The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

pandabean · Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 22 Location: Aberdeen

I was trawling through the net and found a website relating to the unveiling of a memorial plaque for six airmen who lost their lives in the hills of Assynt in 1941. Not sure which section to put this in.

http://www.bratach.co.uk/bratach/archive/Oct05/oct05_memorial-service.html

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OCTOBER 2005 - NO. 168

New memorial plaque unveiled

On September 11, Battle of Britain Sunday, Air Cadets from 161 (Ullapool) D/F and 2489 (Bridge of Don) Squadron led the dedication of the new RAF commemorative plaque, situated in Inchnadamph churchyard, in Assynt. The memorial honours the memory of six airmen who lost their lives high in the Assynt hills, when their plane crashed in blizzard conditions during a training flight on 13 April 1941.

The dedication service was carried out by the Reverend Alan Lamb, Highland Wing Chaplain. Wreaths were laid by Miss Helen Kenny, sister of Flight Sergeant Brendon Kenny (one of the lost air crew), on behalf of the families of the fallen; and Wing Commander Brian Munro, Officer Commanding Highland Wing, on behalf of the Air Training Corps.

Also attending were Dr Monica Main, Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland; Mrs Mary Bird (cousin of Brendon Kenny); members of the Royal British Legion and RAFA; and members of the public. Following a minute's silence, a lament was played by piper Rhuaraidh Edwards, Inverpolly.

The other casualties were Flying Officer James Steyn (23) of South Africa; Pilot Officer William Drew (28 ) of Barrow-in-Furness; Sgt Charles Mitchell (31) of Aberdeen; Sgt Jack Emery (20) of Wiltshire; and Sgt Arthur Tompsett (20) of Croydon.

The following morning the Stornoway coastguard helicopter, piloted by Captain Tim Noble, flew Miss Kenny and Mrs Bird to the crash site, where the airmen are buried, 2,300 feet above sea level. This is one of only two official war graves in the UK where the crew are buried at the crash site. The visit could only be brief, due to low cloud, but the two ladies were very grateful for the chance to visit the grave for only the second time.
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Remembering John and William Greenlees, two brothers who fell on the Western Front in the Great War. Also their brother Robert who later died of TB.

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:02 pm Post subject:

Andy

Your right, Highland - Other. This is the CWGC marker. The graves are beside the crash site. The Spring of 1941 was one of the worst on record and it was impossible to reach the crash site for a couple of months. At the time it was decide to bury the men on Ben More and later to commemorate them with a memorial at Inchnadamph.

I visited it last June but unfortunately did not have my camera with me. It is in a lovely spot at the entrance to the churchyard.

The cairn at the crash site occaisionally gets a visit from Air Cadets for a bit of maintenance.

Adam

Adam Brown · Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 8:42 pm Post subject:

For more information on the names on this memorial please go to the appropriate list on this forum using the link below

Sutherland’s Second World War Dead A-L

Sutherland’s Second World War Dead Mc / Mac

Sutherland’s Second World War Dead M-Z

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 8:52 pm Post subject:

It was pouring down with rain both times when I passed this memorial last week so the photographs aren't as clear as I'd hoped.

This is an information board outside the churchyard which mentions a bit about the memorial. It also mentions that soil from the burial site on Ben More has been placed in the trough at the base of the memorial.

Adam

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 8:58 pm Post subject:

Just inside the churchyard and immediately behind the memorial is this new marker

It is to the brother of Sgt H A Tompsett who died in 2004.

The photograph is not that clear since it is covered in rainwater. It says

In loving memory of
BRIAN A TOMPSETT
19.12.1928 - 24.1.2004
A dear Dad, Grandad & Great Grandad
beloved husband of
CHERRY

Reunited with his brother
Sgt H TOMPSETT

Brian Tompsett was one of those who had attended the 1985 ceremony when the Bridge of Don Air Cadets had built the new cairn at the burial site on the mountain.

Adam

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:39 am Post subject:

I have now started another thread about the actual crash site of the Anson. It is a war grave and memorial. it is here

Adam

audistwo · Joined: 01 Sep 2008 Posts: 2

Hi there
Just joined up, I stumbled across this thread on another site and bookmarked it with the intention of posting when I had a few spare minutes.

The reason for joining and posting is down to the fact that I was one of the cadets from 2489 Squadron.
My name is Steve Smith and am from Aberdeen.

