On the night of the 14th/15th of February 1942 at 22.15, Hampden AT110, 144 Squadron North Luffenham was en-route to attack Le Havre when the aircraft crashed and was destroyed by fire at Felpham, near Bognor Regis with no survivors. An eye witness said that the Hampden had an engine on fire before the crash. 

The crew -

Pilot Sgt 1283606 Stanley Wilson Charles Culmer, aged 25 rests in West Wickham (St John The Baptist) Churchyard Kent;

Navigator: Sgt 925007 Ronald Edward George Nation rests in Bristol (Canford) Cemetery ; 

Sgt 951362 Sgt James Aitken Hutchison (W/Op/AG), aged 25, rests in North Berwick Cemetery East Lothian

Sgt 1112428 Sgt Dennis Manning (W/Op/AG) rests in Stoak(St Laurence) Churchyard Cheshire.

Sgt Culmer. The Bromley and West Kent Mercury reports his death under the headline “Coney Hill Pilot killed”. The paper notes that he was on his sixth sortie and was en-route to the target when the crash occurred. His home being 12 Abbotsbury Road, Coney Hill, West Wickham. He had been educated at Catford Central School and was married in 1939 at St Mildred’s Church, Lee. His funeral took place at West Wickham Church, officiated by the Reverend A L Chambers of the Methodist Church in Hawes Lane. Messrs J and R Killick were the undertakers.

Sgt “Jimmy” Hutchison was the third son of Councillor and Mrs W.A Hutchison of North Berwick. Before his internment, his funeral service had taken place at Blackadder Church at 3pm. The Edinburgh Evening News for the 18th of April reported that three weeks before his death he said to his brother the Reverend William Hutchison MA, assistant minister of Trinity College Church, Edinburgh “Bill, soon my time will be finished, it’s up to you now, you’re in the ministry, to carry on where I leave off”. His father had served the Great War with the Royal Scots and was now “doing his bit” with the Home Guard and, the paper notes ,that of his brothers, Lex was serving the RAF in Libya, Alan was with the RAF in Scotland, Charles was a radio operator in the Merchant Navy and his sister Margaret was nursing in the hospital service.

Sgt Nation was the only son of Mr and Mrs Nation of 20 Goldney Road, Clifton. He was engaged to be married. He was interred on the 21st of April, following the funeral, which took place at Clifton Church at 2.30.

A memorial has been placed close the site of the crash.

The squadron lost two Hampdens this night. There is some confusion over the target for AT110 this night as the bulk of Bomber Command attacked Dortmund and some sources state that this is where the Hampden was bound. However, other sources , including the Aviation Safety Network, state that this was one of twenty three aircraft to attack Le Havre which, given the location of the crash and the probable track from North Luffenham seems more likely.