1960 Gloster Meteor Incident Witnessed By Pupils at the Front of Allhallows

   OH Dudley Hopkins (1959 - 1964) recently recounted an experience involving a plane incident "while I and others were assembling in our platoon on corps day in the forecourt of the school."

   Further details emerged from Dudley. He shared that it was a Meteor T7 from Boscombe Down, the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment research facility, on November 11, 1960—a Friday, which coincided with their CCF/corps day.

   This revelation sparked a captivating morning of investigation at the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection. The aircraft in question was identified as a Meteor T7 with registration number WF766, piloted by Flight Lieutenant John Stewart Duncan AFC. The official record states:

   "Seventeen minutes after take-off, the aircraft disintegrated in flight over Axminster, Devon, tragically claiming the life of the pilot. Wreckage scattered over an area three miles North West of Lyme Regis, Dorset."

   You can see the full incident report here.

Our journey of inquiry continues as we seek to locate the memorial for this incident. We hope the full write-up will be in the next OH Magazine.

Please note the Meteor pictured is the much later T14 but is used as a guide for the type of aircraft involved.