Fighter Plane in Night Crash
Title
Fighter Plane in Night Crash
Pilot Officer Stewart Olding
Description
Newspaper clipping reporting the death of Pilot Officer Olding in an aircraft crash.
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One newspaper clipping
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This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
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Identifier
NGearyPC171012-05
Transcription
[partial black and white photograph of Pilot Officer H. Stewart Olding]
Fighter Plane In Night Crash
During Defence Exercises
We deeply regret to announce that Pilot-Officer Harold Stewart Olding, only son of Mr. Harold J. Olding, of 218 Wellington Road, Enfield, lost his life in an R.A.F. crash in the very early morning of Friday last.
Stewart, who was only 19 years of age, was piloting a single-seater fighter ‘plane in connection with the Home Defence night exercises, the fatal crash occurring soon after midnight at Tatsfield, near Biggin Hill, Kent.
The telegram conveying the sad news was received in Enfield a few hours after the crash, to be followed by a message of sympathy from Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air.
In a letter addressed to the father of the young pilot, Squadron-Leader T. B. Prickman, 32 Squadron, stationed at Biggin Hill wrote:
“Your son was a very popular and promising young officer and his loss is very deeply regretted by all ranks of the Squadron.”
At that time it was not possible to state definitely the cause of the accident but it appeared that engine trouble developed soon after the plane had taken off, causing a crash into the ground in the dark.
Death was instantaneous.
Stewart Olding, who would have been 20 on November 6th next, was born in Fulham and educated at Sir Walter St. John’s School, Battersea, and at Ponders End Technical Institute, where his splendid enthusiasm for flying was known to, and appreciated by, his many friends.
The family came to Enfield rather more than five years ago, Stewart joining the young men’s Bible class at Cecil Hall, where his father is a valued and highly esteemed worker.
The young man’s passion for aeronautics blossomed when he was a quite small boy.
While at Ponders End Technical Institute he was vice-editor of the school magazine and wrote several short stories – all relating to flying.
His aim and intention were to join the R.A.F., and Stewart learned to fly at Broxbourne.
While he waited for the time to pass till he was 18, and able to join the Air Force, the young man was engaged for periods at Chaseside Motor Works and the Ruberoid Company.
ACHIEVEMENT.
On March 7th last year he joined the R.A.F. and was sent to the training school at Hamble, Southampton, from which, some months ago, he was gazetted pilot-officer, his ambition realised.
We find that he was with the Chaseside Motor Co. exactly two years, always keen and very popular.
Mr. W. S. Blundell, works manager, has told the “Gazette” that Stewart – an especially well-built and genial young man – made splendid progress as an apprentice in motor engineering.
Whenever Mr. Blundell discussed his work with him he found Stewart eager to talk about his goal.
In this way sympathetic understanding arose and was maintained, so that when the young man left to further his aim he took with him the works manager’s good wishes for his success.
Mr. Blundell was grieved to hear of the tragedy that has ended so promising a career.
INQUEST PROCEEDINGS
The inquest held at the R.A.F. Aerodrome, Biggin Hill, on Monday concerned the deaths of two officers, one Stewart Olding the other Flying-Officer Arthur Robin Buchanan-Wollaston, who crashed at Tatsfield and Lusted Hall Farm respectively, and a verdict of Accidental Death was returned.
Evidence showed that while on patrol duty during the hours of the black-out, Pilot-Officer Olding banked steeply when above Tatsfield and eye-witnesses spoke of a blinding flash and then of an intense flare when the machine struck the ground.
There was a diversity of opinion among the R.A.F. witnesses as to whether this flare had been caused by a magnesium landing light sent up by the pilot before his descent, or whether it had been ignited after the plane had crashed. No decision was reached.
Flying-Officer Wollaston had been sent out in search of his colleague and was to have burned magnesium flares if successful in his quest.
Tragically he also fell to his death.
THE FUNERAL
With full and impressive Service honours the funerals of the young officers took place at Cudham Church, near Biggin Hill, on Tuesday morning, the service being conducted by the Rev. W. Hope Gill, of Worthing.
The coffins were borne on an aeroplane trailer – the Air Force equivalent to an Army gun carriage – and airmen walked in sorrowful procession on each side.
A volley was fired over the graves and fellow-officers saluted their lost friends.
Distinguished members of the R.A.F. personnel – National and County – were there, together with the Mayor and Town Clerk of Rochester, whose interest in Squadron 32 has long been appreciated.
The very many beautiful floral tributes included those from the Mayor, Corporation and chief officials of Rochester, Messrs. Short Bros. (chairman and directors); Mr. Greening, Stewart’s servant “in loving memory of an officer and a gentleman”; friends and neighbours in Enfield; fellow-officers; the Sergeants’ Mess, etc.
