Manchester Ringway Air Crash, March 1957

 Manchester Ringway Air Crash,

March 1957.

Vickers Viscount G-ALWE, the plane that crashed.

At 1.46 p,m. on Sunday 17th March 1957, Flight 411, a British European Airways Viscount Discovery aircraft was nearing Ringway Airport, Manchester having flown from Amsterdam.  When the plane was about a mile from landing, it made a sudden right turn, at a steep downward angle and the right wing tip hit the ground. The plane disintegrated and smashed in flames into a house on Shadowmoss Road, Wythenshawe.

There were fifteen passengers and five crew on board the aircraft who were killed instantly along with a mother and her baby son who were in the house it has collided with. Three other houses in street were badly damaged and several people inside them were injured. 

The Manchester Civil Defence Rescue section was on the scene, eight miles from their headquarters,  just twenty minutes after receiving the call for help from the Police. Further CD volunteers arrived throughout the afternoon.

 This Pathe news bulletin shows the crash site and Firemen and Civil Defence workers making the building safe.

The CD section worked closely with the local Fire Brigade at the scene.  The Rescue section’s skills and equipment was particularly useful in moving heavy pieces of the aircraft wreckage and stabilising the damaged buildings so the grim work of recovering all the victims could continue.

A detachment from the Welfare section, a team of four members of the Manchester Women’s Voluntary Service set up a mobile canteen and provided food and refreshment to the workers on the crash site.

 

Part of the aircraft's  fuselage, note the Civil Defence Corps Rescue section vehicle on the left.

During the week that followed the crash, CD Rescue section men assisted in searching the site for buried fragments of the plane, at the request of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Ten days after the disaster, Rescue teams helped the occupant of one of the adjacent wrecked houses to retrieve furniture and belongings.

Mechanical failure was suspected as the cause of the crash, and in the days following the disaster British European Airways withdrew up to 25 of its fleet of Viscount 701 aircraft "as a precautionary measure", to carry out checks on its flap-operating mechanism.  Investigations after the crash discovered that the probable cause of the crash was "metal fatigue in the bottom bolt securing the starboard wing number 2 flap unit. The aileron locked when number 2 flap unit became detached from the wing trailing edge".

For further information,  see this BBC "On This Day" Article about this event  and the Aviation Safety Network reort on the crash.

Sources:

Wkipedia article on flight 411 

This article on the 60th annivesary of the crash in the Manchester Evening  News.

  "Civil Defence - The Fourth Arm"  magazine Vol. 9 No. 6 June 1957.

 

55th Anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.

 55th Anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.

 

An ariel view of the rescue work, Abefan, October, 1966.

Today is the 55^th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster. I was only four at the time but one of my early memories was the effect of this tragedy in my local community.  The council estate where I lived, in Ross-on-Wye (only a few miles from the Welsh border), had a lot of Welsh people living on it and many ex-miners from south Wales and the Forest of Dean. Even at that young age, I could sense that something serious had happened as all the adults went quiet and things were subdued for a few weeks.  Of course, back then, nobody would mention an event like this in front of children so we knew something had happened but not what it was. 

This post is my own small memorial to those who died, most of them only a little older than I was at the time. It is also a thank you to those men and women of the Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service and Civil Defence Corps who took part in the emergency operations at the time and to the thousands of volunteers including men from the local pits, the Navy and Army who helped in the aftermath.

 Aberfan is about four miles (6 km) south of Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales.  In 1966, there were around 5,000 people living in the village, largely employed in the local coal mine.  Since the early 1900s, large spoil heaps of coal waste had built up around the village. One of these, Tip No. 7, had been built over a spring. After three weeks of heavy rain, the spring water turned the base of the tip into slurry and destabilsed the whole thing which then collapsed into the village.

At 9:25 am, on the 21^st October,  the Merthyr Tydfil police and fire brigade received phone calls telling them of the disaster.  Shortly afterwards they contacted the local hospitals, the ambulance service and the local Civil Defence Corps.  Despite the swift response of the emergency services and volunteers from the coal mine, just 6 adults and 29 children were rescued but no one else was found alive after 11.00am on the first day. From then on, the recovery operation, which continued until 28^th October, only found those who had died. In total. there were 116 children and 28 adults killed as the slurry engulfed Pantglas Junior School and a row of houses. 

The work of the Civil Defence Corps and the emergency services was covered in an article from  the "Civil Defence - The Fourth Arm"  magazine  of November 1966.

 

 

Right click on the above picture and choose "open in new tab" to get a readable version of the page.

