Seeking serial of 26 Sqn Atlas written off in accident, 13 May 32

[Steve Brew]

I'm struggling to identify an aircraft, presumably an Atlas of 26 Sqn, that was written off on 13 May 1932, based upon the following newspaper report in the Hull Daily Mail on 14 May 1932:

PLANE ON FIRE

Pilot's Amazing Escape Near Thorne

An R.A.F. pilot had a miraculous escape at Beanswood Green,
two miles from Thorne, yesterday, when an aeroplane in making
a forced landing overturned twice and caught fire.

Fortunately the 'plane landed close to a roadside garage, and the
mechanics rushed to the spot, fought the flames with sods of grass
and water, and eventually put them out with an extinguisher from
a motor-car. In the meantime the pilot, Sergeant Roy Nelson, had
been dragged to safety uninjured and little the worse for his
unnerving experience.

The machine was sufficiently damaged to prevent it resuming its
journey from Surrey to Thornaby-on-Tees. It was massing over the
district about noon, and the pilot, owing to poor visibility, decided to
make a landing to obtain his bearings.

The pilot, Roy Nelson, was originally posted to 26 Sqn as a LAC FAE, but remustered to u/t pilot somewhere between 1929 and 1932. Circumstantial evidence suggests the accident occurred to an aircraft of 26 Sqn, but I am happy to be corrected.

Can anyone identify the aircraft and its serial, please?

Many thanks
Steve

[paulmcmillan]

Roy or Ray Nelson ?

[Steve Brew]

Hey Paul

Roy, according to the newspaper report, which fits with Roy Nelson who was on 26 Sqn initially as a LAC FAE, according to his AIR79 file, and was subsequently on 41 Sqn as a Sgt Plt. KAOS Montrose, 18 Jul 40.

Why? Do you have a different name attached to this accident?

Thanks
Steve

[paulmcmillan]

Looks like his service record has Ray or typo on transposing

CWGC

FLIGHT SERGEANT
ROY NELSON
Service Number: 560353
Regiment & Unit/Ship
Royal Air Force

Date of Death
Died 18 July 1940

Age 31 years old

Buried or commemorated at
DARLINGTON WEST CEMETERY

Sec. T.4W. Grave 3


Service Record Find My Past Index (Air 79 ?)

1 result
First name(s) Last name Birth year Birth county Attestation year Service number Occupation
Ray
Nelson
1909
Durham
1927
560353
Scholar


Air 78 (from forces records) assume typo on Service numberhave now looked at Air 78 Card

Viewed First NameOrder by First Name Surname Service Number Rank Record Year Unit
R Nelson 560363 1926 Royal Air Force
Can't find who you're looking for? Click here for help


Scotlands People Death Registration

Surname Forename Age at death Mother's Maiden Name Year Ref RD Name Image View
NELSON
ROY
31
1940
312/ 145
Montrose

[paulmcmillan]

OK Roy it is - Find My Past has name typo

Chris Hobson

Name: Roy Nelson
Rank: Flight Sergeant
Death Age: 31
Birth Year: abt 1909
Death Date: 18 Jul 1940
Military Base: Montrose, Angus
Service Number: 560353
Unit: 8 Service Fts
Command: Flying Training Cmnd
Occupation: Pilot
Casualty: Killed in action Gr
Residence Place: Darlington, Durham
Burial Place: Darlington West Cemetery, Durham
Notes: Killed in an Enemy Air Raid on Montrose Airfield, Possibly While Sitting in Master N7562 Awaiting Take Off

Ancestry (Air 79)

Name: Roy Nelson
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Birth Date: 9 Jun 1909
Birth Place: Stranton, West Hartlepool, Durham, England
Service Date: 9 Jun 1927
Service Number: 560353
Father: R. Nelson
Next of Kin: R. Nelson
Relation to Airman: Father

Free BMD

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page
Births Sep 1909 (>99%)
Nelson Roy Hartlepool 10a 147 Scan available - click to view

See also

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...=8511#post8511

Looks like
Corporal Stanley Edward FLOYD (362380) may have been pupil..

[Steve Brew]

Thanks Paul, yes, that's the man I assume was the pilot of the aircraft that overturned near Thorne.

Do you want a copy of the article and AIR79 file, or is it outside the scope of your database (only bale-outs?)?

I wonder if there is an Atlas production list, like those existing for Spitfires, that shows every serial and its fate...?

I was surprised to find this article, which I came across by accident, but am now struggling to find anything else about it. It's also not included in the ASN database.

To be fair, I am making an assumption it was a 26 Sqn aircraft that was involved in the accident, given (1) Nelson's previous posting to the Sqn as an FAE, and (2) the pilot's reported destination, Thornaby-on-Tees. As such, I have also assumed that it was an Atlas aircraft that he was flying, which is what 26 Sqn was equipped with at the time. In any case, I am always happy to be corrected, as I currently cannot find any aircraft matching an accident of this nature on that date.

Cheers
Steve

[wwrsimon]

Hello

Just a slight amendment to the article quoted in post #1 - it's Bearswood Green, not Beanswood.

Regards

Simon

[paulmcmillan]

One newspaper says "The aviator Sergeant Roy Nelson, and he was travelling from Kenley aerodrome." an destination was Thornaby-on-Tees
maybe RAF Thornaby ???

I wonder if it was a delivery flight to 608 Sqn ?

[SteveBrooking]

Steve
Not much help but I've looked through the AB J Serials and K Serials and I cannot see anything in their lists that seems to connect for an Atlas. There is certainly no written off date that might connect with 13/5/42. Perhaps the aircraft was repaired?
Steve

[Steve Brew]

Thanks for clarifying, Simon. I could find Thorne on the map but couldn't find any reference to 'Beanswood Green'.



Thanks Paul, may I ask which newspaper report you're referring to? I haven't been able to find any other reports aside from the one in my original post.

Also, you may be right re 608 & Thornaby. Blasted ORBs seem to be so class-oriented and NCO pilots often get little to no mention, making it extremely difficult to find them. No mention of him in the 26 or 608 Sqn ORBs, unfortunately.



Steve, thanks for the look-up. May I trouble you to check Wapiti serials (608 Sqn) for the same date, please? Are they available online or are you referring to a hardcopy doc you have?



Cheers
Steve