Crash of RAF Wellington at Dhadnah, Trucial States, 14 February 1943

While researching the aviation history of what is now the United Arab Emirates, Peter Hellyer and I investigated the crash of an RAF Wellington bomber in 1943 at Dhadnah, on the coastline of Fujairah (1). In a second paper (2) we recorded that, as a result of enquiries made through the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi, further information was obtained from the records branch of the Royal Air Force in Britain.

Wellington Mark 1C, serial HX748, was on the strength of the Aircraft Delivery Unit, No. 4 Ferry Control Unit, Middle East Command. On 13 February 1943, it landed at RAF Sharjah en route from England to India. The aircraft was refuelled and inspected. At 0900 (local time) on 14 February 1943, it took off and, after circling the aerodrome to gain height, set course over the mountains at 6,500 feet. Approximately 30 minutes later, when over the sea, the pilot noticed oil on the reduction gear casing of the port engine. This coupled with a visibility of only 2 miles made him decide to return to Sharjah. After about 7 minutes of the return journey, the port propeller flew off the engine. The pilot, losing height, was forced to land on the coast, with the result that the aircraft was badly damaged and the navigator killed.

The crashed plane was built at the Vickers' factory in Weybridge, south west of London, in early 1942 and was delivered to the RAF in mid-1942. It was perhaps being delivered to an operational squadron when it crashed, but this remains to be clarified.

The crew and a passenger were as follows: Sgt. G. Chadwick (pilot); Sgt. W.H. Donnelly (navigator); Sgt. G.A. Wharton (wireless operator); Sgt. W.J. Brown (wireless operator); Lt. Col. De Watteville (passenger).

Sgt. Donnelly was buried by the crew near the aircraft. Later, despite extensive searches, it was not possible to locate the grave and Sgt. Donnelly is commemorated on panel 270 of the Alamein Memorial.

According to the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi the crash was on a "rocky strip of coast" … "at Saih Dhadnah (25 degrees 33 minutes North 56 degrees 22 minutes East). This place was inaccessible by land or air and the Naval Authorities were asked to arrange for the rescue of the crew. On the morning of 17 February, an aircraft from No. 244 Squadron took off to view the scene of the crash and drop supplies. This aircraft reported that the Wellington was badly damaged but four members of the crew were apparently uninjured. On 22 February three members of the crew were landed at Sharjah, the fourth survivor, the passenger, remaining on board the Naval Vessel HMS Capetown in order to continue his journey to Karachi."

Also, it is said that villagers from Rul Dhadnah were soon on the scene. The local Sheikh promised to protect the wreckage.

Efforts began to identify the precise location of the crash site, and, if possible, of the grave of Sgt. Donnelly, who was the only known British and Commonwealth World War Two fatality buried in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2009 Sgt Donnelly’s great-niece, Lesley Botten, contacted me and Peter Hellyer asking if we could help locate the site. She also provided some family photographs of “Billy” and his original gravesite on or near the beach at Dhadnah (Figures 1,2). The grave appeared to be made from aircraft parts. The photograph was stamped on the back “RAF SHARJAH Ref 244 Squadron” and dated 18 March 1943, just over 4 weeks after the crash. The photograph also recorded the date and location of the accident.

The search for the present-day location of the crash from these coordinates was continued by Brien Holmes, Chairman of the Al Ain Chapter of the Emirates Natural History Group. After considerable effort he was able to find villagers at Rul Dhadnah who remembered the crash. Eventually there was consensus among those who had heard accounts of the incident and one eyewitness. As a result, the area of the crash was identified with some accuracy. It is known from various accounts that Billy was buried close to the crash site so the location of the original grave was determined with some accuracy. Regrettably, the grave was washed away, along with the graves of Rul Dhadnah residents several years after the crash.

In January 2010 local political and diplomatic officials arranged for Billy’s niece and great niece to travel to Rul Dhadnah and perform the unveiling of a memorial (Figure 3) to him (3).

Since then, a number of questions remain. The technical fault explaining the loss of the aircraft is now well documented. However, what happened after the crash is less clear. The crew must have realised that the Wellington would not be able to return to Sharjah, and were skilled enough to be able to force land soon after crossing the Fujairah coast. The landing must not have been too harsh, as three crew members and the passenger survived. But why, then, did Billy die? He was the navigator, and if he was in his seat he should have been reasonably well protected by the wing and its main spar. Drawings from "The Aeroplane" of 1939 show the crew positions (Figure 4), and the very tough geodetic structure of the Wellington, of which the IC was one of the commonest of the Wellington Marks (nearly 3000 built). It was said that Billy might have been in the co-pilot's seat. This is unlikely, as there was not one. The Wellington IC had one pilot, just to the left of the rather narrow cockpit. The navigator sat behind the wireless operator, over the bomb bay and protected from a crash by the wings below (Figure 4). In any case why would he have moved from his crew position knowing they were about to crash sooner or later?

Further why was Billy buried on the spot, rather than being returned to Sharjah?

And why was the wreckage taken back to Sharjah, when we are told that the overland journey was difficult, if not impossible. How was it transported?

Also, what was the mission of this aircraft? Was it simply being delivered, as a new aircraft, to an operational unit? Why was the passenger, Lt. Col. De Watteville aboard, and what was his mission? He was, it seems, rescued by the Royal Navy, remaining on board the cruiser HMS Capetown in order to continue his journey to Karachi. The three surviving members of the crew were landed at Sharjah.

References

(1) Hellyer, P and Garey, L (2004). World War Two Plane Crashes in the UAE. Tribulus 14.1: 9-11

(2) Hellyer, P and Garey, L (2006). The RAF Wellington Crash at Dhadnah. Tribulus 15.2: 27

(3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/edinburghandeastscotland/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8504000/8504642.stm