Fighter Plane In Night Crash
During Defence Exercises
We deeply regret to announce that Pilot-Officer Harold Stewart Olding, only son of Mr. Harold J. Olding, of 218 Wellington Road, Enfield, lost his life in an R.A.F. crash in the very early morning of Friday last.
Stewart, who was only 19 years of age, was piloting a single-seater fighter ‘plane in connection with the Home Defence night exercises, the fatal crash occurring soon after midnight at Tatsfield, near Biggin Hill, Kent.
The telegram conveying the sad news was received in Enfield a few hours after the crash, to be followed by a message of sympathy from Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air.
In a letter addressed to the father of the young pilot, Squadron-Leader T. B. Prickman, 32 Squadron, stationed at Biggin Hill wrote:
“Your son was a very popular and promising young officer and his loss is very deeply regretted by all ranks of the Squadron.”
At that time it was not possible to state definitely the cause of the accident but it appeared that engine trouble developed soon after the plane had taken off, causing a crash into the ground in the dark.
Death was instantaneous.
Stewart Olding, who would have been 20 on November 6th next, was born in Fulham and educated at Sir Walter St. John’s School, Battersea, and at Ponders End Technical Institute, where his splendid enthusiasm for flying was known to, and appreciated by, his many friends.
The family came to Enfield rather more than five years ago, Stewart joining the young men’s Bible class at Cecil Hall, where his father is a valued and highly esteemed worker.
The young man’s passion for aeronautics blossomed when he was a quite small boy.
While at Ponders End Technical Institute he was vice-editor of the school magazine and wrote several short stories – all relating to flying.
His aim and intention were to join the R.A.F., and Stewart learned to fly at Broxbourne.
While he waited for the time to pass till he was 18, and able to join the Air Force, the young man was engaged for periods at Chaseside Motor Works and the Ruberoid Company.
ACHIEVEMENT.
On March 7th last year he joined the R.A.F. and was sent to the training school at Hamble, Southampton, from which, some months ago, he was gazetted pilot-officer, his ambition realised.
We find that he was with the Chaseside Motor Co. exactly two years, always keen and very popular.
Mr. W. S. Blundell, works manager, has told the “Gazette” that Stewart – an especially well-built and genial young man – made splendid progress as an apprentice in motor engineering.
Whenever Mr. Blundell discussed his work with him he found Stewart eager to talk about his goal.
In this way sympathetic understanding arose and was maintained, so that when the young man left to further his aim he took with him the works manager’s good wishes for his success.
Mr. Blundell was grieved to hear of the tragedy that has ended so promising a career.
INQUEST PROCEEDINGS
The inquest held at the R.A.F. Aerodrome, Biggin Hill, on Monday concerned the deaths of two officers, one Stewart Olding the other Flying-Officer Arthur Robin Buchanan-Wollaston, who crashed at Tatsfield and Lusted Hall Farm respectively, and a verdict of Accidental Death was returned.
Evidence showed that while on patrol duty during the hours of the black-out, Pilot-Officer Olding banked steeply when above Tatsfield and eye-witnesses spoke of a blinding flash and then of an intense flare when the machine struck the ground.
There was a diversity of opinion among the R.A.F. witnesses as to whether this flare had been caused by a magnesium landing light sent up by the pilot before his descent, or whether it had been ignited after the plane had crashed. No decision was reached.
Flying-Officer Wollaston had been sent out in search of his colleague and was to have burned magnesium flares if successful in his quest.
Tragically he also fell to his death.
THE FUNERAL
With full and impressive Service honours the funerals of the young officers took place at Cudham Church, near Biggin Hill, on Tuesday morning, the service being conducted by the Rev. W. Hope Gill, of Worthing.
The coffins were borne on an aeroplane trailer – the Air Force equivalent to an Army gun carriage – and airmen walked in sorrowful procession on each side.
A volley was fired over the graves and fellow-officers saluted their lost friends.
Distinguished members of the R.A.F. personnel – National and County – were there, together with the Mayor and Town Clerk of Rochester, whose interest in Squadron 32 has long been appreciated.
The very many beautiful floral tributes included those from the Mayor, Corporation and chief officials of Rochester, Messrs. Short Bros. (chairman and directors); Mr. Greening, Stewart’s servant “in loving memory of an officer and a gentleman”; friends and neighbours in Enfield; fellow-officers; the Sergeants’ Mess, etc.
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Citation
“Fighter Plane in Night Crash,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed September 2, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/40306.
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