The mid-air collision over Holt on the 19th August 1968
1968 Holt Air Crash, August 19. Two RAF planes collided over Holt. Seven airmen were killed.
Holt has never forgotten it. A raging electric storm, a terrifying explosion and burning wreckage raining down on rooftops and gardens. For 14,500 feet above north Norfolk two RAF jets a Victor aircraft and a Canberra had collided and exploded sending debris crashing to earth for miles around. Thirty years after the August 19, 1968 disaster in which Holt was miraculously spared from destruction a memorial service to remember seven airmen who died was held.
"I am at 13,500 feet and climbing," were the last words from the crew of Victor XH646 before radio contact was lost as the Marham-based plane climbed away from its station on a training exercise. It collided with a Canberra from RAF Bruggen in Germany. Both crews died.
Neither plane was carrying missiles, nuclear or conventional. PC Ian Jarvis, now retired, of Thompson Avenue, had only moved to Holt that weekend and had not taken up duty. "I made the first 999 call," he said. "It was quite incredible. When I got down Kelling Road the burning front cockpit of a Victor was there."
Today there are no physical scars from the terrible night 30 years ago. But in the pine woods of Holt Country Park a deformed pine tree bears testimony to where a body crashed to earth on a young tree thirty years ago.
www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/content/northnorfolknews/conte...
19 Aug 68
XH646
Victor
K1 A
214 Sqn
Kelling Heath Norfolk
Whilst flying in extremely poor weather conditions which rendered the radar cover inadequate, the Victor was in collision with a Canberra. The crews of both aircraft were killed. Squadron Leader Doyle had assumed his responsibilities as a flight commander on 214 Squadron on the morning of his death.
Squadron Leader Michael Thomas DOYLE Navigator
Flight Lieutenant William Anthony GALLIENE Captain
Flight Lieutenant Kenneth John PEACOCK Navigator
Flight Lieutenant Roger Stanley MORTON Co Pilot
The Broken Wings entries say that WT325 belonged to 213 Sqn, and the collision occurred while it was leaving Wainfleet ranges.
Both aircraft were under the control of Eastern Radar at the time of collision. As stated controllers at Watton lost radar contact on both aircraft due to heavy rain clutter on their scopes. One result of the accident was the fitting of a circular polariser on the transmitter aerial of the Radar Type 82 to reduce the effects of rain clutter.
www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-303487.html
The same site has this eye witness account
My pal and I were travelling towards Holt in his ancient Morris Minor on the night of the incident. We were about 5 miles from Holt after Cowleys's finest had just managed to get us up one of the highest and steepest hills in Norfolk (about 300ft !) in second gear. Once at the top, we turned Westward into a dark and dismal night, even at this early hour of the night,with constant rain and drizzle.
Suddenly, the whole landscape was lit as daylight in a steady bright sodium type light such that we could clearly see each others puzzled faces. We stopped the car and got out and discussed what it could be. Innocently and foolishly, we thought it might be a nuclear first strike or an accidental explosion and if we would be able to see the mushroom cloud above the cloud base!! It should be remembered this was a short while after the Cuban Crisis and we were still deep into the Cold War. Additionally, just beyond Holt lay the USAF SAC base at Sculthorpe, the Bloodhound missile base of West Raynham and a bit further on RAF Marham. Behind us lay RAF Coltishall.
This 'daylight' lasted, to us, a very long time and there was an eerie silence to go with it until suddenly a lone bright flare like light spiralled down through the highlighted cloud base. Then was a gradual localised increase in the light over the Holt area, accompanied by an ever increasing roaring that reached a crescendo as a very bright flaming mass,accompanied by smaller but equally bright objects, broke through the cloud base and a few seconds later reverted the area back to blackness and silence.
We thought that because of the size of the 'asteroid' type fire, it may have been an airliner and we drove on towards Holt until we reached the outskirts of the town at a hamlet called High Kelling. Here we could see many pieces of smouldering wreckage and as mad as it seemed now, we picked up some with ref numbers on them and took them through the far side of Holt to the local small Police Station ! (We had left some 'cylinders' that were laying around as they looked menacing - anyway they didn't have ref numbers on that we could see. ) The station desk was being manned by one poor PC who must have thought WWW3 had started on his shift as the phone was going crazy and we were not the first to turn the station into Steptoe's backyard. Despite the mayhem all around him, he very politely declined our offer to bring him more wreckage in and advised all that we should leave all where it lay, go home and only report any casualties along the way.
