LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Allan John SLAUGHTER
Service No: 404434
Born: Brisbane QLD, 16 February 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 August 1940
Unit: Radio Telecommunications Establishment, RAF Station Defford
Died: Aircraft Accident (Radio Telecommunications Establishment Hudson aircraft FK571), near Defford, 16 July 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: East Wemyss Cemetery, Fifeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harry Newey Slaughter and Sarah Ann Slaughter, of Brisbane, Queensland; husband of Agnes Bowman Slaughter, of Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0925 hours on 16 July 1943, Hudson FK571 took off from Defford detailed to carry out a local test flight. Pilot Officer Slaughter was flying the aircraft and at 1008 hours it crashed north of the adjoining village of Ashton Under Hill, 7.5 miles from Defford. The aircraft was completely burnt out and both crew members were killed. The aircraft was seen by eyewitnesses to approach Ashton Under Hill, and it was seen that the starboard propeller had stopped, and the port propeller was revolving very slowly. The port propeller then stopped altogether, and the aircraft stalled at approximately 1,000 feet and spun to the left completing one and a half turns in spin before crashing. Squadron Leader Meade was gaining air experience on the aircraft type and he was to take the aircraft up afterwards on his first solo flight in the aircraft type. The Primary cause of the accident was the failure of the starboard engine. The Secondary cause was the inadvertent feathering of the port propeller and loss of control when attempting to trim the aircraft prior to carrying out a forced landing.
The crew members of FK571 were:
Squadron Leader James Anthony Meade DFC (39240) (RAF) (Second Pilot)
Pilot Officer Allan John Slaughter (404434) (Pilot)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/37/140