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THE DOWNEND TRAGEDY
REMEMBERED
On
6th November 1957 Bristol Britannia G-ANCA, a 300
series, was returning to Filton following a development flight
when she crashed in what was then Bracey Wood (another source
refers to the site as Lincombe Wood), avoiding housing and a
school adjacent to the woods. All fifteen on broad perished, but
miraculously nobody on the ground was killed. However property
was damaged and an engine landed on the spot where normally a
baby would be asleep in a pram. That day the baby was not there.
Fifty years later, on 3rd
November 2007, several hundred people attended a commemoration
arranged by Downend and Bromley Heath Parish Council. The
present vicar, Rev. Vicary and Richard Randall, author of “Death
of a Giant” gave speeches before Mrs Beryl Statham, wife of the
captain of G-ANCA, unveiled a memorial plaque at the entrance to
the crash site, now renamed Britannia Wood. Those attending
included local residents, some of who remembered the day. There
were also former Filton workers, as well as those such as
myself, who serviced or flew Britannia aircraft and remember
them with affection.
Rev. Vicary described the
recollections of people in the houses when G-ANCA hit their
homes and of the near misses some had. There were moving
accounts of people whose lives would never be the same. He dealt
well with the spiritual and social effects of the crash and left
us wondering if the hand of God was involved in preserving lives
on the ground.
Richard Randall described what
is known of G-ANCA’s final flight in a thorough and clear
manner. He reminded us that a runaway autopilot was considered a
possible cause of the manoeuvre the led to the crash and of the
skill and airmanship needed to avoid loss of life on the ground.
I spoke to him afterwards as I recalled an occasion at RAF
Lyneham when a crew reported a runaway autopilot on approach. It
went nose up and had to be disengaged for landing. After two
hours of testing, another fitter and I could not replicate the
fault. However we gave it one more try and, lo and behold it ran
away – nose down! Mr Randall thought it possible that the
pilots’ autopilot cut-out was fitted subsequent to the Downend
crash. Any thoughts folks?
Mrs Statham spoke warmly of
her husband and his generosity, recalling that he would always
say yes if somebody asked if they could have a trip with him.
However on that day in November 1957 he said no. When she first
heard that an aircraft had crashed, she knew it was her
husband’s. Following this loss, Mrs Statham found that her faith
helped to sustain her.
The Downend
Exhibition
There was also an exhibition
close by to mark the subsequent success of the Britannia. Our
own Society stand and that of the Britannia Association were
side by side and proved to be popular. Dave Berry of the
Britannia Association and I were kept busy answering questions
about the Britannia, with considerable interest being shown in
496. Fortunately we were reinforced a little later by Jim Cox.
And so the day came to a close.
As numbers dropped, Dave Berry was kind enough to volunteer to
do the late shift on his own. Many thanks Dave. It was good to
see that so many people remembered and cared after all these
years.
Eric Healey
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