Mosquito TV982
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Mosquito TV982
July 31st 1948.
An unusual crash site in that the aircraft wasn’t too low and flew into the mountainside as is usually the case. It was either struck by lightning flying through storm clouds, or suffered structural failure due to turbulence and broke up in mid air, falling into Cwm Llan, the valley to the south of the summit of Snowdon.
Both men on board, Pilot 2 Josiah Campbell and passenger Corporal Charles Edward Walker were killed. They were returning to base at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland from RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk.
Some reports say Cpl Walker (ground crew) was being given a lift so he could return home to see his wife and new born twins.
Short but sweet CGI clip of Mossies and Spitfires in flight
Grid references; debris at SH 61048 52930, 61085 52982, 61086 52980, 61086 52993
From the crash site of Spitfire X4843, the place where much of Mosquito TV982 fell is circled.
Another sad tale – what a tragic twist if he was on his way home to see his new family. The ‘Mossie’ aka ‘The Wooden Wonder’ was such an inspired design. I remember seeing footage where each fuselage half was fitted out completely then glued together just like an Aifiix kit. Good stuff Ian – keep up the great work 🙂
I,m gonna have to visit these sites Ian . Was the wreckage well scattered then ?
The scenery looks very dramatic . I reckon i would enjoy a visit to these two sites .
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasujoba44] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/29288836@N00]
Thanks Rob, the Wooden Wonder indeed! That youtube clip is worth a viewing.
You would enjoy them Paul. There’s a lot scattered about in Cwm Llan which I didn’t seek out (see Sean’s blog, he did!)
Once more – what stunning scenery. As either you or others have said, I often wonder if this is any part of the contribution to these incidents. Great captures Ian
A very sad tale, Ian, bad visibility or bad weather cannot be avoided lots of time I am sure, especially in the 40’s! Hopefully these days the planes have a little more warning and help to avoid such tragedies in a lot of cases. A stunning photo again, love the low cloud on the mountain! Have a good weekend!!:-)
Excellent composition and great Rust colour.. Tragic.
A lovely landscape with a tragic tale to tell.
great photos ian but a sad story
what a sad way to go. done nothing wrong but still get ‘smite by the earth’!
thanks for the series info .. i can’t help but be quite taken with the rather fetching stonewalls. they’re built in what seems to be a very remote location!
Great work Ian. Sad that Walker was just trying to see his babies. I agree with Ang about the stonewalls, I thought if this was a remote location it was a lot of work.
I’ve just been informed today that it was my Great Uncle Charles that was passenger in this plane.
My Nans brother, she named her own son Charles (born before the crash) and my brother has named his son Charlie (2011). How sad that family history gets so lost.
Hello TR. Can I ask if you are Tracy Roberts? Are you the daughter of Dave & Shirley? Was looking at this site and found your comment. If so your Grandmother (Queenie) is my Nans (Greta) sister and brother of Charlie Walker.
Yes that’s me daughter of David and Shirley. I remember auntie Greta. How nice to hear from you
Nice work mate great set.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cachelog] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/16400953@N02] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodtherhodie] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/nondesigner] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/29730035@N04] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjpaul] Thanks guys, these tales are very sad, once you learn a little about the people involved, these bits of rusting metal dotting our land take on a new significance. It is one of the main reasons Paul and I do it. Always appreciate you taking the time to read their names.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/angwickham] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/peacelovescoobie]
Conscious that I am addressing a Kiwi and a semi-Aussie; years ago was on a train with some Aussie backpackers through the Scottish Highlands. One of the Antipodeans was earnestly looking out of the window and he said, "I don’t understand, why have you got all these stone fences…?"
This particular locatiion does have a lot of dry stone walls, they are used as field boundaries and in mountainous areas such as here they probably date from within a couple of hundred years. It is odd though, sometimes they just stop in the middle of the hillside or appear to have no purpose. But when you see them climbing up steep mountainsides they do inspire awe at the builder’s skill and effort. As with many things, dry stone walling is a dying art. There’s a good but short piece about them here;
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/drystone.htm
Well if you’ve got to go in this fashion then thats a hell of a spot to end up. Great shot.
time really does stand still for these guys , a reminder of what they all gave to give us the life we have now, poignant and yet a beautiful place for sure,love the dry stane dykes,watched a guy make these,quite an art to it
Nice work Ian. I thought I recognised this one from the thumbnail.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/yod] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarscot] Thanks both. It is a fine location, but I was plagued by midges on the way up.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/gastephen] Have been coming across a lot of your stuff lately while researching these sites!
Fascinating photo and story, easy to think you just nip out for half an hour to do this but realise it must be something of an expedition. Good work
Another interesting piece Ian.
A very sad tale.
It always seems to me even more tragic when passengers and ‘lifts’ such as Cpl Walker are lost in crashes like this. That’s not intended to diminish the tragedy of any aircrew losses, but the aircrew usually had a degree more control over their destiny and also a much better understanding the inherent risks of wartime flying.
Great photography too. The lead photo is a really nice context shot and your ND waterfall is lovely.
The clouds add to the dramatic scenery.
"It was either struck by lightning…"
I’ve just recalled a passage from ‘Der rote Kampfflieger’ by Manfred von Richthofen, a tiny book which I’ve read only recently. At one point Richthofen recollects how he was flying his Albatros through the storm, being seriously afraid of the crash. He ended his reminiscence of that dangerous flight with a rather surprising sentence: "At that time I wasn’t aware that aircrafts couldn’t be struck by lightnings" !!
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/stopherjones] No it is bloody hard work at times! But it’s a labour of love.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/f3liney]
Thanks Rod, I know what you mean, sometimes they are ground crew out on a jaunt, taking a bit of a pleasure flight. It happened on occasion at the end of the war when the men’s guard was down and they were starting to relax.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bazylek]
Hi Robin, great quote there! They really did pioneer aviaition safety, that we can now safely fly off on holiday without much to worry about is because of the sacrifices these guys made.
As always, your adventures conjure up a mixture of sadness and admiration.
Beautiful location.
Thank you for sharing this….
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Seen on your photo stream. ( ?² )
I was a member of a crash guard on the day after the crash Many years afterwards I told of my experience.I was 18 at the time I am now 87.I am sorely disappointed that my description of the scene appears to be deleted particularly since my relatives recently climbed Snowdon. Told them to Google ” Mosquito crash Snowdon 1948” They would not read me input.
Hello William,
As admin for this site, I have not deleted any comments from those there at the time, however I note you commented on Graham Stephen’s page some years ago. Please see this link. I hope this is what you were looking for?
Cpl Walker was my Great Uncle. I have been told it was 1946 not 48. He had given my Nan away at her wedding 3 days before and was indeed heading home to his family. I am now in the RAF (24yrs) and plan on doing a trip to the site in the near future.
Thanks Robert, I shall have another look re: the date.
Ian
1948 is correct