John Mansfield
Tuesday 23 July 1935 – Western Daily Press
Plane Dives Into The Sea – Bristol Channel Disaster.
Young Clutton Pilot and Two Passengers Perish – Outward Bound from Whitchurch
The pilot and two passengers were drowned when an eight-seater western airways, ltd., plane flying from Bristol to Cardiff, last night, crashed into the sea near Rumney, about two miles from the Welsh coast. The victims were Mr J. G. Mansfield (28), son of the rector of Clutton, the pilot ; Mr R. C. Edbrooke (34), of Sidcup, Kent; and Mr H. S. Percival, of London. The bodies of the passengers have been recovered and efforts will be made to extricate Mansfield from the wreckage, which is on a mudbank, early this morning.
The Bristol Channel disaster is the eighth aeroplane accident which has occurred during the past fortnight. An eight-seater passenger plane, belonging to Western Airways, Ltd., came down in the sea near Cardiff last night. The pilot and two passengers lost their lives.
The plane was flying from Bristol Airport to Cardiff, and the crash occurred in the Bristol Channel, near Rumney, about two miles from Cardiff. Farm labourers who were haymaking stated that they saw a plane, well over the Channel make a sudden dive into the sea, and a message was sent to Cardiff Airport. According to one report the plane went into tail spin when flying at a normal height and crashed.
Mansfield, of Clutton, near Bristol and the two passengers, Mr H. S. Percival and Mr R. Elbrooke, were both on their way to Swansea were killed outright. The machine did not catch fire.
Mr Crooke and Mr Percival had been staying at the Greyhound Hotel, Bristol, on Sunday.
Capt. W. R. Bailey set out in a plane, and motor-boats also went to the assistance. It appears that the machine actually crashed on a mudbank and that when Capt. Bailey set out from Cardiff Airport he could not find a landing place and hovered overhead for some time while the tide advanced towards the machine. Messages were sent to the land, but when machine was submerged and completely wrecked. They managed to reach the two passengers but the fast incoming tide prevented them from getting to the pilot.
The cause of the accident is unknown and no one, is able to throw any light on the accident which occurred at one of the most deserted spots on the coast between Newport and Cardiff.
Captain Bailey told a Press and Mirror reporter that when he reached the foreshore where the plane had crashed there was no sign of life and the machine was drifting with the incoming tide. Motor-boats were rushed to the spot and after a time we managed to get the bodies of the two passengers but we could not get at the pilot who was apparently strapped in the cockpit. The passengers' bodies were brought inshore to Cardiff pier head, and artificial respiration was attempted, but without success. Efforts to recover the pilot's body will be made at 5 o'clock this morning, at low water.
Eye-witnesses of the crash gave graphic stories to Press and Mirror reporters. Mr Norman Macdonald and Mr A. John, of Cardiff, were both about a mile and a half from the machine when it crashed. They, as also was Mr Thomas Mugford, a fisherman. who witnessed the plane's death dive, were under the impression that it was stunting.
Mr Kenneth Davies, a director of Western Airways, told a Press and Mirror reporter
It was eight-seater two engined plane. We are running six services a day between Cardiff and Bristol and this was the last trip from Bristol to Cardiff leaving Bristol at 7.50 p.m. It was just arriving here at 8:5 and suddenly dived into the sea. We have no
idea of the cause. Mansfield was a first rate pilot. He had been down to Southampton previously to-day and had flown on this service to-day.The machine had been flown twice on the service today. We have been running this service for three years next month without a single accident.
Mr R. C. Edbrooke was the son Mr W. Hedley Edbrooke, of Oak Tree Lodge, Sidcup. Kent.
His brother, who was told the tragic news by a police officer last night, said to a Press and Mirror reporter. My brother, who was 34 and a single man. was on a business trip with Mr Percival, his partner. Mr Percival, who is a London man was married and has two young children. I don't know how the news has been broken. to his wife. Either my father or I are going West to-morrow.
