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Typhoon crash at St Paul's Church, Yelverton
Yelverton, Devon
Grid ref: SX 5208 6774
Main image: Photo: Andrew Hackney (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons. St Paul's Church from the east-end side: gabled end with traceried window, the crenellated stone tower at the left, tarmac path and lawn.
On Sunday 28 May 1944, at about five to twelve and during a service, a Hawker Typhoon of 263 Squadron clipped the corner of the tower of St Paul's Church in Yelverton, knocking off about six stones, then crashed in the fields below. The one man aboard, the pilot, was killed. He was 21, and his body was returned to Northern Ireland.
- Aircraft: Hawker Typhoon Ib EK211
- Unit: 263 Squadron RAF, from RAF Harrowbeer
- Date: Sunday 28 May 1944, about 11:55
- Crew: One, killed
- Church: St Paul's, Yelverton, SX 52089 67743
What happened
The Typhoon had taken off from nearby RAF Harrowbeer on a practice bombing and air-firing flight. One source says the station commander had asked for the tower to be taken down as a flying hazard and a warning light was fitted instead. That comes from a single recollection and I have not confirmed it.
Memorials
A plaque is on the church tower door, and the Imperial War Museums' memorials register lists a flagstaff with a dedication plaque given in 1997. Sources differ on whether the plaque is inside or outside.
Visiting
The church is in the village. Please be considerate of services. The crash site itself was in fields below the church and is not accessible as a site.
Name
Some sources call the church All Saints. Every record I found says St Paul's.
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Records and reports
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