THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE - The Sea Hawks and Chanctonbury

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

THE MYSTERIOUS SEA HAWKS AND CHANCTONBURY

(Later confirmed as 7th March 1957).

Published in the Findon News in June 2006

It was not until the Spring of 2006 that I heard about the Sea Hawks from Lossiemouth, and the tragedy over Chanctonbury Ring. Why had no one told me of this accident before? I felt quite peeved.

The local downland dips and rises to its highest point as it approaches Chanctonbury Ring....

29th March 2006

Dear Valerie,

Plane Crash

Not sure if you have got this one.

In the mid fifties 2 Sea Hawk jets were making their approach to Ford Naval Air Station from Lossiemouth. 600 miles and 10 to go.

Unfortunately the Downs were covered in sea mist - the young pilots would have been making their "finals" on instruments - the altimeter is no more than a pressure gauge - and has to be reset to local air pressure for an indication of height above sea level.

First aircraft hit the turf just south west of Chanctonbury Ring and disintegrated, the second bounced off and stayed flying. Subsequent landing must have been a bit dramatic.

Emergencies services cleaned the wreckage but it was some days before a "Queen Mary" retrieval lorry could be got to the site to get the bulk of it away.

Meanwhile of course the Findon lads had a field day - must be many bits in attics around the village. Constable Griffen could not be everywhere. Time for an amnesty?

Regards John

John C. Greves, Walton on Thames, Surrey.

The Sea Hawk was the first jet aircraft from the Hawker stable in 1953 and a very worthy successor to the various Second World War fighter designs such as the Hurricane, Tempest and Fury.

The Sea Hawk was very nearly stillborn. The aircraft was rescued at the eleventh hour by interest from the Royal Navy and is now remembered with some fondness by the aviators who flew this "friendly little jet".

The Fleet Air Arm was at nearby Ford — where these two unfortunate Sea Hawks over Chanctonbury Ring were heading.

I wondered exactly where the Sea Hawk came down and wrongly guessed it to be Buddington Bottom or the prehistoric track coming up from North End. All was soon to be revealed.

29th March 2006

Aircraft Crash Location

Valerie - be peeved no longer

Crash was on the left side of the track coming up from North End not far from the trig point say 400 yards short of the trees.

Very unlucky - 5 foot higher and they would have made it clear - until perhaps Church Hill!

A few yards to his left and Chanctonbury Ring would have needed replanting.

The open day at Ford was always a good show - used to cycle over - could be shot up in an ejector seat - and the things they managed to do with helicopters - aerial ballet it really was.

Regards John

John C. Greves, Walton on Thames, Surrey.

Does anyone remember this Hawker Sea Hawk accident..... I know many of you were living in this area at the time. I am still unable to find the exact date of the crash.

30th March 2006

Valerie

The crash may have been in August 1956.

My german penfriend was staying with us at that time and I vaguely remember hearing about a plane crashing near Chanctonbury ring.

We wandered up there one evening , got lost in a mist and found nothing.

Pam.

Pam Stepney, Findon Village, West Sussex.

31st March 2006

Sea Hawk

August 1956 would be the right time. I was in the Royal Navy doing my National Service, and was demobbed in September 1956.

I went to work on North Farm while waiting to join the Police, and I was shown the scar in the ground where the accident had happened.

I was familiar with the Sea Hawk because whilst in the Navy I served on HMS Bulwark which at that time was flying Sea Hawks.

I have a few photographs in the house somewhere and have been trying to find them, so far without success.

Toodle Pip!
Roger Moulds

Roger Moulds, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales.

John Linfield who now lives in Horsham, has said that as a boy he visited the crash site and still has a piece of the aircraft as a souvenir to this day.

In November 2007 I heard from Doug Attrell in Goring-by-Sea in West Sussex and he emailed....

"I'm intrigued by the story of the Sea Hawks at Chanctonbury as this is the first time I've heard about it. I

lived in Lancing during the 1950s - 60's & was a day pupil at Steyning Grammar School from 1953 - 59.

Of course, if it happened in August as suggested this would have been during the school holidays which could possibly explain that. Being a keen aviation enthusiast even in those days I attended all the local air shows, including the Open Days at RNAS Ford. Unfortunately I don't remember when these were held but most military air shows in those days tended to be on or near Battle of Britain Day in September.

It's not clear from the information you have whether the unfortunate pilot of the Sea Hawk that crashed at North Farm survived. I've searched the Web for anything related to Sea Hawk accidents anywhere in the South of England at that time-frame & drawn a complete blank. Knowing how thorough you are in researching these things I'm sure you know this already but I found a couple of useful websites. The first is a database of all Royal Navy fatalities from 1922 until the present day. http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1003-Intro.htm

There is nothing recorded for August 1956 which is the date mentioned by your other correspondents. The aircraft type is not listed but the Sea Hawk is a single-seater aircraft obviously with only one crew member. I can't find any incidents that meet the criteria.

The other site is a database of all known ejections, successful or not, listed by aircraft type. The entry for the Sea Hawk again comes up blank. http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/SeaHawk.htm

If the pilot survived without using his ejector seat I realise it won't be listed on either database but this makes me wonder if it involved a different type of aircraft. Various types were based at Lossiemouth at the time. I would very much like to solve this little mystery.

My very best regards, Doug Attrell, Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex".

JOHN GREVES IN WALTON ON THAMES REPLIED.... "Lots of lead battery plates scattered about - might still find some gridded fragments close to the track - GPS 50/53/45.13N by 0/23/21.11W - last field on the left next to the gates for traditional folk. Many pyrites nodules on that track - used to think they were meteorites".

JOHN GREVES ADDED A BIT LATER....."Sea Hawk ....... crashed a few yards to the left of the camera in your photo of RP's horses ...... close to the dewpond.

Just before Easter in 2008, I received an email clearing up the mystery of the crash from James T. Lyon in Canada....."19th March 2008....Hello: My own recollection backed by my log book would place it in early 1957 rather than 1956.

The pilot killed was Sub-Lieutenant Ian A Torrens-Burton, RN, whom I knew well. We were both student pilots on No 54 RN Pilots' Course. I attended his funeral at a little church (CofE) not far from the former RNAS Ford (Clymping? Clympton? something like that) towards Littlehampton.

I am not often in England nowadays, but when I do visit I go to his grave if I possibly can. His mother and father came to the funeral. I often think of them. They were devastated. with kind regards, James T Lyon, Canada".

From Roger Moulds in Llandrindon Wells on 20th March 2008....."I was interest to read Mr Lyon's writing about the Seahawk crash. It cleared up something that had bothered me, because I thought that there was only one aircraft involved.

The chap who pointed it out to me, (Les Virgo), only mentioned one plane, and if there had been two I am sure he would have said so. When I saw the site there was still a scar on the ground where the accident had occurred. However, I am sure it must have been 1956 because it was just after I started at North Farm after my National Service, which ended in September 1956. I still haven't found my seahawk picture yet. Roger"

From John Greves (ex-Findonian) on 20th March 2008..."Dear Valerie, The mystery deepens - thanks to James pilot's name has come to light - Roger's Heineken factor really works wonders.

click on image to enlarge

Ian Torrens-Burton does at last appear on the new Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire.

What sort of condition are the Local Newspaper Archives in?

Confirmed date - 7 March 57 - should make searching that much easier.

Flown Microlights down in Wales - if one flipping Phantom has just gone underneath - where is the other bast--d? - they always go in twos. Regards John Greves".

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