SX984 Avro Lincoln

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The crew
The crew

SX984 was an Avro Lincoln serving with No. 49 Squadron RAF in Kenya during the Mau Mau Uprising that was lost in a crash on February 19, 1955.

On returning from an operational bombing sortie at 1540 hours some 1hr 25mins flying time (total airborne time to the moment of the crash was 1hr 33mins) , the pilot of SX984 carried out several unauthorized low passes over the police hut at Githunguri, where another 49 squadron crew where paying a visit. On the third such pass SX984 struck the roof of the hut and a telegraph pole breaking off part of the wing and some of its nose. It went into a steep climb, stalled and crashed to the ground 8 miles north north west of Kiambu killing five members of the crew and four civilians on the ground. One of the visiting crew called Pierson managed to pull Rear Gunner Stan Bartlett from the wreckage, but he died a few hours later of his injuries.

The finding of the Board of Inquiry was that the accident was caused by willful disobedience of orders and by unauthorized low flying.

[edit] Crew

  • Fg Off A L Hunt, pilot
  • Sgt N V Hollands, engineer
  • Fg Off A King, Navigator
  • Fg Off J G Party
  • Sgt A W North
  • Sgt S A G Bartlett, rear gunner

[edit] Memorial

There is a memorial window to the crew and civilians killed in the crash in a window of St Leonards Church Sandridge in Hertfordshire, UK.

[edit] Sources

  • Mike Garbutt & Brian Goulding. Lincoln at War 1944–66. 
  • Richard Bartlett-May, son of Rear Gunner Sgt S A G Bartlett from information provided by the Historical Air Branch, Ministry of Defence, London and the 49 Squadron Association