Thomas Evans of Llandeilo's fatal Cottam crash

Thomas Benjamin Oswyn Evans, known as Tommy, lost his life after his maiden test flight in an English Electric Canberra plane crashed on March 25, 1952.

Mr Evans was born on September 16, 1922, in Llandeilo and attended Llandovery College between 1934 and 1938. While at the college, he was a cadet in the school’s Junior Officer Training Corps.

On January 10, 1941, he enlisted into the RAF as an Aircraftsman (AC/2) and was recommended for training as aircrew.

He headed to Blackpool and during his training, visited Aldergrove in Northern Ireland, Dyce in Aberdeen, Stratford on Avon and Scarborough.

On July 30, 1941, he began training at Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Sealand near Chester before moving to the No9 Service Flying Training School at Hullavington and to No12 Service Flying Training School near Grantham.

In February the following year, he was given his ‘Wings’ and in May 1942, he was posted to India with 79 Squadron where he flew Hurricanes out of Ramu airfield in western Burma.

On March 17, 1943, his Hurricane crashed before take-off after it “ran off taxy track, hit brick wall.” The undercarriage collapsed and the propellor damaged.

Mr Evans was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in July 1944, before being promoted to Acting Flight Lieutenant in early 1945.

He returned to the UK by November 1946 and joined the 226 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, where he flew the de Havilland Vampire and Gloster Meteor.

He moved to the Central Fighter Establishment at West Raynham in Norfolk just two years later where they were developing tactics on early jet aircrafts.

He joined English Electric in November 1950. Mr Evans flew for the first time from Samlesbury, in a Vampire, on November 17, 1950, and he made 350 flights in Vampires, including the last flight of the Vampire contract on February 13, 1952.

His first flight in a Canberra was on May 6, 1951, and he demonstrated the aircraft at that year’s Farnborough Air Show.

Mr Evans was an experienced pilot, with 2,479 flying hours at the time of the crash. This included 57 hours on Canberras.

On the morning of March 25, 1952, 29-year-old Mr Evans was due to be joined by flight test observer Thomas Burnell, but he had to withdraw at the last moment due to what is believed to be issues with his safety equipment.

Mr Evans spoke with English Electric’s E P Beamont and exchanged pleasantries with John Bell, the fitter who strapped him into the Canberra B2 which had the RAF serial WD991.

He took off just before 11.45am heading towards the east and was then seen turning northwards.

Not even five minutes into the flight, the plane – which witnesses said was flying at around 1,000 feet and 400kts – entered a steep dive before crashing into the ground in Cottam, leaving a large crater and scattering debris up to 600 yards.

MORE NEWS:

• Cost of living crisis: 'Indefensible' to let ex-miners struggle on low pensions 
• New service to help Ammanford residents who are struggling

Mr Evans was identified by a ring he was wearing and was initially buried in an unmarked grave in Lytham St Annes Park Cemetery.

According to the Blackpool Gazette, the coffin was draped with the Union Flag and a wreath in the form of a Canberra twin-jet bomber was laid.

Several people witnessed the crash including Paul Lewis who was a pupil at Fulwood and Cadley County Primary School at the time.

He said: “This one flew very low over the school, much lower than normal, so we all, together with our teacher, rushed to the window to look.

“We saw the aircraft dive and go out of sight. There followed a thud, not a loud bang, after which a cloud of dark smoke rose into the air.”

John Hodgson said: “I noticed a trail of smoke coming from the plane which seemed to lose height then straighten out again, then suddenly dive earthwards like a bullet, and immediately on hitting the ground it exploded and burst into flames.”

The inquest recorded an open verdict as there was not enough evidence to determine the cause of the crash.

An investigation identified some possible causes including a finding small spanner in the wreckage which could have jammed the flying controls and smoke in the cockpit.

There was also a known fault with the Canberra planes during the early years of service which was a tailplane trim runaway that pitched the nose down suddenly.

Years later, Mr Evans’ son Bryan – who lives in Australia and never knew his father - would investigate his father’s life and death.

Bryan visited the UK in 1992 and visited the crash site and his father’s grave.

Bryan was unhappy with the fact his father’s grave was unmarked and had a gravestone made with the names of Mr Evans’ children James, himself, Jane, Shirley and Roger.

He told the South Wales Guardian: “I was disappointed when I found my father’s unmarked grave in the Lytham St Anne’s cemetery.

“He served his country with distinction during the war and died serving his country testing a military aircraft.

“Military brass and government representatives were present at his funeral and yet his grave was unmarked.”

Mr Evans also has doubts about the official description of the crash as recorded above.

On his search to find out more about his father, he met a man who was working in a field adjacent to the crash who provided a different angle, with the plane flying low and clipping the roof of the cottage rather than the nose-dive stated in the official documents.

A road in the area was renamed Canberra Lane as a commemoration to the crash and six memorial stones at each end of a footpath at the side of Cottam Lane also commemorate Mr Evans’ crash and death.