| The 120 Squadron Roll of Honour commemorates all Squadron members who have made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives in the course of their duties while a member of CXX and on duty with the Squadron, and are thus included on the Rolls of Honour of either the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), or the Armed Forces Memorial of the UK or their home nation. It includes members of other units who were lost while flying as supernumerary crew or passengers on 120 Squadron aircraft, who are considered Honorary Members by both the Squadron and the Association. Ranks are shown as listed in the official memorial records, which in a small number of cases includes posthumous promotion where it was formally awarded. | ||
| THEIR NAMES LIVE FOR EVERMORE | ||
| 2Lt John Armstrong Lt Edmund Sydney Howells | 27 March 1918 Cramlington Aircraft accident involving Armstrong Whitworth FK3 serial A1505 The aircraft crashed into the ground from 700 ft. The court was unable to determine whether this was due to breakage of the elevator control cable or some other reason. | |
| 2Lt Richard Arthur Henry Brittain Maj Philip James Vaughan Lavarack | 15 May 1918 Cramlington Aircraft accident involving Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 serial B8902 The aircraft’s engine lost power shortly after take-off, and the aircraft stalled in a turn at 80 ft. | |
| 2Lt Corbett Wiley Morris | 30 November 1918 Eastchurch Aircraft accident involving Sopwith Camel F1 serial F4193 The aircraft crashed near its base at 204 Training Depot Station, RAF Eastchurch; the cause is unknown. | 2Lt Morris was a Canadian officer who initially trained at the School of Aerial Gunnery in Beamsville, Ontario, before continuing his training with 204 Training Depot Station (TDS) at RAF Eastchurch. His service record shows that he had been assigned to 120 Sqn effective 8 November 1918, but he was still at Eastchurch when he crashed in an aircraft belonging to 204 TDS, and he was buried nearby. |
| AC2 Alfred John Watkins | 22 July 1941 Ballykelly Fatal accident while driving a tractor on duty on the perimeter track. | |
| Sgt Douglas James Bartell Sgt David Clark Sgt Robert Henry Dear Sgt Roland William Magson Fg Off James Wood Rae | 10 December 1941 Stirling Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR1 serial AM926 (F/120) The aircraft struck the Ochill Hills near Alva, 4 miles east of Stirling, in low visibility with no witnesses. It may have been descending through cloud to determine its position. | |
| Plt Off William Morton Densham Plt Off Philip George Fuller Sgt Albert Alfred Middleton Sgt Page Welford | 18 February 1942 Nutts Corner Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR1 serial AM925 (X/120) The aircraft failed to attain a sufficient rate of climb on departure, likely due to an error of judgement by failing to use flaps. It struck a radio mast and came down in fields. 3 crew were killed instantly, while Plt Off Densham died of his injuries 2 days later in Belfast. The remaining 5 crew were injured but survived. | |
| Sgt James Frank Gooder | 4 May 1942 Nutts Corner Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR2 serial AL558 (B/120) The pilot extended the downwind leg too far while conducting local night flying, and struck the summit of Divis Mountain when turning crosswind. The remaining 3 crew were injured but survived. | |
| FS Edwin Arthur Allgood FS Terence John Culnane Sgt Brian Frank Smith | 28 May 1942 Norwegian Sea Enemy action involving Consolidated Liberator GR1 serial AM924 (D/120) The aircraft was attacked by 3 Me109s, which killed FS Allgood and Sgt Smith with gunfire and disabled three engines. The aircraft ditched some 50 miles south-west of the Lofoten Islands, and the remaining 5 crewmembers made it into dinghies. FS Culnane died from burns, cold and exhaustion after 2 days, while the remaining 4 crewmembers reached land in Occupied Norway. Over the course of the next 5 weeks and with the help of several locals they successfully evaded Nazi occupying forces and escaped to Sweden. | |
| Sgt Harold Brown FS Robert Cameron Sgt Peter John Donoghue Sgt Sidney Edward Thomas Harcourt Sgt Eric Henry Hulatt Sgt Victor Stephen Marsh Sgt Gordon Miller Plt Off Alan Pattison | 12 August 1942 Atlantic Ocean Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR3 serial FK235 (N/120) The aircraft was escorting convoy ON(S) 120 and crashed when the port wing touched the sea while executing a low-level turn. | |
