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Culture, General Things, Death and Illness, Death, Accident, Died in a plane crash

Died in a plane crash is in Accident.

On 21 Jul 1930 Rosemary Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (age 36) died in a plane crash. She was booked on a flight from Le Touquet to Croydon. A seat became available on an earlier flight which she accepted. The flight departed in clear weather. At about at 2:30 pm in poor weather over Kent the tail unit failed, causing the aircraft to stall, which in turn caused the port wing to break away and the plane to crash. All the passengers fell from the aircraft through the hole created by the wing breaking away. The Viscountess' body was found in a meadow. An inquest was opened on 23 July where the Viscountess was identified by her brother, George. After the formal identifications, the inquest was adjourned for the Air Ministry technical investigation to take place. The inquest was resumed on 13 August at which the jury returned a verdict "that the victims met their death falling from an aeroplane, the cause of the accident being unknown".

Memorials to the Mack family at St Margaret's Church, Paston [Map].

On 18 May 1933 Hugh Paston Mack died.

On 23 Dec 1917 Lieutenant Commander Ralph Michael Mack (age 34) was killed in action when his destoyer Tornado was mined.

On 29 Apr 1943 Rear-Admiral Philip John Mack (age 50) died in a plane crash.

Hugh Paston Mack: On 22 Mar 1828 he was born to John Mack of Paston Hall.

Lieutenant Commander Ralph Michael Mack: On 11 Oct 1883 he was born to Hugh Paston Mack.

Rear-Admiral Philip John Mack: On 06 Oct 1892 he was born to Major Philip Paston Mack. On 15 Sep 1905 Rear-Admiral Philip John Mack joined the Royal Navy as a naval cadet at the Osborne and Britannia Royal Naval Colleges. On 09 Aug 1910 Rear-Admiral Philip John Mack was posted to the battlecruiser Indomitable as a midshipman, transferring to the cruiser Amethyst on 15 Jul 1913 having been promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 Jun 1913.

In 1937 Lieutenant Thomas Sharon Fermor-Hesketh (age 27) died in a plane crash.

On 16 Nov 1937 Georg Donatus Hesse Darmstadt Grand Duke (age 31) died in a plane crash.

On 16 Nov 1937 Ludwig Hesse Darmstadt (age 6) died in a plane crash.

On 16 Nov 1937 Alexander Hesse Darmstadt (age 4) died in a plane crash.

On 24 Feb 1938 Terence Plunket 6th Baron Plunket (age 38) and Dorothé Mabel Lewis (age 38) died in a plane crash. They were bound for the Hearst ranch at San Simeon, now known as Hearst Castle. In the coastal fog surrounding the airstrip on the ranch, the pilot overshot the field by nearly a mile and a half. One wing struck the ground, causing the plane to burst into flames and crash. James Lawrence was the only survivor, having been thrown clear of the plane. He suffered burns and a broken ankle. Her son Patrick Plunket 7th Baron Plunket (age 14) succeeded 7th Baron Plunket of Newtown in County Cork.

Dunbeath Air Crash

On 25 Aug 1942 Prince George Windsor 1st Duke Kent (age 39) died in a plane crash at Dunbeath. His son Edward Windsor 2nd Duke Kent (age 6) succeeded 2nd Duke Kent.

Michael Strutt (age 28) was also killed.

On 06 Sep 1942 Bristol Beaufighter Mk IIF, 96 Sqn RAF, Registration T3046, crashed at takeoff in RAF Wrexham and hit a Blenheim. Flying Officer John Birkbeck (age 22) and Sergeant D L Nicholas were killed on active service.

Memorial in All Saints Church, West Acre [Map].

Flying Officer John Birkbeck: Around 1920 he was born to Major Henry Anthony Birkbeck.

On 18 Sep 1942 Bristol Beaufighter Mk IF of the 46 (Uganda) Squadron Royal Air Force (46 (Uganda) Sqn RAF) Registration X7707 crashed at Kafr el-Dawwar Ikyad whilst en-route to Cairo West Airfield. The crash was that both engines failed, and the stern frame separated from the fuselage when the pilot attempted to pull out of a spin and the plane crashed to the ground. There were five fatalities:

Crew:

F/O (102.155) Berkeley Day HOLME-SUMNER (pilot) RAFVR.

F/Sgt (1017142) Gordon NAYLOR (nav.) RAFVR.

Passengers

P/O (Aus416115) Colin Angel FRASER (pilot) RAAF - killed

F/Lt (61384) The Hon. George William RODNEY (age 23) (pilot) RAF. He was buried at the Alexandria Hadra War Cemetery in Egypt Plot 3. H. 14.

S/Ldr (38089) John Farrar SUTCLIFFE (Chaplain) RAF - killed.

On 26 Apr 1944 Edward Dixon MacDonald (age 21) died in a plane crash. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Ennerdale Bridge. when Wellington III DF640 crashed following a failed landing. Took off Hixon for night circuit training, Landed 0134 hrs but bounced rather badly. The crew attempted to go round again, but their aircraft failed to gain height and flew into a hill, 250 feet above sea level and known locally as Weston Bank, near the airfield, bursting into flames on impact amongst some trees. Norman Albert Roberts Mousdell and Harold Desmond Purbrick were also killed.

On 09 Oct 1945 Ronald Arthur Somerset Gough-Calthorpe 9th Baron Calthorpe (age 21) died in a plane crash. His brother Peter Waldo Somerset Gough-Calthorpe 10th Baron Calthorpe (age 18) succeeded 10th Baron Calthorpe of Calthorpe in Norfolk, 11th Gough-Calthorpe of Edgbaston in Warwickshire.

His Mustang III (Serial: HB867) was one of six aircraft from the squadron took off from RAF Horsham at 14:30 hrs on an interception exercise with 65 Squadron. They intercepted at about 20,000 ft near Cromer. A general 'dog-fight' then took place. After which the leader called over the R/T to reform. A couple of minutes prior to the accident two or more aircraft were seen to be 'dog-fighting' at about 10,000 ft. over the area of Blythburgh. (witnesses on the ground confirm this and that they saw these aircraft were flying together and that they were executing violent manoeuvres for several minutes) One of the aircraft was then seen to begin a dive as if to try and catch up with another aircraft ahead of it - both were travelling very fast. The diving aircraft instead of pulling out gradually steepened its dive until it was probably over the vertical. It quickly gained enormous speed and one witness declared that as it is descended. it was executing an aileron turn to its right. It then struck the ground near the Blythburgh Poor Law Institute. Engine at full power it exploded on impact and caught fire.

On 26 Jan 1947 Gustaf Adolf Bernadotte (age 40) died in a plane crash.

On 13 May 1948 Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy (age 28) and William Henry Lawrence Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 8th and 6th Earl Fitzwilliam (age 37) died in a plane crash at the Plateau du Coiron, Saint-Bauzile during the course of their journey from Paris [Map]. His first cousin once removed Eric Spencer Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 9th and 7th Earl Fitzwilliam (age 64) succeeded 9th Earl Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam, 11th Baron Fitzwilliam of Liffer in Donegal. His wealth, estimated at 45 million pounds, including half of the Wentworth Woodhouse estate, the Coolattin estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, and a large part of the Fitzwilliam art collection went to his daughter Ann Juliet Dorothea Maud Wentworth-Fitzwilliam Marchioness Bristol (age 13).