 

Right click on the above picture and choose "open in new tab" to get a readable version of the page.  

 

 An Industrial Civil Defence Service (ICDS) unit from a local works was on the scene within an hour.

Over 1200 Civil Defence Workers were amongst the thousands of volunteers at Aberfan.

Work was able to continue through the night using floodlights that were largely supplied by Civil Defence.

CD Welfare section and the Women’s Voluntary Service provided refreshments and operated four rest centres at the Miners’ Welfare Hall, Aberfan Cinema, Smyrna Chapel and the village’s Welsh Baptist Church,. where those helping could get some sleep.

Although this article concentrates on the work of Civil Defence In the disaster, it must be remembered that they were part of a well co-ordinated effort led by the Fire Brigade and the Local CD Officer Ron Hicks  involving the ambulance service,  Police and mines’ rescue teams amongst so many others.

A local newspaper reporter wrote:

“Many time I have attended exercises to see how the fire and other emergency services would work together in a time of catastrophe. Somewhere an imaginary atomic bomb has been dropped and all around there are imaginary casualties.  This, alas, is no exercise, this the real thing. This is reality – with no briefing noted handed out beforehand. This is grim and ghastly.”

 

This is a very brief clip of Mr Ron I. Hicks MBE, the Head of Glamorgan Civil Defence Corps talking about possible casualties on the day of the disaster from Getty Images.

This Pathe News report “This is Tragedy”, filmed during the rescue period, shows the work being done and the scale of the disaster.  Some of the images are quite harrowing and really show the event’s impact on those helping and living there.

 For a more detailed account, there is the Aberfan Disaster Wikipedia page and this BBC article made for the fiftieth anniversary.  This article from Wales Online covers the mistakes which allowed the disaster to happen.

Civil Defence Association Memorial Service, 9th October 2021.

 Civil Defence Association Memorial Service, 9th October 2021.

The Civil Defence Corps and Auxiliary Fires Service  1949-68 memorial.

Yesterday, Helen & I went to the Civil Defence Association Memorial Service at The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.  At the request of the committee, we went in our Cold war Civil Defence Corps uniforms. 

The service was attended by members of of the Association,  British Civil Defence and the Joint Civil Aid Corps.  The Chairman, Colin Harmsworth, gave a summary of his vision for the future od the CDA.

An eulogy to Patrick Stanton was read. Patrick was one of the Association's founders and the Chairman for many years.  I only met him once and corresponded with him by email a few times but he was very supportive of our Civil Defence Corps reenactment.  On hearing of his life in Civil Defence work in the UK and abroad, I can only wish I could have talked to him more. A true hero.

We then went to lay wreaths in memory of all the past Civil Defenders in the Civil Defence memorial grove.

  

The Standards waiting to parade down to the memorial area.

Wreath laying at the 1939-45 Civil Defence memorial and the Civil Defence Corps and Auxiliary Fires Service  1949-68 memorial.

Wreath laying at the Fire and Rescue Service memorial.

 

The 1939-45 Civil Defence memorial and the smaller memorial to animals in CD service .

 

Members of the Joint Civil Aid Corps at the 1939-45 Civil Defence memorial.

After the wreath laying, we went to the local Royal British Legion at Alrewas for an excellent buffet.

Just before we left the National Memorila Arboretum, A gentleman came up to us and asked "When did they re-establish the Corps?" He had seen Helen & I in Civil Defence Corp uniform.  Sadly, we had to say that it was still disbanded but its spirit lives on. We had a brief chat about his recruitment and exploits in the Intelligence and Operations sub-section before he had to leave to catch his coach.

These links: The Civil Defence Association,  the Joint Civil Aid Corps  and British Civil Defence will provide more information on these organisations and their work.

Our Civil Defence reenactment at Wicksteed at War event , 25/26 September 2021

 

 Wicksteed at War event 

25th/26th September 2021

On a very fine weekend in Kettering, we put on our largest reenactment display to date. Sadly we ended up short on numbers so the Welfare section  and Womens (Royal) Voluntary Service parts of our original plan had to be dropped. 

The event, hosted by the Military Vehicles Trust, was held at Wicksteed Park and was free entry. They estimated that around 14,000 people came along over the two days.

 Our setup, the collapsed kharzi (Rescue section display), the white tent at the back, (HQ section display) and on the right, the Forward Medical Aid Unit display.

Our casualty in the collapsed kharzi.

