Report from Simon Muggleton, Selmeston's own aviation correspondent.
Crash of Gloster Meteor Night-Fighter Mk 12
Mays Farm Selmeston Tuesday 29th June 1954
Sometime around 1am on Tuesday 29th June 1954, Flying Officer John Frederick Fisher climbed into the pilot’s seat of his Gloster Meteor Night Fighter aircraft, accompanied by his Navigator Daniel Terence Cains. Both in their early 20’s this was to be just another routine exercise taking off from West Malling in Kent to patrol along the South Coast. The weather conditions were not ideal being overcast, but at least it was dry with little wind.
Approximately half an hour later, their Commanding Officer from 85 Squadron, Squadron Leader Scandrett was in the control tower at West Malling when he heard the pilot transmitting a distress call giving his position as just south of Beachy Head. A further and last message from the crew indicated that the aircraft was short on fuel and that both pilot and navigator were baling out.
At about 1.30am Miss Estelle Miller the housekeeper at ‘Oakfields’ in Chalvington, was awoken from her sleep by one of the dogs barking outside. She looked out of her bedroom window and was astonished to see an aircraft on fire pass very low making ‘a grinding groaning noise’ before crashing some half mile away.
Mr William Puttock, a farm labourer of ‘Yew Tree Cottage’ Chalvington, was lying awake in his bedroom when he also heard the groaning noises of the aircraft and looked out of his window. By this time the aircraft had lost even more height and was now level with his window and giving off a pink glow.
Mr Thomas Henry Dinnis, the owner of ‘Mays Farm’ Selmeston was also aroused from his sleep by the groaning engines of the distressed aircraft, but by the time he got to his bedroom window all he could see was a mass of flames some 200 yards away coming from the crashed aircraft on his farmland.
The aircraft had obviously flown through the power cables nearby in its final seconds, because Mr Dinnis had to fumble around in the dark to find the telephone in order to make a call to PC Ford at the police house in Selmeston.
Mr Dinnis quickly got dressed after the 999 call, and rushed to the scene where he could see the aircraft had crashed into the east bank of his wheat field along the private road, some 80yards from the junction of the Berwick to Chalvington Road.
It was a mass of flames and along with the heat made it impossible to get near, and by this time the nearby hedges were also alight from the fuel thrown from the aircraft. A partly opened parachute was found close by.
PC.15.William Ford quickly arrived on the scene as did the Fire Brigade under the control of Station Officer Izzard from Seaford, along with units of the Ambulance Brigade. It became apparent that both crew members had perished in the crash as remains of their bodies were found when the flames had been finally doused at around 3am.
At first light, a helicopter from the Royal Naval Air Service had been summoned by officers at RAF Wartling to search the immediate area and soon found the glass canopy of the Meteor at Bushy Lodge, West Firle, approximately three miles from the crash site.
Further items of equipment were found at Selmeston and Chalvington, including two helmets, a scarf, map and a shoe.
The only part of the aircraft remaining of any size was the rear part of the fuselage and the tail fin which had pieces of parachute harness caught in its leading edge. This could indicate that the navigator (seated behind the pilot) may have been attempting to bale out.
At 5am a corporal and six other airmen from RAF Tangmere arrived on the scene to guard the remains of the crew until they were taken by an RAF ambulance to Hailsham Mortuary later that day.
At noon the next day Dr Shera attended the Mortuary and carried out an examination of the two bodies on behalf of HM Coroner Dr Somerville.
At 2.30pm on Thursday 1st July 1954, an inquest was held at Hailsham Police Station regarding the fatal crash. Witnesses gave evidence that the course taken by the aircraft was from Beachy Head West over Selmeston to West Firle, then North to Ripe turning over Chalvington to return South where it crashed at Mays Farm.
HM Coroner Dr Somerville returned a verdict of ‘Accidental Death’ in both cases, commending Mr Dinnis for his help throughout the operation.
