The aircraft was fully laden with fuel and instead of having extra lift from the usually denser air aloft as it ascended (temperature usually decreases with height), the warmer and less dense air it probably experienced was a distinct disadvantage. Please remember that I was not a trained forecaster and had no input into the proceedings apart from observing and plotting tephigrams and charts.
Dave Taylor
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Flt Lt Gallienne
You list the above as killed in a Valiant.
There was such a Name killed in a Victor accident from Marham in about 68. The Victor was climbing from Marham and collided with a Canberra inbound from Germanyfor a range sortie
Bill lived next door but one to me in MQs, I heard the crash
It may be the two accidents are being confused because Gallienne is an unusual name, Gurnsey I think
There was such a Name killed in a Victor accident from Marham in about 68. The Victor was climbing from Marham and collided with a Canberra inbound from Germanyfor a range sortie
Bill lived next door but one to me in MQs, I heard the crash
It may be the two accidents are being confused because Gallienne is an unusual name, Gurnsey I think
Valiant crash at Marham
You are correct. Bill Gallienne was a QFI on the Victor TTF at Marham when I did the Victor 1 course in 1965. My friend and colleague, Roger Morton, also died, he was on his ICC course. A truly tragic accident.
Last edited by RetiredBA/BY; 2nd Jan 2013 at 08:13.
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A poignant picture
Among the pictures to celebrate the RAF's 100th Birthday, is one of the 3 V-Bombers in formation. Dated 1958.
The Valiant is XD869.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...af-in-pictures
The Valiant is XD869.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...af-in-pictures
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Valiant XD869
I was posted to 214 Squadron straight from trade training in February 1959 as an AC1 ‘rigger’ and I remember the XD869 incident vividly.
The day before XD869 was due to fly a Lone Ranger to Entebbe, I and Henry (Paddy) Milne, another rigger, were told to report to Chief Tech ‘Johnny’ Johnson for a job on XD869. Having reported we were told that there was an urgent job to do involving the replacement of the port inner flap. This was surprising because this was usually regarded as 2nd line servicing and so would normally be carried out in the hangar and not on the dispersal pans.
Paddy Milne and myself together with Johnny Johnson carried out the work and completed it by mid-afternoon. As far as I am aware no test flight was carried out during the day time, whether one was carried out after normal working hours I have no idea.
I agree with ‘GIGFY’s’ message that XD869’s crew chief was Chief Tech Partridge, (not Chief Tech Jarvis) a fairly sombre character. It’s correct that he had just gone down with a heavy cold and had asked Bob Sewell if he would take his place.
In the middle of that night I was awoken by the roar of aircraft engines. This was unusual because there was often night flying at Marham and it had never woken me before, other than for the first few weeks after I had arrived. I briefly checked my watch and saw that it was around 03:00. Realising that this must be XD869 preparing for take-off, I lay there and listened as the engine power increased prior and during take-off. A short time after this, certainly no more than a minute, there was a sudden and abrupt silence, I immediately sat bolt upright, totally confused by this silence. This was followed by a loud explosion and shaking of the accommodation block.
The station photographer was accommodated in our room of 22 men and within minutes of the crash an RAF police corporal burst into the room shouting for the station photographer. By this time of course everyone was awake and I for one never got any more sleep that night. Constantly worrying whether there was anything that we had done with the port inner flap that might have contributed to the crash.
That week I was on key duty for the squadron dispersal buildings and I needed to be up at around 06:00 to collect the keys from the guardroom and open up the squadron dispersal buildings. At that period, the squadron dispersal area was located not far from the bomb dump about half a mile away from No 1 hangar. Having collected the keys, I made my way up to 214 dispersal, passing No 1 hangar on the way. I noticed lots of activity around a small building alongside the hangar, a building that I had never noticed before, it was the station mortuary.
Crossing the long stretch of grass between the hangar and 214 dispersal, the September mists were swirling, one minute quite dense, then almost clear. As I grew closer to the dispersal area, the mist cleared momentarily and there standing outside the buildings on a small rise was the ghostly outline of Chief Tech Bob Sewell’s, cream coloured Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. He was quite proud of this car and had bought it, I believe, from the actor Jon Pertwee. It remained there all day and was a constant reminder to all of us of the recent tragedy. I remember that Chief Tech Partridge was beside himself because of the situation and couldn’t speak to anybody.
The date of the crash was Friday, September the 11th 1959, all weekend leave was then cancelled in order to get all those men not on duty to form a large slow sweep of the land. This was from the end of the main runway to just short of the point of impact, a distance of around 2Km. Nothing of interest was found.
