Deadlynightshade17

Plane Crash on Gibb Hill, Lutton, Plymouth, Devon

Cornwood is a small village and parish in the South Hams in Devon, England. It has a population of about 1000 people. In the early hours of the 21st of August 1942, during World War 2, on Gibb Hill in Lutton, a plane crash occured, killing all seven crew.

The Plane

The plane in question was a Short Stirling, four engine bomber R9329, coded OJ-V of 149 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based at Lakenheath in Suffolk.

Short Stirling Bomber

No. 149 Squadron was disbanded on 31st August 1956 at R.A.F Gutersloh, W.Germany

The crew

On board, there were seven crew, all of whom lost their lives when the plane crashed. They were:

• Pilot Officer. Geoffrey Ernest Robertson, Pilot, 25yrs
• Sgt. Dudley Howard Harris, observer/2nd pilot/navigator, 20yrs
• Sgt. Dennis Roy Simpson, wireless operator, 26yrs
• Sgt. Peter Edward James Jenkins, flight engineer, 22yrs
• Sgt. Lawrence Henry Nicolson, front gunner, 21yrs
• Sgt. Frank Sidney Clark, mid-upper gunner, 25yrs
• Sgt. Cecil Jacques Bond, rear gunner, 19yrs.

20th/21st August 1942

Pilot Officer, Robertson and his crew has been involved in some of the heaviest raids on occupied Europe on previous occasiosn but on this particular night of August 20th 1942, they were on relatively lighter duty, or so they thought, over the west coast of France; that night they came up against heavy anti aircraft defences.

It is possible that some damage was sustained and that the radio equipment may have been inoperative as the Stirling crew headed back home after carrying out their duties. It is also possible that the fuel tanks may have been damaged and holed and they had insufficient fuel to make it back to base.

The weather at the times wasn't good; low Dartmoor cloud hung over Gibb Hill. Visibility must have been down to a few hundred yards. Disaster struck at approximately 3:25am on the morning of August 21st when the Stirling R9329 flew into the side of Gibb Hill, catching fire.

All seven airmen were killed in the crash and the wreckage was strewn several hundred yards. Bomber Command had lost yet another seven of Britain's finest.

'Strong By Night', RAF Badge

Aftermath

The Home Guard was called out, and later the RAF cleared the wreckage and carved a cross on the a tree nearby, which can still be seen today.

Crash Site on Gibb Hill Today

On Saturday the 9th of April 2011 at 12:00 noon, a memorial service was held in memory of the seven brave men who lost their lives. A memorial head stone was erected with the names of the men who died. The service was carried out by Rev. F.G.Denman, Vicar of Cornwood, Rural Dean of Ivybridge.

Memorial Headstone on Gibb Hill, erected on Saturday 9th April 2011

Just a small reminder of the carnage that once happened on Gibb Hill