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Jewett, James Steven (Flight Sergeant)

Killed in Action 1942-September-04

Birth Date: 1921 (age 21)

Home: Montreal, Quebec

Service
RCAF
Unit
144 Sqn- Squadron
Rank
Flight Sergeant
Marshal
Air Chief MarshalA/C/M
Air MarshalA/M
Air Vice MarshalA/V/M
Air CommodoreA/C
Group CaptainG/C
Wing CommanderW/C
Squadron LeaderS/L
Flight LieutenantF/L
Flying OfficerF/O
Pilot OfficerP/O
Warrant Officer 1st ClassWO1
Warrant Officer 2nd ClassWO2
Flight SergeantFS
SergeantSGT
CorporalCPL
Senior AircraftmanSAC
Leading AircraftmanLAC
Aircraftman 1st ClassAC1
Aircraftman 2nd ClassAC2
Position
Wireless Air Gunner
Service Numbers
R/56296
Prev: R/56396
144 Squadron (Who Shall Stop Us) Hampden TBI AE 436 PL-J suffered an overheated engine enroute to Murmansk in northern Russia from the Shetland Islands. The aircraft flew into high ground on a remote mountain in far Northern Sweden along the Norwegian/Swedish border, crashed and burned on a rocky plateau just below the west side of the 6,076 foot peak on Tsatsa Mountain. FS JS Jewett (RCAF), FS JP Campbell (RCAF) and Flying Officer WH Bowler (RCAF) were killed. The aircraft and bodies were not found until August 15, 1976. Pilot Officer D Evans (RAF) and Cpl BJ Sowerby (RAF) survived the crash and fire, then managed to walk 20 miles through the mountains to safety in extreme conditions, taking 3 days (RC Nesbit) 144 Sqn. was being re-deployed to Russia to provide protection to convoys after the losses of convoy PQ-17 and ran into bad weather. To disguise the violation of Swedish neutrality Pilot Officer Evans and Cpl Sowerby claimed to be evaders from an aircraft shot down in Norway. The wreckage of the aircraft and the remains of the crew remained undiscovered until found by hikers in August 1976. The wreckage has since been recovered and is being restored for display in a museum in England. See www.forcedlandingcollection.se/RAFe/RAF024-AE436.html for the story of it's discovery. Addendum: The wreckage of AE436 lay on the mountainside where it crashed until rediscovered in 1976 by the VĂ€sternorrland Historical Society. Following a funeral for the three deceased crew members at Kviberg Cemetery Göteborg, the wreckage was salvaged by the Swedish Air Force and returned to the United Kingdom. Initially the crated remains were stored at RAF Henlow until discovered in June 1987 by the late Brian Nicholls, a serving member of the Royal Air Force who was looking for a suitable restoration project. Having discounted restorations of "˜extinct' types such as the Whitley and Stirling as unfeasible, Brian settled on bringing a Hampden back to life. The crated remains of AE436 were delivered to RAF Coningsby where the contents were examined, prior to the project making the short journey to East Kirkby where restoration started in earnest during 1989. As a veteran of Bomber Command operations, having taken part in the first 1000 bomber raid against Cologne on 30th/31st May 1942, a restored AE436 will be a more than suitable hangarmate for East Kirkby's iconic Lancaster. (aviation-safety.net)

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Home
Google MapMontreal, Quebec
Burial
Google MapRunnymede Memorial Surrey
2 C 1a

Hampden AE436

Handley Page Hampden

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Handley Page Hampden (Serial No. P5428), of No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia, in the torpedo-bomber training role between May 1942 and February 1944.

Handley Page developed a modern stressed-skin mid-wing monoplane, powered by Bristol Pegasus radial air cooled engines, with its first flight in 1936. It had the most advanced wings available at the time, giving it a remarkably low landing speed of 73 mph for an aircraft of its size, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Hampden had a short, narrow but tall main fuselage with a very slender tail unit. This configuration led to the nicknames "Flying Panhandle" and "Flying Suitcase". At the end of the war, no complete or partial Hampden aircraft were retained for museum display.

The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne. In Canada, Hampdens were built by six companies that formed Associated Aircraft. There were three in Ontario and three in Quebec, hence they were identified as the Ontario Group and Quebec Group. They supplied all the the components to the two assembly plants. The Ontario Group's assembly plant was at the Malton Airport, while the Quebec group's assembly plant was at the St. Hubert Airport. Canadian Museum of Flight and Harold A Skaarup web page

YouTube Handley Page Hampden in Flight

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Hampden Bomber

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Kestrek Publications Hampden - Kestrel Publications

last update: 2022-01-13 21:37:22

Hampden I AE436

Built by English Electric Preston works, part of the seventh production batch TOC 17 Oct 41; To 44 MU, then to 408 Sqn RCAF, RAF Syerston. Suffered undershoot and undercarriage collapse on 15 Nov 41.To 13 MU 20 Novand repaired by 21 Feb 1942. To 44 MU 8 Mar and returned to English Electric for TB.I modifications 8 Apr. Delivered to 144 Sqn at Sumburgh 2 May 42; Reported as missing 5 Sep 42 on a transit mission from Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands to Afrikaner, a Russian airfield located near to the Finnish border. SOC 24 Sep 42.

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