On the afternoon of January 1st 1945, Mosquito FB.VI #PZ340, ‘HB-Z’ took off from RAF West Raynham, according to the Operational Record Book it was assigned to a “high level bomber support” sortie over Heligoland, unusual as these Mosquitoes were not pressurised models. The pilot, F/O Ian George Walker (s/n: 156104) and navigator/wireless operator F/O. Joseph Ridley Watkins (s/n: 152875), had only just been brought together, F/O Watkins, from Wanstead in Essex, normally being based with 141 Squadron, but on attachment to 239 Squadron, when the flight took place.
On return, from the mission, the aircraft crashed near to Narford Hall, an Eighteenth Century stately home located a short distance to the north-east of RAF Marham in Norfolk. Whilst not confirmed, it is thought the crash was caused by an instrument failure, a crash that resulted in both airmen being killed.
Following the accident, F/O. Walker was returned to his home town and was buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery in Dumfries. F/O Watkins however, was buried locally, in nearby St. Andrew’s Church, Little Massingham not far from RAF Great Massingham. Both airmen were only 21 years of age.
The Mosquito, a Hatfield manufactured aircraft, was produced under contract 555/C.23(a), and was an aircraft designed for ‘intruder’ strike missions, it was the most commonly used variant of all Mosquitoes. 239 Squadron was in the process of replacing these examples with the MK. XXX before its disbandment on July 1st 1945.
F/O Watkins died on January 1st 1945 after the Mosquito he was in crashed near to RAF Marham, Norfolk. He rests in St. Andrew’s Church yard, Little Massingham.
Aviation Trails 
What a tragic New Year for those guys especially as it seems like it could have been their first mission together. So many sad stories like this that need to be respectably remembered.
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Indeed they do Jonno.
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So many young men were to die in 1945, whether shot down by flak in the last bombing missions of the war, or killed by the Nazi fanatics who fought on, defending the Reich against the inevitable. And of course, twenty one is no age to die. No age at all.
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21 certainly was far too young an age to die John., and these two were merely a drop in the pond of the overall losses of young men in 1945.
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Poignant start to the New Year, then and now.
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Indeed Mitch!
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It’s very good to see something on Mosquitoes, albeit the story of a tragic accident.They were such flimsy aircraft it must have been very difficult to survive a crash.
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Indeed it must have been Jennie. It would be interesting to see the survival rate compared to other aircraft of a similar size.
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