| Sgt Seymour Clare FS Alfred Burton Craig Plt Off Victor Dennis James FS Kenneth Henry Watson | 13 August 1942 Atlantic Ocean Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR3A serial LV341 (Z/120) The aircraft ditched approximately 37 miles WSW of Tory Island while returning from an ASW/SAR patrol following receipt of a distress call from an unidentified ship, initially (but erroneously) believed to be the SS Letitia. All engines failed in flight for undetermined reasons, possibly some combination of a fuel leak, munitions accident, and pilot error. 6 of the 8 crew escaped from the sinking fuselage, but 2 of those drowned before the dinghies were inflated. The remaining 4 were rescued by the trawler Glenogil. | Peter Clare, the son of Sgt Seymour “Billy” Clare, is the CXX Association’s historian, an honorary member, and has been instrumental in the compilation of the Squadron’s WWII history and this Roll of Honour. Peter has gifted to the Squadron an oar from the dinghy that was originally presented to him by Sgt Bill Gordon, one of the survivors, in memory of his father. This oar is presently displayed in the Squadron Crewroom. Peter has written a more detailed account of the accident on this site at The-search-for-SS-LETITIA-and-the-Loss-of-Liberator-MkIIIA-serial-No-LV341.pdf |
| Sgt Robert Ainslie Fg Off Michael Francis Dear Plt Off Albert Benjamin Gomperts Gp Capt Harry King Goode Sgt Charles Humphrey Sgt Arnolous Bothma Meyer Sgt Ivan Victor McQuay Sgt Thomas William Taylor | 21 August 1942 County Antrim Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR3A serial LV340 (X/120) The aircraft was on an air test when, in conditions of low cloud or sea mist, it crashed into Big Trosk, near Carnlough. | |
| Fg Off Allan Henry Wood | 25 October 1942 Torquay Enemy action Killed in an enemy attack while a patient at the RAF Officers’ Convalescent Hospital in Torquay. Despite the Hospital having a large red cross painted on the roof, it was attacked by 4 Focke-Wulf 190s, killing 14 RAF officers, 5 staff, and 2 members of the Home Guard. | |
| WO Norman William Robins | 3 November 1942 Ballykelly Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR2 serial AL519 (S/120) The aircraft struck Dunbrock Mountain, 5½ miles southwest of RAF Ballykelly, during night flying practice. The Court of Inquiry commented that the pilot, WO Robins, may have been distracted by difficulty retracting the undercarriage. The sole other crewmember was injured but survived. | |
| FS John Gibson Benson Cpl John Dennis Cole WO Peter Lawrence Brooks Ellis LAC Maurice Ian Kidd FS George Frederick Denis Lowrison Cpl Henry Thomas Mills Flt Lt Francis Henry Salt Sgt William Stanfield Fg Off William John Wright | 9 January 1943 Reykjavík Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR1 serial AM921 (B/120) The aircraft caught fire and crashed shortly after take-off due to a fuel leak. It came to rest on a gravel heap with the fuselage forward of the wings on fire. Four crewmembers and 5 passengers lost their lives and are buried at the Fossvogur Cemetary in Reykjavík. The remaining 3 crewmembers and 4 passengers were injured but survived. | |
| Flt Lt John Nigel Grey Bruce Flt Lt Albert Leslie Furr Wg Cdr Richard Maitland Longmore WO Ernest Arthur Mincham FS Arthur Edward Parsons WO William Stott Fg Off Robert Wood Tait Fg Off Francis Maxwell Webber | 4 October 1943 Atlantic Ocean Enemy action involving Consolidated Liberator GR3 serial FL923 (V/120) The aircraft took heavy flak while running in to attack U-539 with depth charges. Both starboard engines caught fire, and it crashed into the ocean. |
The captain, Wg Cdr Longmore, was the Sqn’s Officer Commanding at the time, and is the only of 120 Sqn’s OCs to have been lost on operations. |
| LAC Arthur Smurthwaite Owston | 25 October 1943 Hartlepool Kidney failure LAC “Bob” Owston died in Cameron Hospital in his home town of Hartlepool, aged 23. He had been admitted for nephritis and uremia. | |
| FS John Arthur Blair WO Harold Sidney Cruttenden FS Cyril Arthur Peatey FS Theophilus Pye Plt Off Charles Edward Towsley | 13 July 1944 Malin Sea Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator GR5 serial BZ910 (F/120) The aircraft ditched 4 miles from the island of Inishtrahull, after taking off from RAF Ballykelly on an anti-submarine patrol. 5 crewmembers died and 4 survived. The aircraft is believed to have stalled due to failure of the pilots to maintain required airspeed, with insufficient time to recover as it was flying at 400′ to remain below low cloud. |
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| FS Arthur Leslie Turnell | 1 October 1944 Ballykelly Walked into a windmilling propeller after returning to RAF Ballykelly from an anti-submarine patrol. | |
