Shropshire Routes to Roots

2. Aircraft crash accounts

A number of aircraft crashed in and around the Shropshire area. Here are the details of an aircraft crash that happened in 1943:

When?

1.46 am Tuesday, 26 January 1943.

Where?

Bwlch-y-rhiw Farm on the B4580 Oswestry road about a mile north of Llansilin.

What happened?

Vickers Wellington R1491, on a night flight from Harwell in Berkshire, crashed into the side of Edwin Williams's farm house. Some eye witnesses believed that it may have struck the 1,100ft ridge of Craig-y-rhiw or the tiny hill-fort of Coed-y-Gaer, before plunging into the side of the house.
The bedroom floor gave way and the house burst in to flames. Mr and Mrs Williams both died in the accident. Edwin Williams, a sergeant in the Moelfre Platoon of the Home Guard, was buried with his wife in a military funeral at Llansilin on 29 January 1943.

Today

Fifty years later, on 26 January 1993, the Vicar of Llansilin dedicated a plaque at Bwlch-y-rhiw to all who lost their lives in the accident. Included are the names of the three crew members of R1491 who have no known resting place, Sgt. C. Edwards, wireless operator, Sgt. G. G. Ottley, pilot, and Sgt. B. H. Parker, rear gunner.

The plaque at Bwlch-y-Rhiw Larger image, in a new window [20kb] [Reproduced with kind permission of Derrick Pratt and Mike Grant]

The inscription on the plaque reads: BWLCH-Y-RHIW FARMHOUSE At 0146 hrs on 26th January 1943, a Wellington Aircraft, R1461, on a training exercise from R.A.F. Harwell, Berkshire, crashed on this house causing the death of EDWIN WILLIAMS, and his wife ANNIE JANE And the entire crew of the aircraft Sgt. C EDWARDS Sgt. L.C.MUSTON Sgt. G.G.OTTLEY Sgt.B.H.PARKER Sgt.J.S.TODD

Read about an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (opens in a new window) that crashed above Pen-y-gwely Reservoir and a Handley Page Hampden (opens in a new window) crashing at Llynclys Hill. Both these accounts will open in a new browser window.

The two text extracts above, are from:
WINGS ACROSS THE BORDER, Volume 2. Derrick Pratt and Mike Grant.
First Published in Wales by Bridge Books, 61 Park Avenue, Wrexham, LL12 7AW, 2002.

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