Memories of RAF Cranfield

I would like to thank Wynne Evans for his help and enthusiasm in recreating the events of that fateful day in May of 1943. The majority of my info collection on the history of RAF Cranfield comes from stories like this one and Sgt Pilot Evan's story should remind us that the short cut across the Airport at Merchants Lane, which was closed in the eighties, should always stay closed...

On the 22nd of May 1943 twenty year old Sgt Pilot Wynne Evans taxied his Beaufighter to the threshold of runway 22/04. It was mid morning and good flying weather for this, his first solo in the twin engined night fighter. Wynne was no stranger to twin engined aircraft. After initial flight training in Tiger Moths he was sent to Canada in early February 1942 where he trained on Oxfords and Blenheims. Returning to the UK on the Queen Elizabeth in March of 1943 he spent a short time at Grantham before joining 51 OTU at Cranfield.

This was May 16th and he hardly had time to settle in before he was airborne and standing behind the instructor on a familiarisation flight in a Bristol Beaufighter. But, back to the story ... Turning the aircraft into wind Sgt/Pilot Evans ran the engines up and went through the pre take off checks. Everything showing satisfactory, he shut down and taxied to the runway holding point to wait for the take off clearance.

Wynne was confident, for he was no stranger to twin engined aircraft and this was to be a one circuit only sortie to allow him to get the feel of the aircraft. Throttles opened, the Beaufighter accelerated to take off speed and climbed effortlessly away under the power of the two 1670hp Bristol Hercules engines. Turning left into circuit, sgt pilot Evans scanned the instruments and levelled out to circuit height. Turning again left on the downwind leg, Wynne selected undercarriage down for a left base leg to finals, only to discover that the wheels were not locked down. A quick check of pressures confirmed a problem and he began pumping the legs down by hand - not an easy job on a first solo - and meantime, extending his circuit out toward Bedford to give him more time. Finally, the wheels were locked down and he turned onto a long final to land on 22 only to find that the flaps would not extend more than about 15 degrees, rather than the required 60 or 70 for normal landing position (for those readers not familiar with flaps they are a sort of addition to make the aircraft more stable at low speed and hence, more manageable). After a bit more pumping and fiddling, Wynne quickly weighed up the odds and accepted that the landing would have to be at a much higher speed than normal.

Crossing the threshold of runway 22 at well over one hundred mph and closing his throttles, Wynne spotted what he thought was someone on the runway. It was in fact two people on bicycles at the point where the Merchant Lane had crossed. Wynne's training kicked in again and he glanced briefly at his speed before attempting to lift over the cyclists. Unfortunately for one of the cyclists, the airspeed had decayed too much and Wynne felt a bump as something went through a propellor and, quickly opening the throttles, just managed to stop the aircraft from stalling and endangering his own life. The Beaufighter's airspeed went up fairly quickly and, climbing away from Cranfield, Wynne called the control tower to say he thought he had hit someone on the runway only to be told - "Yes, you have. Stay close to the circuit we are sending another aircraft up to have a look for any damage".

Wynne put the Beaufighter into a gentle turn and held his position until he was joined by another machine. Flying alongside Wynne's aircraft, the pilot of the second Beaufighter reported that during the collision and climb out he had lost the tail wheel and for him to make a landing on the runway was not a good idea. He was to land on the grass area, holding the tail high for as long as he could. Wynne turned onto finals for the grass area alongside the runway and touched down as gently as he could. The next few moments must have been the the longest in his life but, once again, the training kicked in and he held the tail of his aircraft off the ground until the last possible moment. By the time his speed was slow enough to lose the lift on the tail his aircraft was safely down and merely slewed gently to a stop. By the time he had unstrapped two "blood-wagons" had pulled alongside. His landing was hailed as copybook stuff though the unfortunate airman trying to cross the runway was killed instantly and this had a marked effect on Wynne's flying.

As was the custom, he was sent solo again the very next day in another Beaufighter and was progressing through the training course well - apart from his landings. After the accident his landings were decidedly dodgy and no doubt attributed to the trauma he felt after what had happened. He was rested from training and spent part of that time moving single engine fighters (Hurricanes and Spitfires) about the airfield for maintenance and specialist modifications. It wasn't to last. Wynne was soon flying again and this time it was operational with 32 Squadron in Greece where he flew Spitfires. On one occasion, when pulling up from straffing the retreating enemy, he noticed his Spitfire was burning and put down in a field. Contacted by the local resistance fighters he was well received, fed and had to travel to the nearest British outpost on a donkey. Wynne Evans went on to serve in the Middle East and finally left the RAF in 1946 as a Warrant Officer.