Over the first couple of hours we developed a background story for our rescue display.  On hearing the four minute warning, Arnold (an original late 1960s male resusci annie) got scared and needed to nip down the garden to the kharzi which collapsed when hit by the blast of a nuclear strike.  

 

Fuelled by tobacco and gallons of tea, the Rescue section are ready to leap into action!

 

Left: Using the Tirfor winch to lift a beam of the casualty.

Right: a quick bit of first aid before moving the victim.

 

 

 

Getting Arnold on the stretcher and strapping him on with manifold webbing. Another successful rescue!

 

 

Our National Hospital Service Reserve doctor at the  

Forward Medical Aid Unit.

 

Originally we intended to set up a small First Aid Post but ended upgrading it to a Forward Medical Aid Unit. Next time we will bring more medical kit!

 

We have been invited back for 2022 and the event hopes to move back to its usual second weekend of June date. So 11th/12th June is the provisional date for next year - We'll keep you posted.

 

Upcoming Event at "Wicksteed at War", Northamptonshire. 25th and 26th September 2021.

 Upcoming Reenactment Event at

 "Wicksteed at War", Northamptonshire. 

 25th and 26th September 2021.

 

Looking forwards to doing a display at Wicksteed at War this year. We last did one there in 2015, not long after we began doing Civil Defence Corps reenactment.

The event is free and runs from 9.00am each day. It has a Tank stunt team | x3 Battle reenactments | FANY horse display | Special forces vehicles | Fire engine display | Vehicle rides / Reenactor camps & much more

The venue is:-

Wicksteed Park, Barton Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 6NJ

More details of the event can be found here:  Wicksteed at War

 

Upcoming Reenactment Event at Aston Hall, Birmingham. 19th September 2021.

1960s Civil Defence On Show  

at Aston Hall, Birmingham. 

Sunday, 19th September 2021.

I will be attending a small multi-period reenactment event at Aston Hall in Birmingham.  I will be taking some of my Rescue and Headquarters Scientific and Reconnaissance section kit to do a small display.

The event runs from 12.00 to 4.00pm and details of the event and booking information can be found here: Aston Alive - Meet the past.

Directions etc for Aston Hall can be found here: Visit Aston Hall

Rescue Section Equipment- Part Three – The “First Aid Pouch”.

 Rescue Section Equipment- Part Three

The “First Aid Pouch”.

The first thing to say is that the First Aid “pouch” is actually a haversack. It is worn with its carrying strap slung over the top of the Manpack so it hangs underneath (see below).

Left, Mark II manpack , Right, earlier Mark I manpack 

From “Civil Defence Handbook No. 7 - Rescue” (1960).

 

 The list of First Aid “pouch” contents from

“Civil Defence Handbook No. 7 -  Rescue” (1960 edition).

 

The "Pouch".

As stated above, the First Aid “pouch” is actually a webbing haversack (or in army terms, a small pack). with a with a shoulder strap attached.

 

Bandages, triangular - x 4

Standard cotton triangular bandages for use as slings and folded in various ways, as bandages. These were made either by various manufacturers and the local authority of  each CDC division either bought them direct from the producer or could buy them from  Home Office central suppliers.

 

Bottle, water - filled

A 1944 pattern British army aluminium water bottle (minus its cup) holding two pints (1.14 litres) of water. For drinking and washing.

 

Mine Dressings - 4 x Large and 4 x Small

 

Mine dressings are what we would call sterile first aid dressings today, a package with a sterile bandage and attached lint pad. Again, these were made either by various manufacturers and the local authority of  each CDC division either bought them direct from the producer or could buy them from  Home Office central suppliers.

 

Labels, Blank - 1 packet

For labelling casualties with their name (if known), the location where they were found, the time that any tourniquet was applied, if they might have been expose to chemical, gas or radiological substances etc..  Note in my copy of the manual, the casualty label heading has crossed out and replaced with the words " blank labels".  Also, unlike the Ambulance section’s first aid haversacks, there is no pencil included to write the details on the labels.

 

Pins, Safety - 2 cards

Safety pins of various sizes for fastening dressing and clothing and making improvised stretchers using blankets and poles.

 

Scissors, with lanyard

For cutting dressing and clothing. Attached to a lanyard so they don’t get left behind.

 

Tourniquet cane

A short stick, six inches (15cm) long, fFor tightening a bandage to use it as a tourniquet by twisting the stick.

 

Salts, smelling.

A small bottle of smelling salts (ammoniun carbonate crystals). Used on unconscious or fainted casualties “to bring them round.

