HAMILCAR
  • Landing page
  • 'C' Squadron Pilots
    • Major F C Aston
  • The Aircraft
    • Hamilcar Details >
      • Wot! No engines?
      • The Loads >
        • 17 Pounder AT gun
        • The Tetrach Tank
  • 'C' Squadron
    • The Base - Tarrant Rushton >
      • Prangs!
  • The Logbook
    • LOG 1942
    • LOG 1943
    • LOG 1944
    • LOG 1945
    • LOG 1946
  • Operations
    • Normandy Landings
    • Arnhem
    • Rhine Crossing
  • 298 & 644 Sdns RAF
    • 298 Squadron >
      • The Aircrew >
        • Buster Briggs
        • Wing Commander Robert Seymour. AFC.
    • 644 Squadron
  • Reading
  • The Gallery
    • Gallery: Airborne
    • Gallery: Recovery
    • Gallery: Drawings & Cartoons
    • Gallery: On the deck
  • Related Links
  • Contact

Prangs at Tarrant Rushton

'C' Squadron were breaking new ground at Tarrant Rushton. Such an aircraft as the Hamilcar carrying such loads had never been dreamed of before. It would have been a miracle if there were no mishaps in training and readying for combat; Tarrant Rushton saw its share.  Below are detailed the incidents we have uncovered to date and where the gliders were damaged beyond repair (DBR).

There were plenty of other 'incidents'. For example, on 24 January 1944, Hamilcar LA 633 was force landed, but it collected, repaired and we know it was flying again on 14 May that year.
Date
Aircraft
Incident
17 Dec 43
Horsa
Over ran landing and crashed.
20 Jan 44
HH961  Hamilcar
​Over shot and hit  Nissen hut during EXERCISE MANITOBA
21 Jan 44
DR858   Hamilcar 
Damaged Beyond Repair by tank leaving glider 
01 March 44
LA647 Hamilcar
1HGSU  tug lost power - cut loose & fell into sunken lane  nr Blandford
15 March 44
Horsa
Crashed into Nissen Hut landing
16 March 44
Horsa
Forced landing nr Westbury
17 April 44
NX874 Hamilcar
1HGSU  Tug burst tyre on take-off . Hamilcar cut loose & hit Halifax NA115
​19 April 44
DR859  Hamilcar
Under shot &  hit power cables
​23 April 44
LA648 Hamilcar
Over shot & hit tree
25 April 44
LA649  Hamilcar
1HGSU   Under shot  hit tree
26 April 44
LA643 Hamilcar
1HGSU   Flaps jammed, during heavy landing
13 May 44
LH520 Horsa
Over shot landing  & hit a Halifax("QQ"). 1 killed
22 May 44
Hamilcar
Over ran landing, under carriage collapsed
25 May 44
HH972 Hamilcar
Under shot and hit obstruction
27 May 44
LL346 /E Halifax V 
644Sq   Took off towing a Hamilcar glider, failed to gain height, abandoned glider  and crashed in Ashley Wood, Tarrant Keyneston
27 May 44
LA634 Hamilcar
1HGSU   Forced landing  1 mile west of Tarrant Rushton  after  tug cast off  
30 May 44
Horsa
Crashed at Moor Critchell on  training flight ​from Tarrant Rushton
​30 May 44
Horsa
Crashed at Shapwick on  training flight
30 May 44
Horsa
Crashed at Spettisbury  on  training flight from Tarrant Rushton
18 June 44
Horsa
Crashed  at  end of RW01 Tarrant Rushton.
26 July 44
​RJ262 Horsa
Overshot landing Tarrant Rushton and hit Halifax"AG" 298SQ.
13 Nov 44
HH966 Hamilcar
1HGMU   tow broke and crash landed   nr Spettisbury
18 Jan 45
LA683 Hamilcar
1HGSU   DBR in gale Tarrant Rushton
18 Jan 45​
LA727 Hamilcar
​1HGSU   DBR in gale Tarrant Rushton
18 Jan 45
​LA684 Hamilcar
1HGSU   DBR in gale Tarrant Rushton
18 Jan 45
LA713 Hamilcar
1HGSU   DBR in gale Tarrant Rushton
18 Jan 45
HH968 Hamilcar
1HGSU   DBR in gale Tarrant Rushton
11 February 45
LA737 Hamilcar
Tow broke-hit trees. Force landed 2 miles West of  Tarrant Rushton
04 March 44
LA635 Hamilcar
1HGSU   Under shot and hit LA708 & LA736 
09 March 1945
LA646 ​Hamilcar
Under shot landing 
05 April 44
LA742 ​Hamilcar
1HGSU Under shot &  crashed in woods 
10 April 45
NX824 ​Hamilcar
1HGSU   Under shot  & crashed
11 April 45
RR924 ​Hamilcar
1HGSU   Stalled on approach 
12 April 45
NX838 Hamilcar
Tyre burst on take off - cast off and overturned 1 Mile West  of Tarrant Rushton
Back to 'The Base'
​Home
Landing page
hamilcarheavy@gmail.com
We will forge the regiment as a weapon of attack…Not only will we be trained as pilots, but in all we do…I shall be quite ruthless…only the best will be tolerated.
Lieutenant Colonel George Chatterton. October 1942