Avro Anson Mk.I N4981 of No.9 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit crashed on Moel Eilio near Betws Garmon on the 20th November 1942

 

Alfred Edward Clay	Sergeant	Pilot	Killed
Frederick Herbert George Trimmer	Sergeant	Observer (u/t)	Killed
Bernard Henry Walter	Sergeant	Observer (u/t)	Killed
Albert Walton	Sergeant	Wireless Operator / Air Gunner	Killed
Arthur Charles Lever	Leading Aircraftman	Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (u/t)	Killed

 

The crew of N4981 were on a cross country training flight from RAF Penrhos on the Lleyn Peninsular near Pwllheli when after only 25 minutes at around 14:35 the aircraft struck Moel Eilio above the village of Betws Garmon. This was heard by people in the village and they quickly located the crash site

Normally a search party would have been sent out by 9 (O)AFU from Llandwrog but this team was already occupied with the search for Henley L3334 which had also been lost in the area. It fell to personnel from the RAF bomb storage depot at Llanberis to attend to scene and recover the crew. They arrived at 18:00 and found that one of the crew had survived the crash and died from the effects of shock and exposure as they arrived.

The following day RAF Llandwrog recovered the five bodies, having given the task of recovering the body of the Henley pilot to RAF Penrhos.