I still have the copy of the War Grave mag (I think thats what it's called, I'm offshore at the moment so dont have access to it) from all those years ago that did the write up and photos of the service that took place up on top of Ben More Assynt.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/peter.fairweather/docs/Anson.htm

Unfortunatly I didn’t keep the copy of the times newspaper, they also ran an article about us rebuilding the cairn.

What to say, it was bl**dy cold doing it ! but so worth while, we were actually doing our Duke of Edinburgh award scheme at the same time, going up the hill and map reading, working out different ways was part of it and at the same time we were working out the best routes for the ceremony held on the final day.
I can’t remember just how many times we actually climbed the hill the time we were there, but it felt sooo easy on the final day we were almost skipping up the thing.

The response from the locals was rewarding too, I think that they didn’t expect a bunch of teenagers from a city to give two hoots about their little bit of history. They made all of us very welcome.

There was an old gent, can’t remember his name, I think he was in the RAF or something, he invited all of us to his house (very nice one too, sat right on the coast) and recounted some stories of his days in the service. Also told us about the spitfire that crashed on the beach many years ago and that would appear and disappear into the sand from time to time due to the power of the Atlantic.

Not adding too much to what you guys may already know but just thought I'd post up my part in this.

Thanks

Steve

ADP · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 467 Location: Edinburgh

Memorial: To the crew Avro Anson trainer flight that crashed on Ben More 13th April 1941
Location: Beside gate to the Old Parish Church of Assynt, Kirkton, Inchnadamph, Sutherland
Grid Ref: NC249219
UKNIWM Ref: 57661
Count: 6

From the CWGC website:

Name: DREW, WILLIAM EDWARD
Initials: W E
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer (Obs.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
Age: 28
Date of Death: 13/04/1941
Service No: 45356
Additional information: Son of William and Mary Drew; husband of Edwardena Drew, of Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Memorial Panel.
Cemetery: INCHNADAMPH (OR KIRKTON) OLD CHURCHYARD

Name: EMERY, JACK
Initials: J
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Age: 20
Date of Death: 13/04/1941
Service No: 976995
Additional information: Son of Henry William and Nancy Emery; husband of Maureen Patricia Emery, of Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Memorial Panel.
Cemetery: INCHNADAMPH (OR KIRKTON) OLD CHURCHYARD

Name: KENNY, THOMAS BRENDON
Initials: T B
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flight Sergeant (W.Op.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
Age: 20
Date of Death: 13/04/1941
Service No: 551620
Additional information: Son of Thomas and Helen Kenny, of Barnsley, Yorkshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Memorial Panel.
Cemetery: INCHNADAMPH (OR KIRKTON) OLD CHURCHYARD

Name: MITCHELL, CHARLES MCPHERSON
Initials: C M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Obs U/T)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Age: 31
Date of Death: 13/04/1941
Service No: 992122
Additional information: Son of William and Mary Jane Mitchell; husband of Violet Helen Mitchell, of Aberdeen.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Memorial Panel.
Cemetery: INCHNADAMPH (OR KIRKTON) OLD CHURCHYARD

Name: STEYN, JAMES HENRY
Initials: J H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flying Officer (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
Age: 23
Date of Death: 13/04/1941
Service No: 42275
Awards: D F C
Additional information: Son of Henry George Arthur Steyn, and of Daisy Frances Ann Steyn (nee Cole), of Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Memorial Panel.
Cemetery: INCHNADAMPH (OR KIRKTON) OLD CHURCHYARD

Name: TOMPSETT, HAROLD ARTHUR
Initials: H A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Age: 20
Date of Death: 13/04/1941
Service No: 931417
Additional information: Son of Harold Spencer Tompsett and Annie Elizabeth Tompsett, of Croydon, Surrey; husband of Anabeth Eva Amelia Tompsett (nee Nipper).
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Memorial Panel.
Cemetery: INCHNADAMPH (OR KIRKTON) OLD CHURCHYARD

ADP

Adam Brown · Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2013 7:13 am Post subject:

The six airmen commemorated by the CWGC by this memorial now have a grave marker at the crash-site, which was airlifted in yesterday.

More details here:

http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=2924

Adam

Tony H · Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 6:50 am Post subject:

Further info

19 OTU Anson N9857 had departed RAF Kinloss for a night NAVEX (NAVigation EXercise) on 13/04/41

During the flight the aircraft encountered severe weather and the Port Engine failed

The aircraft lost height and flew into high ground 2300 ft AMSL, 3 miles SE of Inchnadamph with the loss of all six crew

Due to the remoteness of the location the crew were buried on site making this the highest war grave in the UK