Bomber Command Memorial Register

Hameldown Hampden Memorial

Hameldown, Dartmoor, Devon (Dartmoor)

Complete Record
Confirmed location?

Photographs

P8078629a 547x410
P8078629a 547x410, Credit: John G Francis / War Memorials Online
P8078633a 547x410
P8078633a 547x410, Credit: John G Francis / War Memorials Online
P8078631a 547x410
P8078631a 547x410, Credit: John G Francis / War Memorials Online

Location

Hameldown, Dartmoor, Devon (Dartmoor), Devon (Dartmoor)

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Narrative

On the night of 21 March 1941, six Hampden bombers of 49 Squadron lifted from RAF Scampton and set course for the German naval base at Lorient in occupied France. On return, X3054 experienced a radio malfunction that rendered it unable to receive signals. Without functioning radio aids, the pilot -- 25-year-old Pilot Officer Robert Wilson -- became disoriented regarding his position relative to the English coast. Flying in deteriorating visibility, the Hampden struck the western slope of Hameldown Tor at approximately 1,400 feet and burst into flames. Sergeants Brames, Ellis, and Lyon appear to have died on impact, but Wilson -- strapped into the pilot's seat -- survived initially, only to die the following day. Wilson and Ellis lie side by side in Exeter's Higher Cemetery; the two air gunners were buried in their home towns. All four were 25 or under. The Hampden was one of the earlier Bomber Command types, a cramped twin-engine aircraft with a crew of four, already being superseded by the heavier Halifax and Lancaster by 1941.

Aircraft & Operation Details

49 Squadron badgeCave canem
Aircraft Type
Hampden
Serial Number
X3054
Squadron
49 Squadron
Date of Loss
1941-03-22
Operation Type
Operational
Target
Operational -- returning from bombing raid on Lorient, France
Cause of Loss
Radio unable to receive; pilot disoriented regarding coastal position; flew into high ground in poor visibility

Crew (4 members)

RankNameRoleAgeNationalityFateBurial / Status
P/ORobert David WilsonPilot25BritishKilledHigher Cemetery, ExeterCWGC
SgtRichard Leonard Ashburton Ellis2nd Pilot/Navigator23BritishKilledHigher Cemetery, ExeterCWGC
SgtRonald BramesRear Gunner22BritishKilledEltham (St John the Baptist) Churchyard, LondonCWGC
SgtCharles John LyonWireless Operator23BritishKilledPrescot Cemetery, LancashireCWGC

About the Crew

P/O Robert David Wilson(age 25)Pilot

A 25-year-old pilot with 49 Squadron at RAF Scampton. Wilson survived the crash initially but succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Sgt Ronald Brames(age 22)Rear Gunner

From Eltham, London

Sgt Charles John Lyon(age 23)Wireless Operator

From Prescot, Lancashire

Memorial Details

Type
Granite boulder incised with initials and squadron number; plaque added 1991
Dedication Date
Original wartime; plaque 1991

Memorial Care

military
Organisation
Dartmoor National Park Authority

Granite boulder incised with initials and squadron number; plaque added 1991.

Local Contacts

These local organisations are connected to this memorial and may be able to help with information or visits.

Exeter Royal British Legionbritish legion

Local remembrance and memorial support

Further Reading

49 Squadron AssociationRetrieved 2026-03-23

The 49 Squadron Association maintains a dedicated page for the Hameldown Tor memorial. It records that six Hampdens departed Scampton at 18:20 on 21 March 1941 to bomb the submarine base at Lorient, and that X3054's crew lost their radio fix on return, striking the hillside at about 1,400 feet.

Squadron Association maintains active memorial pageDeparture time recorded as 18:20

Dartmoor ExplorationsRetrieved 2026-03-23

Detailed walking guide to the crash site with historical context. Describes the granite boulder memorial commissioned by Lady Wilson and its 1991 restoration by the Torbay and District Aircrew Association.

Walking route information providedMemorial restoration history documented

War Memorials OnlineRetrieved 2026-03-23

Listed as '49 Sqn RAF Crash Site' in the War Memorials Online register, confirming the memorial's status and location on Hameldown Tor, Dartmoor.

Registered memorial reference number 98287

IWM War Memorials RegisterRetrieved 2026-03-23

The Imperial War Museum records 49 Squadron RAF in its memorials register, linking to the Hameldown site among the squadron's commemorative locations.

IWM memorial reference 25874

CWGCRetrieved 2026-03-23

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission confirms that Pilot Officer Wilson and Sergeant Ellis are buried at Exeter Higher Cemetery. The CWGC maintains their graves as part of the 73 Commonwealth war burials at the site.

Wilson and Ellis confirmed buried at Exeter Higher Cemetery73 Commonwealth war burials at this cemetery

Sources

  • warmemorialsonline.org.uk (memorial/98287); Legendary Dartmoor(website)

Credits & Acknowledgements

Record compiled by
Keith Binley
Heritage sources
49 Squadron Association (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Dartmoor Explorations (retrieved 2026-03-23)
War Memorials Online (retrieved 2026-03-23)
IWM War Memorials Register (retrieved 2026-03-23)
CWGC (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-23

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