Lockheed Ventura Mk.I AE688 / SB-Q, of No.464 Squadron RAAF.
Crashed on Carnedd Dafydd near Bethesda during the night of the 18th August 1943.
|
Crew / Passengers |
Rank - If Applicable |
Position e.g. Pilot |
Status |
|
James Alexander Johnston |
Flight Sergeant RAAF |
Pilot |
Killed |
|
Eloi Joseph Emile Beaudry |
Flight Sergeant RCAF |
Navigator |
Killed |
|
Lawrence Fullerton |
Flying Officer RCAF |
Wireless Operator / Air gunner |
Killed |
|
Archibald Sidney Clegg |
Flight Sergeant RCAF |
Air gunner |
Killed |
The crew were on a night navigation training exercise from 464 Sqn's home station of Methwold in Norfolk. They had taken off during the late evening of the 18th August and has flown westwards into Wales. At just before 22:40 the aircraft was heard flying up the Ogwen valley and was then heard to crash.
The RAF Mountain Rescue Service at Llandwrog were notified at 23:00 and set out for the crash site, they arrived at Llyn Ogwen at 00:30 on the 19th and began the 1000 foot climb up to Ffynon Lloer where they met an Army Battle School unit who reported to them that the four crew of the aircraft had been killed. The crash site itself was reached at 03:00 very close to the summit of the ridge that connects Carnedd Dafydd with Pen yr Ole Wen. It was a further 13 hours before the last body had been recovered and the MRS returned to base.
We visited the crash site in September 2002 and explored the full extent of the wreckage trail, unfortunately despite expending an entire roll of film I have no photographs of the site as the processing company I used at the time accidentally exposed the film destroying all of the images.
All of the crew were buried at the RAF Regional Cemetery at Chester (Blacon) Cemetery. They were among the first personnel to be buried at this location. Before then most victims of the mountains of Snowdonia had been laid to rest at Caernarfon.
