Wellington Mk.X HE466 of No.30 OTU crashed on Foel Grach in the Carneddau above Llyn Dulyn reservoir 13th February 1943 while on a night cross country flight form Hixon

 

Edward Gerrard Frezell	Sergeant RCAF	Pilot	Killed
Frederick Keith Thorogood	Pilot Officer	Navigator	Killed
Cecil Gordon Bennett	Sergeant	Bomb Aimer	Killed
George Newton Rafferty	Sergeant	Wireless Operator	Killed
Edwin Towler	Sergeant	Air Gunner	Killed

 

The crew of Wellington HE466 were on a cross country navigation training flight from RAF Hixon near Stafford when they flew into the north eastern side of Foel Grach in the Carneddau area of Snowdonia. When the aircraft failed to return a search operation was initiated, it was two days before wreckage believed to be that of the missing aircraft was spotted.

After wreckage had been reported in the Carneddau mountains a search party was organised by the RAF Mountain Rescue unit at No.9 (O)AFU, Llandwrog. They set out from Llandwrog at 09:00 on the 16th and met with a local policeman enroute, they then headed to the hut close to Melynllyn which they had used during other search operations. The search team set out onto the hill in two groups at around midday, after about 1 hour three airmen from the first party became lost in cloud on Foel Grach, two hours later the other search party assumed that these men had made their way off the hill and continued the search for HE466. The crash site was located and two of the crew were recovered to Melynllyn before further operations were suspended for the night at 20:00. The following morning another party was sent out to recover the three remaining bodies from the crash site, which they had done by 15:00. The airmen from the first search party who had gone missing eventually made their way off the mountains to Bethesda, like a number of aircrew who survived crashes on the Carneddau.