Hawker Hurricanes Z3253 and Z3677 of No.133 (Eagle) Squadron crashed on the 8th October 1941

 

Roy Neal Stout	Pilot Officer	Pilot(Z3253)	Killed
Hugh Harrison McCall	Pilot Officer	Pilot (Z3677)	Killed

 

During early October 1941 No.133 (Eagle) Sqn was being moved from Duxford near Cambridge to Eglinton in Northern Ireland for advanced training.  Advanced parties had travelled to Eglinton 4th and 5th by surface transport.  On the 7th the first flight of aircraft made the journey to Northern Ireland.  They were followed on the 8th by the final 15 aircraft, of these four would never arrive.  The flight was to be done in stages with the aircraft flying cross country to Sealand near Chester, then onward to Jurby and Andreas on the Isle of Man and finally to Eglinton.

The flight left Duxford’s satellite station of Fowlmere at about 13:30, by 14:30 all the aircraft had arrived at Sealand for refueling.  The first six aircraft at about 15:30 and headed towards the Isle of Man they arrived safely at Jurby and Andreas within an hour.  The nine other aircraft in the flight left Sealand shortly after the first six.  Three aircraft from this section successfully flew to Andreas and two returned to Sealand due to the weather conditions.

The remaining four aircraft were all lost on the island, two crashed very close to each other on farm land near Maughold on the east coast of the island, one of the pilots had bailed out of his aircraft but landed in the sea and drowned.  He was eventually washed ashore over a month later.

The two other aircraft had become separated from the flight, P/O Stout crossed the coast at Laxey and flew up Laxey Glen, at the head of the glen P/O Stout must have seen the ground and tried to avoid striking it, however he appeared to have lost control of his aircraft at low level as the aircraft dived into the ground near Snaefell Mines killing P/O Stout.  P/O McCall had crossed the coast a little further north and ended up in the glen below North Barrule, his aircraft ploughed into the ground in near level flight killing P/O McCall instantly.

Wellington Z8424 was also lost on the 8th October 1941 with its American pilot being killed.

The four pilot’s who died, including P/O McCall and P/O Stout, were buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery near London, below are photographs of McCall and Stout’s graves.