At 00.50hrs in the early hours of 10th November 1942 this Hudson took off from Silloth airfield for a night cross country navigation exercise with No.1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit. Nine minutes later they made a radio transmission that they were setting course and at 01.14hrs made their last transmission stating they were changing frequency. This was the last that was heard from them. It was assumed that while flying in poor weather and in low cloud the aircraft simply wasn't flying high enough when it struck the ground near to the top of Beda Fell at Beda Head overlooking Ullswater in the early hours of the morning. All on board were killed when the aircraft broke up in the impact. At what point the crash was discovered is unclear from the casualty records but it took until 16.00hrs on 13th November 1942 for the deaths to be reported so it was probably during this day.
Pilot - F/Sgt John Frederick Saunders RAFVR (1266497), aged 27. Cremated Enfield, Middlesex.
Navigator - P/O Derrick Isaac Jones RAFVR (120809), aged 22. Buried Carmarthen Cemetery, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Stanley Alfred Veasey RAFVR (1376462), aged 29. Buried Camberwell New Cemetery, London.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Harold Dickinson RAFVR (1056292), aged 26. Buried Silloth Cemetery, Cumbria.
Sgt Dickinson's grave at Silloth Cemetery, Cumbria. His home was Hyde Park, Leeds.
Derrick Jones lived in Carmarthen, Wales. He received a commission on 4th April 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 4th October 1942.
Stanley Veasey was born on 10th October 1913 at Camberwell, London and enlisted for RAF service on 26th August 1940. He was married and his wife lived in Cheltenham.
John Saunders was born on 2nd February 1915 in London and enlisted for RAF service on 21st September 1940. His wife lived at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.
Will Lund and I visited the site in July 2003, I need to return with a digital camera to re-photograph and record the site.
Hudson AM680 was built to a British Purchasing Corporation contract and was delivered to the UK in June 1941. It arrived at 23 MU on 16th July 1941 and was then taken on charge by No.1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit on 19th March 1942. It was slightly damaged in a flying accident on 23rd July 1942 that saw Cat.Ac/FA damage being repaired on site by a team from Cunliffe Owen. It was returned to 1 (C)OTU on 17th October 1942 but destroyed on 10th November 1942. Cat.E/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge.