Man killed in Teesside Airport's worst disaster finally remembered

Flight Lieutenant Robert Wilson was killed in front of thousands of spectators, including his own wife, in Teesside Airport’s worst disaster in September 1949.

He was one of six crew on board a Wellington bomber killed instantly when the plane plunged into the ground and exploded in a fireball.

Read more: ECHO MEMORIES | The Redcar airman who died in Teesside airport's worst disaster

Some spectators thought the accident was part of the show, which included a mock invasion of tanks attacking the airfield, with one eyewitness telling The Northern Echo they thought the plane had been allowed to crash to give a touch of realism to the scene.

The Northern Echo's headline from September 19, 1949. The airshow was called at home because the idea was that the British public would vist their local airbase and see the RAF at home. (Image: The Northern Echo)

Robert, 25, was killed instantly while his wife Maureen and cousin Rona, who is now 95, watched on in the crowd of 7,000 at the then RAF Middleton St George.

Ever since, he has lain in an unmarked grave in Redcar cemetery.

On Saturday (July 23) an RAF military headstone was finally unveiled marking Robert’s resting place with his relatives in attendance.

The headstone was draped in a Union Flag prior to being unveiled. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Cousin Rona was due to attend the event but was sadly unwell.

It comes after Friends of Redcar Cemetery found out about the tragedy and began three years of fundraising efforts to get an official memorial in place.

Flt Lt Robert Wilson (Image: Dot Ahmed, The Northern Echo)

Dot Ahmed, secretary of the group, said: “Rona says that the family didn’t realise at first what had happened because there was supposed to be a parachute drop, but then it came as such a shock.

“We felt Robert, with his war record, should not lie in a totally unmarked grave and he deserved a proper RAF memorial, although this has not been easy to achieve.

“First, we needed to find a relative. Through an appeal in our local free newspaper, Coastal View, two of Robert’s wife’s cousins came forward, including Rona, who said we could go ahead.

A ceremony was held on Saturday (July 22) morning to unveil the gravestone. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“We contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who said they could not help because Robert died in peace time and referred us to the Ministry of Defence.

“The MoD referred us to their historical department who assigned a caseworker to explore the records. It turned out that Robert’s wife had been offered a memorial stone but for some reason it had never happened.

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“We raised almost £2,000 to fund a Portland Stone headstone in keeping with military tradition.”

“It was a very emotional day – I don’t know how we kept it together but it was nice to think we have honoured him.”

The official memorial. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Robert’s Wellington bomber came to the ground after it dropped 30 dummy paratroopers.

At the inquest into the deaths, it emerged that the dummy parachutists – stuffed sacks – had been secured in the planes’ bomb bays by light cord. On NC430, when the cord was cut to release the dummies, it had become tangled in the elevators on the tail’s plane. The elevators are the main means of controlling the position of the nose of the plane, and so the aircraft plunged to earth.