Personnel Index - Detail
Image courtesy of Aircrew Remembered.
6/7 December, 1940;
NIGHT PATROL/AERODROMES: After four nights of waiting, 5 of the squadron's night patrol aircraft took off to 'destroy enemy aircraft', (those attacking Bristol) in conjunction with 15 Hampdens from other squadrons.
F/O Ken Michie (X3028) and crew had returned from France, when the aircraft suddenly went out of control whilst in the Scampton circuit. There was insufficient height for the pilot to recover and S-Sugar fell to ground near Welton village just 1 mile east of the drome. Miraculously, one member of the crew survived; the nav/pilot Sgt Barrier. Sadly his fellow 3 crew members perished in the wreck. The crash was timed at 00.10hrs.
Hampden X3028 (EA-S)
F/O K.W. Michie Pilot (Killed)
Sgt G.V. Davenport-Jones W/OP (Killed)
Sgt Barrier NAV (Survived)
Sgt T. Goldie W/AG (Killed)
Earlier that year F/O Michie had a narrow escape. During the night of 20/21 July, 1940 twelve aircraft were dispatched to lay mines in the Baltic Sound. Not content with their gardening sortie, Sgt Stretton and crew of O'Brien, Jelley and Davison, released 2 bombs on a ship just south of Copenhagen which resulted in near misses.
The 12 Hampdens returned home to base with the exception P/O Michie (L4077) and crew. At 04.35hrs and seriously low on fuel, the pilot made a successful forced-landing at Bircham Newton. Thankfully the crew all walked away from the wreck.
Crashed L4077 (EA-S)
P/O K.W. Michie Pilot (Injured)
Sgt F Lowe Pilot (Injured)
AC1 Bellamy W/OP (Injured)
Sgt F. Corbett W/AG (Injured)
F/O Michie was a Canadian who joined the RAF. He came from Medicine Hat, Alberta and is remembered on the War Memorial there.