It is not known where Flying Officers Fisher and Cains were finally laid to rest.
SM
Mays Farm Selmeston Tuesday 29th June 1954
Sometime around 1am on Tuesday 29th June 1954, Flying Officer John Frederick Fisher climbed into the pilot’s seat of his Gloster Meteor Night Fighter aircraft, accompanied by his Navigator Daniel Terence Cains. Both in their early 20’s this was to be just another routine exercise taking off from West Malling in Kent to patrol along the South Coast. The weather conditions were not ideal being overcast, but at least it was dry with little wind.
Approximately half an hour later, their Commanding Officer from 85 Squadron, Squadron Leader Scandrett was in the control tower at West Malling when he heard the pilot transmitting a distress call giving his position as just south of Beachy Head. A further and last message from the crew indicated that the aircraft was short on fuel and that both pilot and navigator were baling out.
At about 1.30am Miss Estelle Miller the housekeeper at ‘Oakfields’ in Chalvington, was awoken from her sleep by one of the dogs barking outside. She looked out of her bedroom window and was astonished to see an aircraft on fire pass very low making ‘a grinding groaning noise’ before crashing some half mile away.
Mr William Puttock, a farm labourer of ‘Yew Tree Cottage’ Chalvington, was lying awake in his bedroom when he also heard the groaning noises of the aircraft and looked out of his window. By this time the aircraft had lost even more height and was now level with his window and giving off a pink glow.
Mr Thomas Henry Dinnis, the owner of ‘Mays Farm’ Selmeston was also aroused from his sleep by the groaning engines of the distressed aircraft, but by the time he got to his bedroom window all he could see was a mass of flames some 200 yards away coming from the crashed aircraft on his farmland.
The aircraft had obviously flown through the power cables nearby in its final seconds, because Mr Dinnis had to fumble around in the dark to find the telephone in order to make a call to PC Ford at the police house in Selmeston.
Mr Dinnis quickly got dressed after the 999 call, and rushed to the scene where he could see the aircraft had crashed into the east bank of his wheat field along the private road, some 80yards from the junction of the Berwick to Chalvington Road.
It was a mass of flames and along with the heat made it impossible to get near, and by this time the nearby hedges were also alight from the fuel thrown from the aircraft. A partly opened parachute was found close by.
PC.15.William Ford quickly arrived on the scene as did the Fire Brigade under the control of Station Officer Izzard from Seaford, along with units of the Ambulance Brigade. It became apparent that both crew members had perished in the crash as remains of their bodies were found when the flames had been finally doused at around 3am.
At first light, a helicopter from the Royal Naval Air Service had been summoned by officers at RAF Wartling to search the immediate area and soon found the glass canopy of the Meteor at Bushy Lodge, West Firle, approximately three miles from the crash site.
Further items of equipment were found at Selmeston and Chalvington, including two helmets, a scarf, map and a shoe.
The only part of the aircraft remaining of any size was the rear part of the fuselage and the tail fin which had pieces of parachute harness caught in its leading edge. This could indicate that the navigator (seated behind the pilot) may have been attempting to bale out.
At 5am a corporal and six other airmen from RAF Tangmere arrived on the scene to guard the remains of the crew until they were taken by an RAF ambulance to Hailsham Mortuary later that day.
At noon the next day Dr Shera attended the Mortuary and carried out an examination of the two bodies on behalf of HM Coroner Dr Somerville.
At 2.30pm on Thursday 1st July 1954, an inquest was held at Hailsham Police Station regarding the fatal crash. Witnesses gave evidence that the course taken by the aircraft was from Beachy Head West over Selmeston to West Firle, then North to Ripe turning over Chalvington to return South where it crashed at Mays Farm.
HM Coroner Dr Somerville returned a verdict of ‘Accidental Death’ in both cases, commending Mr Dinnis for his help throughout the operation.
It is not known where Flying Officers Fisher and Cains were finally laid to rest.
SM
