Monument record 1578700000 - East of Paradise Wood

Approximate crash site of aircraft DG283 a Wellington Mk V bomber, which crashed on 14th or 15th of March 1943. The aircraft was attached to 161 Sqdn RAF. DG283 took off from Tempsford at 19:57 heading for France on a SOE mission.
Airborne at 19:57 on 14March 1943 fromTempsford on OPERATION DIRECTOR 34 heading for France. Crashed, due to engine failure, at Fawley, Buckinghamshire, 3 miles NW of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The wreckage caught fire and most of the injured were pulled clear by F/O Osborn. Four of the six crew survived. Recommended for a gallantry award, he received the George Medal, details being promulgated 13 July 1943 (1).
The aircraft was part of serial range DG270-DG317, batch of Halifax delivered between 10th November 1942 and 24th January 1943. DG283 was one of two 161 Sqdn Halifaxes lost on the same night (2).
The crash site is a Military Remains Protected Place. A licence to excavate or remove remains from military aircraft crash sites must be obtained from the Ministry of Defence.
This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence (3).