| Cpl Donald Leslie Pratt | 15 June 1945 Kingston, Dorset Aircraft accident involving Consolidated Liberator C9 serial JT985 of 232 Sqn The aircraft reported problems with fuel pressure on departure from RAF Holmsley South in Hampshire, and was attempting to return to base when it lost height and crashed near Polar Wood. | Cpl Pratt of 120 Sqn was one of 22 ground crew on JT985 that were being flown out to Palam, India, to assist in the ongoing war in the Pacific following victory in Europe and cessation of hostilities the previous month. |
| Sgt Wilfred Davie Beck Sgt James Warren Bell Sgt Ralph Clucas FS George Farquhar FS James Naismith Flt Lt Harry Smith Reid Fg Off Robert Strong Flt Lt Peter Tennison | 14 March 1951 Torridon Mountains Aircraft accident involving Avro Lancaster GR3 serial TX264 (D/120) The aircraft crashed into the northern side of Beinn Eighe while on a night navigation exercise that was intended to conclude with a bombing run at Tain. All 8 crewmembers died. |
One of the aircraft’s propellers was airlifted off the mountain by helicopter in 1985 and mounted outside the MRT base at RAF Kinloss as a memorial to both the crew, and to the importance of the accident in the history of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service. The memorial was relocated to the MRT base at RAF Lossiemouth in 2018. |
| Sgt Arthur Brown Flt Lt J L R Denis Fillion FS John Francis Gent Fg Off Keith Robert Gordon Flt Lt Frank Raymond Hollins Sqn Ldr Brian Campbell Letchford Lt Cdr Christopher Brian Schofield Flt Lt Edward Thomas Spicer Fg Off Peter John Stowell | 19 November 1967 Celtic Sea Aircraft accident involving Avro Shackleton MR3 serial WR976 The aircraft stalled and crashed into the sea 190 nautical miles SW of RAF St Mawgan while simulating a low-level air raid on the frigate HMS BRIGHTON. The cause of the stall was believed to be insufficient airspeed for the manoeuvres made. 8 crewmembers and 1 passenger died; 2 crewmembers were quickly retrieved from the water by HMS BRIGHTON and survived. |
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| Sgt Craig Barnett Flt Lt Nicholas Brooks Flt Lt Dominic Mark Gilbert Flt Lt Glenn Howard Hooper Sgt Gary Stephen Moxham Sgt Richard Lee Williams Flt Lt Bernard Worthington | 2 September 1995 Lake Ontario Aircraft accident involving Hawker Siddeley/BAe Nimrod MR2 serial XV239 The aircraft stalled during a dumbbell turn in a flying display at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto, at an altitude from which it was too low to recover, and crashed into Lake Ontario. |
and A memorial window dedicated to the crew of XV239 was previously installed in St Columba’s Church at RAF Kinloss, and is in the process of being relocated to St Aidan’s Church at RAF Lossiemouth. A memorial to the crews of XV256, XV239 and XV230 has been installed at the Morayvia Aviation Museum at Kinloss, the centrepiece of which is the tail fin of XV239 that was recovered from Lake Ontario. |
| FS Gary Wayne Andrews FS Stephen Beattie FS Gerard Martin Bell FS Adrian Davies Cpl Oliver Simon Dicketts Flt Lt Steven Johnson Sgt Benjamin James Knight Sgt John Joseph Langton Flt Lt Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore Flt Lt Gareth Rodney Nicholas Flt Lt Allan James Squires Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick Sgt Gary Paul Quilliam Mne Joseph David Windall | 2 September 2006 Panjwā’ī District, Kandahār Province Aircraft accident involving Hawker Siddeley/BAe Nimrod MR2 serial XV230 The aircraft suffered an in-flight fire over Afghanistan as a result of a fuel leak of indeterminate origin, which came into contact with a hot air duct. The fuel may have exited overflow valves or air vents during air-to-air refuelling, and subsequently tracked back along the outside of the fuselage and re-entered the airframe near a hot air duct, or it may have leaked from a coupling in the fuel system. The crew attempted to divert to Kandahār Airfield, but the aircraft broke apart and experienced an explosion at low level, 14 nautical miles from the runway. The wreckage impacted the ground at 31°31’54″N 065°34’07″E, in between the villages of Chalghōr and Fatḩullāh and about 400m north-west of the latter. |
Following the publication of the Board of Inquiry’s report, the Government commissioned an independent review by Charles Haddon-Cave QC into the broader issues surrounding the accident. The Nimrod Review, available on this site at the link below, recommended sweeping changes to the MOD’s airworthiness regime. This resulted in the formalization of the Aviation Duty Holder construct and the creation of the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) to ensure the mistakes identified would not be made again. This safety model has now been extended to the rest of Defence, with the creation of the Defence Safety Authority as the MAA’s parent body. |
