Mosquito Mk.34 (RG228) crash, River Arun, December 1945

[John]

Mosquito Mk.34 RG228 from 540 Squadron, Coastal Command, crashed into the River Arun near Ford on the afternoon of 13th December 1945. The pilot was Flight Lieutenant G. Trevor, an 'above average' pilot who had served through most of WWII as a Flying Instructor and had logged 2067 hours of which 366 were on Mosquitos. The Navigator was Flight Lieutenant C.R. Randles. RG228 was a new aircraft, having flown only 18 hours and the engines had each run for only 21 hours since manufacture. The weather was fine, and had no bearing on the accident.

The Mosquito took off from Benson at 12.20 hours to carry out a fuel consumption test and was to climb to 28,000 feet, flying to Marseilles and back and to remain at height. Over Dieppe, at an altitude of 28,00 feet, the starboard engine began to cough and the revs fluctuated - the aircraft became unstable and F/Lt Trevor descended to 26,000 at which point the engine stopped misbehaving. A second attempt was made to reach height but again the starboard engine started to cut out, accompanied by a high-pitched whine. Losing altitude again seemed to cure the problem. A third attempt, with similar consequences, made the pilot decide to lose height and return to base. Both engines behaved normally until at 4000 feet, just off Beachy Head, when the starboard unit cut out completely. The feathering button was pressed without result and the propellor continued to windmill. Course was set for the FAA base at Ford airfield - the pilot eventually decided that they couldn't quite make it and he decided to go in 'wheels up' in a field, and he instructed F/Lt Randles to jettison the escape hatch and brace for impact.

Mosquito RG228 struck the bank of the River Arun and almost completely disintegrated - both engines were torn out and landed, with the main parts of the wreckage, in the middle of the river. Smaller pieces of wreckage drifted downriver and were lost, the starboard propellor was found partially embedded in the bank, and one drop tank was found close by. F/Lt Randles was rescued from the tailplane to which he was found clinging - brave and prompt action from civilians and FAA personnel got him to shore in a dazed state and covered with blood. The Pilot, F/Lt Trevor, was not found - his body was eventually recovered from the River Arun in April of the following year, approximately at the scene of the accident.

[John]

Statement of Mr. A.J. Hillman, 4 Station Cottages, Ford.

"I was on duty on the 13th in Arundel Junction signal box and noted a Mosquito aircraft approaching from the east. It would be about 500 yards away at the time which was 8 minutes to 2 by my clock. It was too low in my estimation to make a landing at Ford aerodrome. I have been operating this box for 21 years and during the past seven years have been used to seeing aircraft taking off and landing. This was much lower than usual. Both engines were running but not very fast and there was no erratic noise at all.

His undercarriage was still up and he did not put it down. He was still gliding towards the ground and turning towards the N.W., then I saw a small white object fall from the aircraft. This was later collected by the Fleet Air Arm. This was followed by two small brown objects falling immediately afterwards. I rushed to my window at the east side and threw it open but was too late to see the aircraft again. I heard no sign of impact but my mate, who ran to the west end of the box, saw it hit the river embankment, jump up in the air and fall into the Arun. My mate, who was now off duty, took over control saying: "you are an ambulance man and had better go ahead". He rang up Ford signal box asking them to advise the Fleet Air Arm of the accident and the plane's position.

When I arrived at the scene of the accident I found one of the crew sitting on the starboard tailplane. He was in the middle of the river about 20 ft. from the bank and it was dead low tide. The airman was crying out for help when I arrived and was asking where his fellow airman was, so I told him not to worry that I would find him. His face was covered with blood and I do not think that he could see anything at the time. I asked him if he could hang on and he said yes, but he was horribly cold. I told him to work along a bit so that he could grab the fin. This he said he could not do. After a little coaxing he eventually did so. I then told him I was going for help and would be back in five minutes. I came back to Arundel Junction box, secured timber and rope, took same to river bank and partially constructed a raft and then four members of the Fleet Air Arm arrived. One of the officers stripped and tied a rope round himself, lashed a wire to the rope and then he swam out to the tail. We played out the wire as he went and two more men swam out under the same conditions and they inflated his Mae West (navigator's) and towed him ashore. The medical men arrived and took charge of the airman I now know to be the navigator. I then concerned myself with first aid to the man who had been swimming. The airman was eventually carried back to the aerodrome part of the way along the railway track to Ford Station where the ambulance picked him up. I saw no sign of the other airman."