It was amazing that as far as I am aware no one on the ground was seriously hurt but the whole area was shocked at the scale of the loss of life.
www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-303487.html
Crew of Victor K Mark I XH646 consisted of :
Sqn/Ldr Michael Thomas Doyle, 504369, Navigator, Royal Air Force, Nationality : British, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 39
Flt/Lt William Anthony Gallienne AFM, 3132036, Captain, Royal Air Force, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 36
Fg/Off Roger Stanley Morton, 4232298, Co-pilot, Royal Air Force, Nationality : British, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 26
Flt/Lt Kenneth John Peacock, 5061994, Navigator, Royal Air Force, Nationality : British, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 31
www.214squadron.org.uk/Crews_and_losses_Victor_m.htm
One of the Canberra crew, Johan Slabber is commemorated on a South African site. He was a Flight Lieutenant flying Canberras out of RAF Bruggen and was aged 25. The notes read,
Born and raised in Cape Town. Matriculated at Wynberg Boy's High School. Obtained his wings at the South African Air Force Gymnasium in Pretoria. Joined the RAF, after training, flew Vulcan bombers and subsequentley Canberras in 213 sqdn in Bruggen. (Germany). Died as a result of a mid-air collission with a Victor (refuelling tanker) over the village of Holt (near Norwich). Several aircraft from 213 sqdn were involved in a bombing "competition" at the time. The Victor had taken off from a local airfield. Flying conditions were bad - neither aircraft were visible on radar! The fact that the 2 aircraft fell on the village of Holt - with no injuries on the ground, is regarded as a bit of a miracle and is commemorated in the local parish church from time to time
He was buried at Cape Town, (Plumstead) Cemetery, Western Cape, South Africa
www.southafricawargraves.org/lists/Postwar_SAs.htm
Stuart Cowie, aged 24 was buried at St Andrews Churchyard, Cranwell, Lincolnshire
www.interment.net/data/eng/lincoln/st_andrew/index.htm
The mid-air collision over Holt on the 19th August 1968
1968 Holt Air Crash, August 19. Two RAF planes collided over Holt. Seven airmen were killed.
Holt has never forgotten it. A raging electric storm, a terrifying explosion and burning wreckage raining down on rooftops and gardens. For 14,500 feet above north Norfolk two RAF jets a Victor aircraft and a Canberra had collided and exploded sending debris crashing to earth for miles around. Thirty years after the August 19, 1968 disaster in which Holt was miraculously spared from destruction a memorial service to remember seven airmen who died was held.
"I am at 13,500 feet and climbing," were the last words from the crew of Victor XH646 before radio contact was lost as the Marham-based plane climbed away from its station on a training exercise. It collided with a Canberra from RAF Bruggen in Germany. Both crews died.
Neither plane was carrying missiles, nuclear or conventional. PC Ian Jarvis, now retired, of Thompson Avenue, had only moved to Holt that weekend and had not taken up duty. "I made the first 999 call," he said. "It was quite incredible. When I got down Kelling Road the burning front cockpit of a Victor was there."
Today there are no physical scars from the terrible night 30 years ago. But in the pine woods of Holt Country Park a deformed pine tree bears testimony to where a body crashed to earth on a young tree thirty years ago.
www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/content/northnorfolknews/conte...
19 Aug 68
XH646
Victor
K1 A
214 Sqn
Kelling Heath Norfolk
Whilst flying in extremely poor weather conditions which rendered the radar cover inadequate, the Victor was in collision with a Canberra. The crews of both aircraft were killed. Squadron Leader Doyle had assumed his responsibilities as a flight commander on 214 Squadron on the morning of his death.
Squadron Leader Michael Thomas DOYLE Navigator
Flight Lieutenant William Anthony GALLIENE Captain
Flight Lieutenant Kenneth John PEACOCK Navigator
Flight Lieutenant Roger Stanley MORTON Co Pilot
The Broken Wings entries say that WT325 belonged to 213 Sqn, and the collision occurred while it was leaving Wainfleet ranges.
