Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Login or Signup

Get the App

Login or Signup

Discover
Places to see
United Kingdom
England
South West England
Dorset
Purbeck
Church Knowle

Orchard Hill Air Crash Memorial Bench

Highlight • Monument

Orchard Hill Air Crash Memorial Bench

Recommended by 37 hikers out of 38

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Dorset National Landscape

Save

Share

  • More

  • Save

    Share

  • More

  • Take Me There

    Routes here

    Best Hikes to Orchard Hill Air Crash Memorial Bench

    4.9

    (64)

    413

    hikers

    1. Kimmeridge Bay and Clavell Tower loop from Kingston — Dorset

    15.3km

    04:16

    280m

    280m

    Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

    Navigate

    Send to Phone

    Moderate

    Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

    Moderate

    Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

    Easy

    Tips

    October 4, 2023

    This memorial stone seat commemorates all those who perished in two aircraft crashes that occurred in this area in 1938 and 1945.
    The memorial was dedicated in 1987.
      Memorial bench.

      Dorset's worst ever air crash disaster happened on June 15, 1945, when five crew, four who were members of the Canadian airforce, and 22 passengers lost their lives.

      The RAF Liberator MkIX of No.232 Squadron RAF Transport Command crashed on the spot while en route from a New Forest airfield to Palam, India.

      The passengers were airmen being sent out as urgently needed groundcrew at Palam. But the plane never made it.

      It impacted on the edge of what is now the Dorset Coastal Path, the wings were ripped off and the engines detached and thrown forward towards Orchard Hill Farm. There were no survivors.

      The crash was not the only fatal aircraft accident at this location.

      On the afternoon of Friday, March 18, 1938, a student on the torpedo course at the Torpedo Training Unit at RAF Gosport and two passengers took off in a Mk1 Swordfish K5985 on a training cross-country flight to Roborough, near Plymouth.

      He is thought to have passed low over Orchard Hill Farm, clipped the top of the trees in Polar Wood - leaving sections of the aircraft in the tree tops - and nose-dived into the steep hillside some 300 yards away.
        On June 15, 1945. A RAF Liberator JT985 flying to India crashed into a ridge in the Purbeck Hills shortly after takeoff from RAF Holmsley South, killing all 27 occupants (24 passengers, 3 crew) on board. The cause was likely the pilot flying too low in poor visibility.

          In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

          Sign up for free

          Details

          Informations

          Elevation 150 m

          Weather

          Powered by Foreca

          Today

          Friday 19 December

          12°C

          8°C

          0 %

          Additional weather tips

          Max wind speed: 23.0 km/h

          Most visited during

          January

          February

          March

          April

          May

          June

          July

          August

          September

          October

          November

          December

          Loading

          Location: Church Knowle, Purbeck, Dorset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

          Other Popular Places to Check Out

          Chapman's Pool

          Explore
          RoutesRoute plannerFeaturesHikesMTB TrailsRoad cycling routesBikepacking
          Download the app
          Follow Us on Socials

          © komoot GmbH

          Privacy Policy