Date:	Sunday 23 February 1941
Time:	20:50
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	151 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N3388
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Watton, 9 miles SW of East Dereham, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wittering, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	RAF Watton, East Dereham, Norfolk

Narrative:
Defiant N3388/'DZ-V': Took off at 18:35 hrs for night interception sortie. 23/02/1941
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when the aircraft crashed on return from its operational flight at RAF Watton, 9 miles (14 km) southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, 23 February 1941. Of the two crew, one was killed and one was injured.

During the return flight, the aircraft ran low on fuel: the flare path at RAF Feltwell, Thetford was lit ready for an emergency landing, but Defiant N3388 was too far away to see the flares. As the aircraft ran out of fuel, the pilot (Sgt James Hopewell) gave the order to abandon the aircraft. The pilot force landed Defiant N3388 safely, but the Air Gunner (Sgt Jack Wallace) bailed out unsuccessfully. It is believed that his parachute became entangled with the tail plane of Defiant N3388, and he went down with the aircraft, which crashed near RAF Watton at 20:58 hours.
Crew:
Sgt (516702) James HOPEWELL (pilot) RAF uninjured;
Sgt (NZ401735) Jack Fisher WALLACE (Air Gunner) RNZAF - killed

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Brtiain, 1977 p.20)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) AIR81/5225: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16689323
3. 151 Squadron ORB for February 1941: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1019/4: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8389519
4. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2720585/jack-fisher-wallace/
5. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C23508
6. https://aircrewremembered.com/hopewell-james.html
7. https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/jack-fisher-wallace
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Watton#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Sep-2020 08:11	Nepa	Added [Operator]