Blenheim Z6182 near Catfoss airfield.
During the hours of darkness of 25th August 1941 this No.2 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit aircraft took off from Catfoss airfield with the pilot tasked with flying a night training exercise. After taking off the aircraft climbed to 500 feet and then lost height in a turn, it then crashed into a tree just off the end of the north/east runway near Pasturefield House. The pilot sustained severely broken feet, blindness in one eye and burns over his body, it was later said that his lack of experience was a major factor into the accident.
Pilot - Sgt Thomas Kingshott Wotherspoon RCAF (R/69182), of Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. Seriously injured.
In Summer 2008 historians Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Eric Barton joined local businessman and aviation expert Rodney Robinson in obtaining permission from the landowner to locate small fragments of the aircraft at the crash site to confirm the crash location. The fragments shown in the photograph above were retained by Eric and were passed to me in 2022 to find a new home for.
Thomas Wotherspoon spent many months in hospital in England, he was posted back to Canada but was able to return to flying despite loosing the sight in one eye.
Blenheim Z6182 was built to contract B.119994/40 by A.V.Roe Ltd. at Chadderton and was awaiting collection in February 1941. After a
period of storage it was taken on charge by 2 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit at Catfoss in May 1941 and as a result of the crash at Catfoss on 25th August
1941 Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was recorded on the paperwork.