As far as remember the BOI never really settled on the definitive cause of the accident, only a suggestion that it might have involved the TPI. No one that I spoke to at the time could provide any explanation as to the reason for the abrupt silence of the aircraft engines that I had appeared to witness. By this time I was wide awake and I doubt whether I could have been imagining it.
The day before XD869 was due to fly a Lone Ranger to Entebbe, I and Henry (Paddy) Milne, another rigger, were told to report to Chief Tech ‘Johnny’ Johnson for a job on XD869. Having reported we were told that there was an urgent job to do involving the replacement of the port inner flap. This was surprising because this was usually regarded as 2nd line servicing and so would normally be carried out in the hangar and not on the dispersal pans.
Paddy Milne and myself together with Johnny Johnson carried out the work and completed it by mid-afternoon. As far as I am aware no test flight was carried out during the day time, whether one was carried out after normal working hours I have no idea.
I agree with ‘GIGFY’s’ message that XD869’s crew chief was Chief Tech Partridge, (not Chief Tech Jarvis) a fairly sombre character. It’s correct that he had just gone down with a heavy cold and had asked Bob Sewell if he would take his place.
In the middle of that night I was awoken by the roar of aircraft engines. This was unusual because there was often night flying at Marham and it had never woken me before, other than for the first few weeks after I had arrived. I briefly checked my watch and saw that it was around 03:00. Realising that this must be XD869 preparing for take-off, I lay there and listened as the engine power increased prior and during take-off. A short time after this, certainly no more than a minute, there was a sudden and abrupt silence, I immediately sat bolt upright, totally confused by this silence. This was followed by a loud explosion and shaking of the accommodation block.
The station photographer was accommodated in our room of 22 men and within minutes of the crash an RAF police corporal burst into the room shouting for the station photographer. By this time of course everyone was awake and I for one never got any more sleep that night. Constantly worrying whether there was anything that we had done with the port inner flap that might have contributed to the crash.
That week I was on key duty for the squadron dispersal buildings and I needed to be up at around 06:00 to collect the keys from the guardroom and open up the squadron dispersal buildings. At that period, the squadron dispersal area was located not far from the bomb dump about half a mile away from No 1 hangar. Having collected the keys, I made my way up to 214 dispersal, passing No 1 hangar on the way. I noticed lots of activity around a small building alongside the hangar, a building that I had never noticed before, it was the station mortuary.
Crossing the long stretch of grass between the hangar and 214 dispersal, the September mists were swirling, one minute quite dense, then almost clear. As I grew closer to the dispersal area, the mist cleared momentarily and there standing outside the buildings on a small rise was the ghostly outline of Chief Tech Bob Sewell’s, cream coloured Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. He was quite proud of this car and had bought it, I believe, from the actor Jon Pertwee. It remained there all day and was a constant reminder to all of us of the recent tragedy. I remember that Chief Tech Partridge was beside himself because of the situation and couldn’t speak to anybody.
The date of the crash was Friday, September the 11th 1959, all weekend leave was then cancelled in order to get all those men not on duty to form a large slow sweep of the land. This was from the end of the main runway to just short of the point of impact, a distance of around 2Km. Nothing of interest was found.
As far as remember the BOI never really settled on the definitive cause of the accident, only a suggestion that it might have involved the TPI. No one that I spoke to at the time could provide any explanation as to the reason for the abrupt silence of the aircraft engines that I had appeared to witness. By this time I was wide awake and I doubt whether I could have been imagining it.
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Hi, my name is Sheila Sewell. I am the daughter of Bob Sewell. You described how you saw Dads car parked by the hangar. Armstrong Siddely reg was HTO 776.
I have never forgotten. Do you know what happened to the car, Mum never spoke of it or Dad after the accident so never knew what happened to it. I used to sit with Dad and pass him tools when he worked on it outside our house in Windmill Ave.
Thanks in advance, Sheila
I have never forgotten. Do you know what happened to the car, Mum never spoke of it or Dad after the accident so never knew what happened to it. I used to sit with Dad and pass him tools when he worked on it outside our house in Windmill Ave.
Thanks in advance, Sheila
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Hi, my name is Sheila Sewell. I am the daughter of Bob Sewell. You described how you saw Dads car parked by the hangar. Armstrong Siddely reg was HTO 776.
I have never forgotten. Do you know what happened to the car, Mum never spoke of it or Dad after the accident so never knew what happened to it. I used to sit with Dad and pass him tools when he worked on it outside our house in Windmill Ave.
Thanks in advance, Sheila
I have never forgotten. Do you know what happened to the car, Mum never spoke of it or Dad after the accident so never knew what happened to it. I used to sit with Dad and pass him tools when he worked on it outside our house in Windmill Ave.
Thanks in advance, Sheila
