Vickers Wellington Mk.XIII NC661 from RAF Shawbury, No.25 Group, Flying Training Command, crashed at Trusley near Derby on the 25th June 1946 whilst on a cross country training flight from RAF Shawbury

Vickers Wellington Mk.X at the Royal Air Force Museum

 

John Harold Brewster-Livett Warrant Officer Pilot Killed
David Bowie D.F.M. Flight Lieutenant Navigator Killed
John Stanley May Flight Lieutenant Navigator / Bomb Aimer Killed
Maurice Madams Warrant Officer Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Killed
Robert Syndey Wallace Cadet, ATC Passenger Killed
Geoffrey Peter Balty Cadet, ATC Passenger Killed

 

At 13:30 on the 25th June 1946 NC661 took off on a cross country flight, after only 40 minutes in the air the aircraft suffered failure of the starboard engine and was unable to maintain height or airspeed on the port engine alone.  The pilot attempted to make a wheels down forced landing in a corn field but had to overshoot, however he did not have sufficient power to recover the airspeed lost in the attempted landing.  While attempting to overshoot the aircraft struck a large tree and crashed into the field beyond bursting into flames, the aircraft came to rest in a pit which at the time was surrounded by trees

The aircraft navigator, Flt Lt David Bowie D.F.M. had been in the RAF for some time, having been awards the D.F.M. on the 31st October 1941 while with 252 Sqn, a Beaufighter unit operating from Edku in Egypt.

The Pilot W/O Brewster-Livett and his two Air Training Corps passengers were buried at Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, below are photographs of their graves.

Grave of Warrant Officer John Harold Brewster-Livett at Oxford Botley Cemetery
Grave of Warrant Officer John Harold Brewster-Livett at Oxford Botley Cemetery
Grave of Cadet Geoffrey Peter Balty at Oxford Botley Cemetery
Grave of Cadet Geoffrey Peter Balty at Oxford Botley Cemetery
Grave of Cadet Robert Syndey Wallace at Oxford Botley Cemetery
Grave of Cadet Robert Syndey Wallace at Oxford Botley Cemetery
Crash site of Vickers Wellington Mk.XIII NC611 at Trusley, Derbyshire
Above is where the aircraft crashed, the tree it struck is to the right of the tractor and the aircraft came to rest in the hollow on the right hand edge of the photo.