Blenheim Mk.IV V6078 of No.42 Operational Training Unit, crashed at Spitewinter near Matlock on the 7th April 1943.

Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV

 

John Barry Welton Pilot Officer Pilot Killed
Leslie Harold Redford Sergeant Navigator / Bomb Aimer Killed
Eric Desmond Murphy Sergeant Wireless Operator Killed

 

The crew was on a night navigation exercise from Ashbourne, having completed most of the exercise they were heading in a southerly direction at low level when the aircraft struck the tops of a stand of trees. This caused catastrophic damage to the aircraft which crashed in a field near by killing the three crew.

Crash site of Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV V6078 of No.42 OTU at Spitewinter near Matlock
The crash site of V6078 with the tree line in the background which the aircraft struck.
Crash site of Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV V6078 of No.42 OTU at Spitewinter near Matlock
A memorial plaque was erected by the landowner near to the site, and adjacent to a footpath. This photograph shows the plaque in early 2015.
Crash site of Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV V6078 of No.42 OTU at Spitewinter near Matlock
The view from the memorial towards the crash site of the aircraft.
Grave of Sergeant Eric Desmond Murphy at Ashbourne Cemetery
The three crew were all buried at different cemeteries, two in the South East and Sergeant Murphy, whose grave is pictured above, at Ashbourne.