Both aircraft were under the control of Eastern Radar at the time of collision. As stated controllers at Watton lost radar contact on both aircraft due to heavy rain clutter on their scopes. One result of the accident was the fitting of a circular polariser on the transmitter aerial of the Radar Type 82 to reduce the effects of rain clutter.
www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-303487.html
The same site has this eye witness account
My pal and I were travelling towards Holt in his ancient Morris Minor on the night of the incident. We were about 5 miles from Holt after Cowleys's finest had just managed to get us up one of the highest and steepest hills in Norfolk (about 300ft !) in second gear. Once at the top, we turned Westward into a dark and dismal night, even at this early hour of the night,with constant rain and drizzle.
Suddenly, the whole landscape was lit as daylight in a steady bright sodium type light such that we could clearly see each others puzzled faces. We stopped the car and got out and discussed what it could be. Innocently and foolishly, we thought it might be a nuclear first strike or an accidental explosion and if we would be able to see the mushroom cloud above the cloud base!! It should be remembered this was a short while after the Cuban Crisis and we were still deep into the Cold War. Additionally, just beyond Holt lay the USAF SAC base at Sculthorpe, the Bloodhound missile base of West Raynham and a bit further on RAF Marham. Behind us lay RAF Coltishall.
This 'daylight' lasted, to us, a very long time and there was an eerie silence to go with it until suddenly a lone bright flare like light spiralled down through the highlighted cloud base. Then was a gradual localised increase in the light over the Holt area, accompanied by an ever increasing roaring that reached a crescendo as a very bright flaming mass,accompanied by smaller but equally bright objects, broke through the cloud base and a few seconds later reverted the area back to blackness and silence.
We thought that because of the size of the 'asteroid' type fire, it may have been an airliner and we drove on towards Holt until we reached the outskirts of the town at a hamlet called High Kelling. Here we could see many pieces of smouldering wreckage and as mad as it seemed now, we picked up some with ref numbers on them and took them through the far side of Holt to the local small Police Station ! (We had left some 'cylinders' that were laying around as they looked menacing - anyway they didn't have ref numbers on that we could see. ) The station desk was being manned by one poor PC who must have thought WWW3 had started on his shift as the phone was going crazy and we were not the first to turn the station into Steptoe's backyard. Despite the mayhem all around him, he very politely declined our offer to bring him more wreckage in and advised all that we should leave all where it lay, go home and only report any casualties along the way.
It was amazing that as far as I am aware no one on the ground was seriously hurt but the whole area was shocked at the scale of the loss of life.
www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-303487.html
Crew of Victor K Mark I XH646 consisted of :
Sqn/Ldr Michael Thomas Doyle, 504369, Navigator, Royal Air Force, Nationality : British, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 39
Flt/Lt William Anthony Gallienne AFM, 3132036, Captain, Royal Air Force, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 36
Fg/Off Roger Stanley Morton, 4232298, Co-pilot, Royal Air Force, Nationality : British, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 26
Flt/Lt Kenneth John Peacock, 5061994, Navigator, Royal Air Force, Nationality : British, KIA 19 August 1968, Aged 31
www.214squadron.org.uk/Crews_and_losses_Victor_m.htm
One of the Canberra crew, Johan Slabber is commemorated on a South African site. He was a Flight Lieutenant flying Canberras out of RAF Bruggen and was aged 25. The notes read,
Born and raised in Cape Town. Matriculated at Wynberg Boy's High School. Obtained his wings at the South African Air Force Gymnasium in Pretoria. Joined the RAF, after training, flew Vulcan bombers and subsequentley Canberras in 213 sqdn in Bruggen. (Germany). Died as a result of a mid-air collission with a Victor (refuelling tanker) over the village of Holt (near Norwich). Several aircraft from 213 sqdn were involved in a bombing "competition" at the time. The Victor had taken off from a local airfield. Flying conditions were bad - neither aircraft were visible on radar! The fact that the 2 aircraft fell on the village of Holt - with no injuries on the ground, is regarded as a bit of a miracle and is commemorated in the local parish church from time to time
He was buried at Cape Town, (Plumstead) Cemetery, Western Cape, South Africa
www.southafricawargraves.org/lists/Postwar_SAs.htm
Stuart Cowie, aged 24 was buried at St Andrews Churchyard, Cranwell, Lincolnshire
www.interment.net/data/eng/lincoln/st_andrew/index.htm