WHAT HAPPENED? MF509 VICKERS WELLINGTON BOMBER CRASH SITE DIRECTIONS • CARREG GOCH BRECON BEACONS скачать в хорошем качестве

WHAT HAPPENED? MF509 VICKERS WELLINGTON BOMBER CRASH SITE DIRECTIONS • CARREG GOCH BRECON BEACONS

Ladies gents and teddy bears, we are in Glyntawe, in Wales and we are heading into the Brecon Beacons to locate the crash site of Vickers Wellington MF509. We are also taking with us a specially made replica of the Wellington, with its original markings and in a protective case. We have parked at St John the Baptist Callwen church and we have picked a good day weather-wise but this walk requires good footwear. Brecon Beacons is similar to Dartmoor, it can get boggy, out of nowhere fog and phone signal is hit and miss. We strongly recommend to plan your route, let someone know where you are going, take a physical OS map, a compass, if you have one a GPS watch and a mobile phone with a power bank too. So here is our map and how to get to the crash site. We will be taking the public footpath all the way until my turning point SN829541 where we need to turn west. The coordinates for the crash site is SN817168. I use the 1,2,3 system with my Silva compass. If you know where you are on an OS map, use the direction of travel arrow to point to where you want to go. Then turn the bezel so that the orienting lines match up the blue north lines on the OS Map. You can then take a reading of the bearing which is 262 degrees west. This is great because you know you need 82 degrees East for your return that point. You then need to turn the compass so that the Red arrow (Not the flying one) which is called the orienting matches up and this is your direction to head for. Which for us is Carreg Goch. It was the 20th November 1944, a dull, grey, damp day. At RAF Stratford, home of 22 OTU, briefings were given out for sorties for night navigation exercises. An OTU train new airmen in various roles to operate a particular aircraft. A flight of three Vickers Wellingtons took off from RAF Stratford at 1926. The Wellingtons were MF509, MF505 and LN460. The Wellington bomber was the most produced throughout the Second World War, a total of over 11,400 built, 16 variants and held a record breaking 23h rs 50 mins to assemble and an impressive 24 hours after assembly to be airborne. The Wellingtons on this flight were a MK.X was powered by a Bristol Hercules engine. Around an hour and a half into the flight the crew of MF509 began to experience issues with their right engine. The pilot P/O Charles Hamel, who was just 21 years old tried to asses the situation and came to the conclusion that the damp conditions had potentially caused icing in the carburettor. Unlike jet engines where fuel is injected to compressed air in a combustion chamber, carburettors mix air and fuel before it enters the cylinders and the pilot can control the air with the throttle. Carburettor icing occurs when moisture in the air freezes on the internal surfaces of the carburetor, particularly around the throttle valve and venturi, restricting airflow and potentially causing engine problem. The only remedy is for the pilot to lower the altitude of the aircraft. The pilot made a radio call requesting permission to fly below the clouds, hoping to remedy the engine issue. They were cleared to lower their flight level. As MF509 descended, her wing clips the southwest slope of Carreg Goch, causing it to lose all control, crashing and breaking into pieces, bursting into flames. RAF Rescue and local people came to rescue any survivors…all 6 of MF509 lost their lives. The other two Wellingtons also experienced starboard engine problems. The pilot of MF505 managed to crash land his Wellington at RAF Wellesbourne Mountford. All 6 survived with no injuries. LN460 starboard engine caught fire could not be extinguished. 3 of the crew bailed out but the 3 who remained did not survive the crash. We shall remember them... MF509 Pilot • P/O Charles Hamel (21) RCAF Navigator • Sgt Jules Robert Rene Villeneuve (22) RCAF Bombardier • F/Lt William Joseph Allison (28) RCAF W/Op-A/Gnr • Sgt Joseph Paul Ernest Burke (20) RCAF A/Gnr • Sgt Joseph Arthur Edmond Groulx (22) RCAF A/Gnr • Sgt Joseph Lionel Ulderic Gerard Du Sablon (20) RCAF LN460 Pilot • P/0 Duncan McKenzie Roy (29) RCAF w/op & a/gnr F/Sgt Fred Knowles (23) RCAF A/gnr • Sgt Alexander Angus Cameron (19) RCAF #archaeology #worldwar2 #breconbeacons *SPECIAL THANK YOU TO NICK WARD for making the wonderful model of MF509 Official Ted Coningsby Merchandise https://tedconingsby.co.uk/shop/ Ted Social stuff Instagram   / ted_coningsby   Facebook   / tedconingsbyuk   X   / tedconingsby   www.tedconingsby.co.uk Ted Coningsby Membership: Join our channel to get access to members only perks. In reality, we rely on your subscriptions to keep our channel growing, so this is a MASSIVE help and thank you to ALL of you who have subscribed. We go all over the country to get the footage we need for you to enjoy but this comes at a cost. Your membership will help fund us with the fuel and the equipment we need...    / tedconingsby