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| RAF No. 84 Squadron  A. Shaharom 2000 |
Pilot Flying Officer Basil Cochrane (KIA) Navigator Sgt James B. Armstrong (KIA) Armourer AC1 D. Kay (KIA) Crashed May 3, 1952 Aircraft History Built by Bristol. Delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) as Brigand serial number RH 755. Assigned to No. 84 Squadron. No known markings or tail code. Mission History On May 3, 1952 took off from Tengah Airfield on Singapore piloted by F/O Basil Cochrane as one of several Brigands from No. 84 Squadron on a Malayan Emergency strike mission against Communist insurgents in the vicinity of Chenderoh Lake western central side of the Malayan Peninsula in Malaysia. Aboard was Squadron Armourer Kay who joined the crew to experience a combat mission. When firing a a salvo of rockets, a flash was seen an part of the right wing broke off. The aircraft rolled over and dived into ground. The plane crashed 40 miles southeast of Butterworth Airfield with everyone aboard killed on impact. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Recovery of Remains After the crash, the remains of the crew were recovred. Wreckage The crash site is partially buried in a forested area atop Bukit Bintang Hijau near Lenggong. The wreckage was a well-guarded secret among the villagers until 2000. The plane had a four bladed propeller and a dual strut under believed to be a Bristol Blenheim. Other possible guesses were a Lockheed Hudson, North American B-25 Mitchell or Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Others believed it might be a Japanese bomber. However, the propeller appeared to have four blades and most World War II era planes had three. The dual strut arrangement of the undercarriage eliminated an American built plane as most had a single strut assembly. During 2000, a team including Encik Rizal from the Museum of National History and Ahmad Shaharom and others visited the crash site and were able to locate various pieces of wreckage including the serial number "RH 755" that confirmed the site. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. Cochrane and Armstrong are buried at Kuala Lumpur (Cheras Road) Civil Cemetery / Cheras Road Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. Kay has an unknown burial. References Royal Air Force Commands - Aircraft Serials - Brigand RH755 Wreckage Brings Back War Memories (Page 1) via Wayback Machine October 26, 2004 Bomber Wreckage in Malaysian Jungle (Page 2) via Wayback Machine February 25, 2005 Positive Identification of Brigand from 84 Squadron (Page 3) via Wayback Machine February 25, 2005 Malaya Historical Group (MHG) Bristol Brigand RH755 via Wayback Machine December 2, 2011 FindAGrave - B A Cochrane (grave photo) FindAGrave - SGT James Blacklock Armstrong (grave photo) Thanks to Ahmad Shaharom and Goh K Loon for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated June 16, 2023 |
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