Hedon Aerodrome ??????

The set up of the photo implies that all those torpedoes are for the same aircraft! The torpedoes seem to be a mixture of live heads (unpainted) and practice heads (red) and no air tails fitted.

netcompsys wrote:

here are two more from the same series from the IWM

Mark XI aerial torpedoes being taken out on trolleys towards a Bristol Beaufort Mark I, L4516 'OA-W', of No. 22 Squadron RAF at North Coates, Lincolnshire. Shortly after this photograph was taken, L4516 was destroyed when it stalled after a night take-off from North Coates and hit the ground near Marshfield, detonating the mine it was carrying.

"The media for this item are free to reuse for non-commercial purposes under the IWM Non Commercial Licence © IWM (CH 1851)"

It always pays to check, when I re-read the caption, the place the aircraft crashed seemed to be a typo

So

Beaufort I L4516. Suffered engine failure and stalled shortly after take-off for night mine-laying sortie to Wilhelmshaven and crashed at Marshchapel, south of Cleethorpes, mine exploding on impact 11.30 p.m. (Pilot) Sergeant Dennis George How, (Obs) Sergeant Paul Victor Renai, (WOp) Sergeant Ralph Gerald Hart, and (WOp/AG) Sergeant Leonard James Peachey all killed. Aircraft OA*W a write-off.

I guess like many of these photos it was posed, I mean how likely is it that you would get 12 groundcrew in one place at the same time....

These four Sergeants are buried in the CWGC area of St Nicholas Church in North Cotes village