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Summary

The crash site of R5617, a British Avro Lancaster Mark I heavy bomber, which crashed in the vicinity of Standon Hill on 24th May 1942. It was assigned to 207 Squadron Royal Air Force. The aircraft was on a cross country night-time navigational exercise from Bottesford, when it flew into high ground obscured by the darkness. In the late 1990s there were reportedly still small fragments of aircraft wreckage on site. Please note that a licence to excavate of recover remains from a military aircraft crash site must first be obtained from the Ministry of Defence before any such investigations may be undertaken. the site lies within the Dartmoor National Park and also the North Dartmoor Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Status: Not specified

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SE85
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1437725

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• AIRCRAFT CRASH SITE (World War II - 1942 AD (Between) to 1942 AD (Between))
• AVRO (World War II - 1942 AD (Between) to 1942 AD (Between))
• HEAVY BOMBER (World War II - 1942 AD (Between) to 1942 AD (Between))
• MKI (World War II - 1942 AD (Between) to 1942 AD (Between))

Full description

Smith, D. J., 1997, High Ground Wrecks and Relics; Aircraft Hulks on the Hills and Mountains of the UK and Ireland, 81 (Monograph). SDV352713.

Smith notes the crash site of R5617, an Avro Lancaster Mark I heavy bomber, which crashed at Standon Hill on 24-MAY-1942. It belonged to 207 Squadron. The aircraft was on a cross country flight from Bottesford. When this source was published in 1997, there were reportedly still small fragments of aircraft wreckage on site, around map reference SX 580 815 (on Landranger map 191).

Rendell, P., 2000, Crashed aircraft on Dartmoor (Article in Serial). SDV352716.

Sandles, T., 2014-2019, Legendary Dartmoor, Accessed 09/09/2014 (Website). SDV356498.

Stannon Hill - 27.05.1942. An Avro Lancaster from 207 Squadron crashed whilst on a cross-country exercise from Royal Air Force Bottesford in Leicestershire. (Based on Rendell, 2000).

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 15/11/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

R5617 was one of a batch of 200 Lancaster Mark I aircraft delivered between February and July 1942, by Avro, Manchester to contract number 982866/39. The aircraft was assigned to 207 Squadron Royal Air Force. On 24-MAY-1942 the aircraft flew into high ground whilst on a night navigational exercise at Standon Hill, Tavistock, South Devon (sic). (Halley, J. J., 1996, Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000 _ R9999, pages 132-33).
Standon Hill is in West Devon District (Robin Page, 16/01/2006, Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8648 - Middle Merripit Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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