James Fulton "Training Accident"

James Kenneth Fulton

Sergeant 180 Squadron, Bomber Command, Wireless Operator

Service Number: 1387101

Died 26 /05/1943, age 21 years

Runnymede Memorial, Surrey  Panel 150. at Runnymede Memorial, United Kingdom 

Son of John and Amy Winifred Fulton, Trevanion, Totteridge Lane, Totteridge.

Mitchell

James attended Mill Hill School and then Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he joined the RAR Voluntary Reserve. His father was a shipbroker. He joined 180 Squadron RAF which was formed on September 11, 1942, as part of the Royal Air Force's medium bomber force during World War II. The squadron was equipped with North American Mitchell II bombers andassigned the squadron code "EV" for aircraft markings.

The squadron initially operated from RAF West Raynham before moving to RAF Foulsham, where it flew its first operational raid. Historical records indicate that the squadron suffered heavy losses in its early operations, including the squadron commander's aircraft during this first raid, setting a sobering precedent for the dangerous missions these airmen undertook.

As a member of 180 Squadron, Fulton would have been part of 2 Group in Bomber Command. The squadron was tasked with medium bombing operations; however, in Fulton's case, his final flight was not an operational bombing mission but a training exercise.

On May 26, 1943, Sergeant James Kenneth Fulton was aboard Mitchell II bomber with serial number FL696 (manufactured initially as a B-25C with American serial number 41-12704). The aircraft took off from RAF Foulsham on what was recorded as a training mission - specifically an "air firing exercise off Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk".

This exercise would have been routine training for bomber crews, allowing them to practice gunnery skills in a controlled environment. However, something went catastrophically wrong during this training flight. Records indicate the aircraft "crashed into the sea", resulting in the loss of the crew, including the 21-year-old Fulton.

The exact circumstances of the crash - whether it was due to mechanical failure, pilot error, weather conditions, or some other factor.