Bomber Command Memorial Register

Southrepps X.3023 Memorial

Southrepps, Norfolk

Complete Record
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Location

Southrepps, Norfolk, Norfolk

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Narrative

In the early hours of 20 November 1940, Hampden X3023 of 44 Squadron took off from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire for a long-range bombing mission against an oil refinery at Lutzkendorf near Leipzig in central Germany. The Hampden was one of Bomber Command's principal medium bombers in the early war years, a narrow-fuselage aircraft that earned the nickname "the flying suitcase" for its cramped crew positions. On the return flight, navigational difficulties -- compounded by darkness and poor weather -- led the aircraft far off course over Norfolk. The aircraft had also been hit by machine gun fire over the Dutch coast, causing the starboard engine to fail. At approximately 06:20 hours, the Hampden crashed into woodland in the grounds of Templewood House at Northrepps, a shooting lodge near the Norfolk coast. Three of the four crew members -- pilot Sergeant Jack Ottaway, navigator Pilot Officer Archie Kerr, and wireless operator/air gunner Sergeant Stanley Elliott -- were killed on impact. The fourth crew member, Sergeant Stanley Hird, an air gunner, survived the crash and went on to serve with the RAF for the remainder of the war, eventually being awarded the DFC.

Aircraft & Operation Details

44 Squadron badgeFulmina regis iusta
Aircraft Type
Hampden X.3023
Squadron
44 Squadron
Station
Waddington
Date of Loss
1940-11-20
Operation Type
Operational
Target
Bombing sortie to oil refinery at Lutzkendorf, near Leipzig
Cause of Loss
Hit by machine gun fire over Dutch coast causing starboard engine failure; navigational error on return; aircraft struck trees in poor visibility

Crew (4 members)

RankNameRoleAgeNationalityFateBurial / Status
SgtJack Leonard Frederick OttawayPilot25BritishKilled
Norwich Cemetery, Section 54, Grave 556CWGC
P/OArchie Ronald KerrNavigator/Observer—BritishKilled
—CWGC
SgtStanley Frederick ElliottWireless Operator/Air Gunner—BritishKilled
—CWGC
SgtStanley HirdAir Gunner—BritishSurvived
DFC
—

About the Crew

Sgt Jack Leonard Frederick Ottaway(age 25)Pilot

From Norwich, Norfolk

From Norwich, married to Barbara with a two-year-old daughter Virginia -- named after her father's favourite brand of tobacco. Despite losing the starboard engine to enemy fire over the Dutch coast, he nursed the aircraft back across the North Sea.

P/O Archie Ronald KerrNavigator/Observer

Navigator who had already survived one close call -- a ditching off Lowestoft earlier in the same year. His luck ran out over Norfolk.

Sgt Stanley Frederick ElliottWireless Operator/Air Gunner

Wireless operator and air gunner serving with 44 Squadron.

Sgt Stanley HirdAir GunnerDFC

Air gunner who survived the crash and continued to serve throughout the war, eventually earning the DFC. His survival from the wreckage of the Hampden was remarkable given the severity of the impact.

Memorial Details

Type
Memorial stone

Memorial Care

parish council
Organisation
Southrepps Parish Council

Local Contacts

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

Southrepps & District Royal British Legionbritish legion

Local remembrance and memorial support

Southrepps Parish Councilparish council

Local authority responsible for memorial upkeep

Further Reading

ITV News AngliaRetrieved 2026-03-23

ITV News coverage of the 75th anniversary memorial dedication at the Southrepps/Northrepps crash site. Jack Ottaway's granddaughters and other family members attended the ceremony to unveil a plaque on the stump of a tree knocked down by the original crash impact.

75th anniversary ceremony in 2015Ottaway's granddaughters attendedPlaque mounted on tree stump from original impact

44 Squadron AssociationRetrieved 2026-03-23

44 Squadron Association newsletter article on the Hampden X3023 crew, providing detailed squadron perspective on the loss. Jack Ottaway was from Norwich, married with a two-year-old daughter Virginia. The aircraft was hit by machine gun fire over the Dutch coast and the starboard engine failed.

Jack Ottaway was from NorwichMarried with two-year-old daughter VirginiaHit by machine gun fire over Dutch coastStarboard engine failed

Southrepps History HubRetrieved 2026-03-23

Local history hub page documenting WWII aircraft incidents around Southrepps village, including the Hampden X3023 crash. Provides community-level historical context and links to other wartime incidents in the area.

Local history resource for Southrepps wartime incidentsCommunity-maintained historical record

International aviation accident database entry for the Hampden HP.52 crash at Southrepps. Records 3 killed in the incident with aircraft identified as Handley Page HP.52 Hampden I.

International accident database record3 killed confirmed

Sources

Credits & Acknowledgements

Record compiled by
Keith Binley
Heritage sources
ITV News Anglia (retrieved 2026-03-23)
44 Squadron Association (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Southrepps History Hub (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-23

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