 

Sources:

Civil Defence - The Fourth Arm magazine Vol.8 No.s 5 & 6 Double issue (May/June 1956).

Civil Defence Handbook No. 7 -  Rescue (1960 edition) with updated inserts about the Mark II manpack glued in on relevant pages.

Other Photographs for author's own collection

 

Rescue Section Equipment- Part Two - The Manpack

 Rescue Section Equipment

Part Two - The Manpack.

Left, Mark II manpack , Right, earlier Mark I manpack from

“Civil Defence Handbook No. 7 -  Rescue” (1960 edition).

 

The first Civil Defence Corps manpacks of equipment were issued in the Summer of 1956. They allowed CD Rescue teams to carry the hand tools they needed to places they could only access on foot. At first, the Civil Defence Corps used existing army “large packs”  as containers for tools. The tools carried in the MKI pack were the same as the MKII. From 1960 onwards, the new specifically designed Mark II manpack was issued to Rescue team members. The design of the new fold-out pack meant that the tools were far easier to access, especially in the field.

 

CDC Manpack Mark II rear, showing straps (left) & front (right).

 

Manpack Mark II opened up, top, illustration pasted into my 1960 Rescue Manual & bottom, my manpack (dated 1963).

 

 

The list of Mark II manpack contents from

“Civil Defence Handbook No. 7 -  Rescue” (1960 edition).

 

Auger, eyed, 1 in.

 

A scotch (or eyed) auger with a one inch bit. You put a bar or strong stick through the eye to turn the auger. It was to be used to drill though beams to allow ropes or cables to be passed through. It could also be used to make an eye-hole to see what lay beyond an obstacle.

 

Bands, webbing (1 long, 1 short)

 

The upper band in the picture is folded to fit the frame and is nearly twicw as long as the lower one. These were designed as a flexible system for removing casualties from places where it was difficult to gain access with a standard stretcher. It required two sets off webbing bands held by four people as shown in this illustration from the Rescue manual.

 Bar, wrecking.

 

A common wrecking bar for use as a lever or pulling nails etc.

 

Blanket.

 

Primarily for use for casualties, the heavy woollen blanket could also be used as padding when lying on rubble etc.

 

Bond, wire

 

1/4 inch (6mm) diameter wire cable with a loop on one end. To be used to bind beams or planks together to make a thicker beam. In several applications, it has the big advantage of being resistant to being cut by broken glass or metal fragments.

 

Chisel, 12 in, cold.

 

A heavy duty chisel for cutting through brickwork or metal.  Note that in the original list from the manual, this is an 8 inch chisel but in the kit list appendix in my copy of the same manual, this has been crossed out and changed to a 12 inch chisel.,

 

Entrenching tool and handle.

 

The standard British army entrenching tool. With the head on the handle, it can be used as a pick or mattock. The head, on its own, can be used as a spade and is especially handy in confined spaces.

 

Hammer, club, 2 ½ lb.

 

A 2 ½ pound (1.1 Kg)  lump hammer to provide a percussive incentive to anything that may need it during Rescue work.

 

Lashings 40 ft.

 

A 40 foot long hank of 1 ½ inch diameter rope (capable of carrying 250lbs/113 kgs). To be used for lowering casualties, securing them in a stretcher etc.

 

Pliers, side cutting

 

Used for extra grip and wire cutting – insulated handle to prevent electrocution should the wire prove to be live.

 

Saw, general purpose with additional blade.

 

A saw with a double edged blade. It has a ripsaw blade on the bottom edge and a finer toothed blade on the top one. It can be used for cutting timber or thin metal.

 

Additional Equipment carried by Rescue team members.

In addition to carrying their belt equipment (see part one), their manpack and their “First Aid Pouch” (to be covered in the future part three), seven of the eight-man team carried a .further item in their hands.  This is the list from the manual:

The team leader does not carry an extra piece of kit, presumably because he might be carrying a map or needing to write and so on.  My copy of the Rescue manual had a note scribbled next to the Team Leader line on the list of kit saying “Why not!!!”

 

The total weight carried.

The total weight of belt equipment, manpack & first aid pouch is 40lbs 6.5 oz (18.4 kgs) without the hand held item (see above)..

 

Sources:

Civil Defence - The Fourth Arm magazine Vol.8 No.s 5 & 6 Double issue (May/June 1956).

Civil Defence Handbook No. 7 -  Rescue (1960 edition) with updated inserts about the Mark II manpack glued in on relevant pages.

Other Photographs for author's own collection