Chipping Warden (1) Wellington Memorial

Date: 18th April 1945 (Wednesday)

Unit: No. 12 OTU (Operational Training Unit)

Base: RAF Chipping Warden

Location: Between Chipping Warden and Edgcote

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. William John Hiller 1338017 RAFVR Age 24. Killed

Nav: Sgt. Hamilton Mairs 1352703 RAFVR Age 24. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Arthur Gordon Grant 1803754 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. James Brian Egan 2220647 RAFVR Age 20. killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Patrick McGowan 1901671 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Sgt. Philip Vincent Birch RAFVR Age 19. Survived (1)

The researcher of this page, Mr. Nigel Harris, would be very interested in hearing from relatives of the pilot Fl/Sgt. Hillier as well as others who are related to crew members.

On a cross country navigation training exercise taking off from RAF Chipping Warden at 12:28 hrs. After suffering starboard engine problems the pilot returned to base. The pilot failed to land on the first attempt and went around.

At 14.03 hrs the aircraft clipped trees coming down south east of the airfield and caught fire. The only survivor being the rear gunner.

Mr. Nigel Harris continues:

Having served in the RAF I was particularly interested in finding out more about Brian. I started surfing the internet all the obvious sites and could not find any Brian Egan on the commonwealth war graves web site for 1945, RAF I finally noticed a site, “Solihull air casualties”. I knew Brian was from that area so I looked closer. The site mentioned Wellington bomber LP286 and the crew, one of the names was one James Brian Egan killed 1945. Re-checking the war graves site confirmed the crew and date. The site also gave the names of the parents; this confirmed I had the right person. James used his second name Brian. I later spoke with Moira, she did not know her brother was called James he was always known as Brian. Moira did not know of any specific details about her brother’s death, other than he was a wireless operator and was killed during a training sortie. She has the box containing Brian’s personal effects that was given to her father by the RAF Adjutant from 12 OTU.

Crew photos (courtesy Nigel Harris)

The Met Office sent me a weather report of 18th April 1945: The weather was good for flying, light surface wind from the NE of 2 + mph reported at 14:00hrs. increasing to 8 mph by 15:00 hrs. The plane attempted to land on runway 19 and so took a slight tailwind.

On the sixty third anniversary of the crash a bespoke copper etching was presented to Chipping Warden Parish Hall depicting a Wellington and the details of the accident. A short act of remembrance was observed at the crash site culminating in one minute of silence commencing at 14.03, the exact time of the crash 63 years ago. Additionally in attendance were: Mr Allen the land owner, Philip Lucas, the press, and Sgt Egan’s niece, great niece, my mother and her sisters Ruth and Sylvia, the first visit for my mother being the morning of the funeral 1945. Bill Holmes DFC President of the Banbury RAF Association organised the parading of the RAF and RBL standards.

Memorial to the crew (courtesy Philip Lucas via Nigel Harris)

(1) Although he suffered burns to his hands, Sgt. Philip Birch survived. From Norwich, Norfolk England - he later in 1969 emigrated with is wife Elizabeth to Australia. They are understood to have had 3 children. Sadly Philip passed away in 2002.

Fl/Sgt. William John Hiller. St. Helens Cemetery. Sec. 58. Grave 72. Son of William Charles and Mary Hillier (née Crowley), husband of Hilda Mary Hillier (née Pennington), of St. Helens, Merseyside, England. They were married shortly before the the end of 1944. Hilda later remarried Arthur Moore and had a son, Christopher Moore. It is thought that Hilda died in 1972.

Sgt. Hamilton Mairs. Livingstone Churchyard (Ext). Row E. Grave 354. Son of James and Elizabeth Mairs, of Livingston Station, West Lothian, Scotland.

Sgt. James Brian Egan. Olton Franciscan Cemetery. Sec. J. Grave 9. Son of Joseph and Winifred Clara Egan, of Olton, Birmingham, England, brother to Joan and Moira.

Sgt. Patrick McGowan. Banbury Cemetery. Grave 11656. Son of Terence and Catherine McGowan, of Kiltyclogher, Co. Leitrim, Irish Republic.

Researched by Nigel Harris, with assistance from Garth Barnard , Phlip Lucas, Murray Peden. Further details our thanks to the sources shown below.

Local remembrance and memorial support

Local authority responsible for memorial upkeep

Memorial plaque record for the crew of 12 OTU Wellington LP286 at Chipping Warden. Documents the memorial plaque and its location.

Memorial plaque at Chipping Warden Parish HallCopper etching presented on 63rd anniversary

Imperial War Museums register entry for the Wellington Bomber LP286 air crew memorial at Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire.

IWM memorial reference 93325

Walking guide to the Wellington LP286 memorial and crash site at Edgcote Park near Chipping Warden. Describes the walking route and provides context about the crash.

Walking route to memorial describedCrash site at Edgcote Park