The dead pilot, Mr John Graysbrook Mansfield. was about 28 years of age and the elder son of the rector of Clutton, Somerset, the Rev. J. G. Mansfield. Mrs Mansfield, his mother is on holiday. She left home on Friday for a week's tour in Scotland.
Mr F. Blacker, a monumental sculptor, of Clutton, told a Press and Mirror reporter last night that Mansfield was very well known in the district. He was a splendid lad," said Mr Blacker, and this will be a great shock to all his friends.
Mr Mansfield's engagement to a Bath girl was announced in January 26, but it was
broken off about five weeks ago.
He had a car which he used-to drive from his father’s house, where he lived, to and
from Bristol Airport.
There is tragic irony in the fact that only on Saturday he made arrangements with Mr Norman Edgar, managing director of Western Airways, to hold an aeroplane competition at a Boy Scouts' Jamboree which his younger brother, Mr Charles Mansfield, had arranged at Clutton.
A Western Airways plane flew over the jamboree ground and children were asked to judge its height, when something was dropped from it.
For a time Mansfield went to Monkton Combe School, near Bath.
Friday 6 September 1935 – Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer
Clutton Air Crash Open Verdict – Former Bath Man a Victim – Clutton Rector’s Son
Evidence that the whole of the control mechanism Of Western Airways machine, on to a mudbank near the Cardiff foreshore Of the Bristol Channel on July 22nd, was intact and from defects was given at the inquest at Cardiff on Monday on the three victims of the crash.
Major S. J. V. Fill, to the Air Ministry Of Accidents, who gave this evidence, said that the damage was consistent with the machine having dived into the mud at an angle of about 45
degrees while banking or turning to the right.
The jury returned an open verdict.
Those killed in the crash were John Grazebrook Mansfield (27) , son of the Rector Clutton (the Rev. J. Mansfield), the pilot, and two passengers, Roland Cecil Edbrooke (34), an agricultural specialist, of Oak Tree Lodge Sidcup, Kent, and Harold SpencerP ercival (42), a company director, of Myddleton Park, Whetstone. Prior to becoming an airman, the pilot was on the staff of Bath bank. He was well-known in Bath and North Somerset.
It stated at the last hearing that the machine suddenly crashed when it was almost over the landing ground Cardiff airport. It was also stated passengers, leaving Bristol, had asked the pilot to loop the loop on the way so that could get thrill, but were told the machine was not suitable for any stunts.
Major J. P. C. Cooper, the Air Ministry's Inspector of Accidents, said the type of machine concerned was precluded by the regulations from attempting any evolution which lead to abrupt variation of altitude. A manoeuvre which caused a complete stall-turn would be a direct breach of the regulations, but semi-stall-turn would not be breach. He added thot type of machine should be used only for straightforward flying. Major Cooper said, If it is helpful, I will say I am of the opinion that the only possible conclusion I can arrive at is that the pilot executed a manoeuvre which caused the aircraft to stall and fall into a spin at a height which was insufficient to enable him to effect complete recovery from the ensuing dive. He explained later, I want to make it quite clear that I do not think for one minute that the pilot intentionally stalled but that he executed a manoeuvre deliberately which caused a spin.
Replying to a juror, Major Cooper said that the accident might be attributed to an error of judgment on the part the pilot.
The Coroner (Mr. Gerald Tudor) said that all the evidence pointed to the fact that the crash was not accidental, and the main issue was whether the manoeuvre which caused the crash was due to an error of judgment or negligence by the pilot.
Charles Mansfield
Information from Pete Trueman
I have just published a transcription of St Cuthbert's Church's WW2 roll of honour on the Wells & Mendip Museum's website and it includes Charles. I guess because his father was a friend of Rev Cook at St Cuthbert's.
It says that Charles was a Captain in the Somerset Light Infantry, that he joined up on the 9th June 1939, and that he was "Attached Nigeria Regiment → India; discharged October 1945".