Vickers Vildebeest m/a/c Singapore 8 December 1941

[Vampiredave]

Can any one please identify the serials of the two Vildebeest aircraft which collided near Tengah ca. 8 December 1941? Thank you in advance.

David

[Graham Boak]

Air Britain's The K File has a fatal collision between K4169 and K6402 on take-off at Seletar on 10.12.42, but nothing on the 8th.

[dennis_burke]

it mentioned in Bloody Shambles as being on the 10th of December per Google Books search:

http://www.google.ie/#hl=en&prmdo=1&tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=the+flight+leader+in+K6402.+was+&oq=the+flight+leader+in+K6402.+was+&gs_l=serp.3...13848.13848.0.15514.1.1.0.0.0.0.602. 602.5-1.1.0...0.0...1c.c3St9dES8dI&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=bf46dfb81130a15a&biw=1536&bih=881

Hmmm, that links unlikely to be wasily copied into your browser search bar.

Google books search for 'the flight leader in K6402. was '

Bloody Shambles: The drift to war to the fall of Singapore
Christopher F. Shores, Brian Cull, Yasuho Izawa - 1992

Sqn Ldr Witney was G F Witney buried in Kranji I take it.

[Vampiredave]

Dennis and Graham,

Thank you for your help. Unfortunately I have the original edition of 'K Serials' which does not include the finer details of aircraft movements. This was the original request:

"My daughter's father-in-law was a boy in Singapore in December 1941 and his father was Flying officer/Flight Lieutenant K.E.Langley a pilot in 36 Squadron.The dates Roger has are, the collision occurring between 8th and 10th of december at 2 am on a dark night on take off from Seletar. One aircraft went to one end of the runway to load its bombs and whilst it was loading another aircraft went to take off on the duty runway. They collided on the runway and all were killed except Roger"s father who lived another few days and died of his injuries about 13thor 15th of December. Roger and his mother got out of Singapore on the last boat to leave

Roger is feeling mortal and is in his seventies and would very much like to find out as much as possible so that he can pass it on to his son."

Does the name help?

David

[dennis_burke]

OK, Bloody Shambles seems to say Vildebeest K4161.

CWGC also lists J C Millar and S W Morris as being from 36 Squadron and dying on this date. YOu can check their names more on www.cwgc.org

Their names also appear on this page of the Flight magazine, under killed in action. His fahter might be in the list after this one, I can't see him just now.

[malcolm_raf]

A-B K-Files certainly confuses the situation

The entry for K4161 says it ditched on 10 Dec 1941 after running out of fuel - 0 killed

K4169 says it collided with K6042 - 1 killed

K6042 says it collided with K4161 - 3 killed

I have Morris, Miller and Witney killed on the 10th and Langley dying on 15th

Malcolm

[Vampiredave]

Malcolm and Dennis,

Thank you very much. It is certainly confusing but K6042 / K4161 - 3 killed seems the most likely? It was certainly in 1941 as Roger definitely left before the fall of Singapore.

David

[Graham Boak]

I'd assumed it a simple misprint of K4161 instead of K4169. This appears likelier than posting the information under the wrong serial. So the crash was between K4169 and K6042. Presumably the correct information is available in the National Archives.

The book has 1 des in K4169 and 3 in K6402, so K6042 is presumably the relevant serial?

[COL BRUGGY]

K6042 was a Westland Wallace II.

Col.

[Graham Boak]

Thanks. Mea culpa, it was a typo for K6402.

[Vampiredave]

Thank you all for your kind and generous support. I have passed on the details to the son of Flt Lt Langley and he absolutely thrilled to finally learn the details of his father's accident. I have informed him of those who have contributed to his request and he has passed on his sincere thanks. Thank you from me also.

Rgds,

David