Wellington Mk.IC DV800 of No.27 OTU, RAF, crashed on Bwlch Cyfryw-drum in the Carneddau near Bethesda on the 19th July 1942.

Vickers Wellington Mk.X at the Royal Air Force Museum

 

 

Eric Harvey Longbottom Sergeant RAAF Pilot Killed
Lionel Denis Traylen Sergeant Observer Killed
Richard Ivor Bowen Sergeant Observer Killed
Samuel James Wilson Sergeant Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Killed
Rupert Theodore Bannister Sergeant RAAF Air Gunner Killed

 

The crew were on a day-time cross county navigation exercise from RAF Lichfield, one leg of the flight took the aircraft from Holyhead to Rhyl. It was thought by the Court of Inquiry that it was during this leg that a possible error in navigation led to the crew flying up the valley from Bethesda in cloud and into the mountainside.

It was noted that there had been no radio contact with the crew for several hours, their last message being at 12:06, which pointed to possible failure un the wireless equipment.

It was ten days before the crash site located, following this a team from RAF Llandwrog was sent to the site to recover the bodies of the crew. The aircraft had flown into the ridge between Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewelyn on an area known as the Black Ladders.

Wreckage close to the crash site of Wellington DV800 on Carnedd Dafydd / Llewelyn
Below the point of impact is this small collection of wreckage beside a pile of rocks. This is at the upper end of one of the many streams on the mountain, there are some larger aluminium panels in this stream below the crash site of DV800, however these are from Avro Lincoln B. Mk.2 RF511, which crash a few hundred yards to the east in 1950. How they came to be in this stream though it uncertain.
Wreckage close to the crash site of Wellington DV800 on Carnedd Dafydd / Llewelyn
In the rocks above the small cairn are a couple of larger pieces of wreckage, such as this.
Wreckage at the crash site of Wellington DV800 on Carnedd Dafydd / Llewelyn
The actual point of impact is marked by this scar, scattered among the rocks are small burnt pieces of metal.
Wreckage at the crash site of Wellington DV800 on Carnedd Dafydd / Llewelyn
A little way down the mountain from the point of impact is a second scar, this also contains burnt metal, many of the un-burnt and recognisable pieces are from one of the gun turrets.
Wreckage at the crash site of Wellington DV800 on Carnedd Dafydd / Llewelyn
These are some of the small pieces in the lower of the two scars.

The two Australian crewmembers were buried at Caernarfon, Llanbeblig, Cemetery.

Grave of Sergeant Eric Harvey Longbottom at Caernarfon Llanbeblig Cemetery
Sgt Longbottom’s headstone at Caernarfon
Grave of Sergeant Rupert Theodore Bannister at Caernarfon Llanbeblig Cemetery
Sgt Bannister’s grave at Caernarfon Cemetery.