Earlier in the summer we wrote about 29 Squadron and how the squadron had moved into Wellingore airfield equipped with the Bristol Blenheim. The squadron was at the forefront of developing night-fighter tactics equipped with early variants of airborne intercept radar. Posted in to command 29 Squadron was Squadron Leader Charles Widdows.
He was no stranger to either Lincolnshire or 29 Squadron. He had joined the RAF as an Apprentice at Halton but was subsequently awarded a Cadetship to the RAF College at Cranwell from where he was commissioned in 1931. He was to fly with 29 Squadron as a pilot during the early 1930s and eventually became a test pilot at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment where he test flew the prototype Hurricane and Spitfire.
With such credentials he was the ideal officer to lead 29 Squadron during a challenging period of change. One of the frustrations which faced the unit was that the Blenheim lacked speed as a night-fighter.
The answer to the unit's needs was the Bristol Beaufighter all-metal, two-seater fighter. Like the Blenheim, the Beaufighter was developed initially as a private venture using components from the Bristol Beaufort.
Legend has it that the name was a derivative of 'Beaufort fighter' hence the Beaufighter. Fitted with two Bristol Hercules engines the Beaufighter had an operational speed of over 300 mph and was fast enough to engage enemy aircraft at night. For armament it was equipped with four 20 mm Hispano cannons and six machine guns but most importantly it had the Mark IV AI radar. The Beaufighter is recognized as the world's first really successful radar-equipped night-fighter.
29 Squadron was one of the first squadrons to receive the Beaufighter. The first aircraft which arrived on September 2, 1940 was Beaufighter R2072, though the unit continued to operate the Blenheim. With his background as a test pilot, Widdows now began the task of converting the squadron to flying the Beaufighter in its role as a night-fighter.
Fifteen days later he flew the squadron's first operational sortie but it was not to be a smooth transition. Over the next two months 29 Squadron was to lose several Blenheims as well as two Beaufighters. It was 75 years ago this month that Charles Widdows was flying Beaufighter R2095 on a night patrol. One engine stopped functioning and the second engine was malfunctioning.
He gave the order to Pilot Officer Wilson, his radar operator, to bale out, which Wilson acknowledged.
Farm land crash landing
While Widdows was in the process of getting out of the aircraft he noticed that Wilson was not able to exit the crippled fighter due to a problem with his escape hatch. Charles climbed back into the aircraft, which by now was entering into a spin. He managed to regain control and effected a crash landing on farm land just outside Sleaford.
Wilson suffered head injuries and Widdows had cuts to his face but they had survived. The second Beaufighter was abandoned a few days later when the crew baled out over Potterhansworth, also due to engine failure.
That same month Guy Gibson, who had recently joined 29 Squadron, flew his first Beaufighter familiarization flight that same month. He dedicates a whole chapter to his time on the Squadron in his book 'Enemy Coast Ahead' and speaks highly of his Commanding Officer.
Charles Widdows was a greatly respected by his squadron personnel and was promoted to Wing Commander before being posted away in June 1941. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in April 1941 for his leadership of the Squadron.
Story and photo: http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk
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