The Tragic Story of a Family Nearly Wiped Out in the 1940 Maidstone Hurricane Crash

A Sudden Disaster in Wartime Maidstone

On 10 October 1940, Maidstone experienced one of its most tragic wartime incidents when a Hurricane fighter aircraft from No. 253 Squadron crashed into homes in Albion Place. The pilot, Sergeant Harold Henry Allgood, along with two adults and six children from the same family, lost their lives instantly.

In a single moment, Arthur Wooding suffered the unimaginable—his wife, six of their children, and a granddaughter were gone. Only two of the Woodings’ adult children survived, as they were not at home when the crash occurred. All of the civilian victims, killed at No. 61 Albion Place, were laid to rest in Maidstone Municipal Borough Cemetery.

The Family at Albion Place

The house belonged to 29-year-old Doris Woods, wife of Charles H. Woods. She was at home with her seven-month-old daughter, Patricia Audrey Woods. Also present was her mother, 49-year-old Elizabeth Annie Wooding, wife of Arthur E. Wooding, who had brought along her five youngest children: Vera Margaret, aged 18; Brenda Naomi, 14; Mavis Patricia, 12; Sylvia, 10; and Brian, 6. The family had been staying there since early September after their own home in Astley Street was severely damaged during an air raid.

The Life of Sergeant Harold Henry Allgood

Sergeant Allgood was born in Cambridge in 1915 and attended Central School, leaving in 1931. At just sixteen, he joined the Royal Air Force at Halton as an apprentice metal rigger. He was an active sportsman, excelling in swimming and winning the Barrington/Kennett trophy in 1932, as well as senior events in 1934.

In September 1938, Allgood volunteered for pilot training and began in 1939. He trained at No. 11 Fighter Training School in Shawbury before converting to Hurricanes. In May 1940, he joined No. 85 Squadron in France, but two days later, while flying Hurricane L1898, he was shot down shortly after take-off and crash-landed north-west of Lille. Injured in the incident, he was hospitalized and rejoined his squadron in July.

Close Calls Before the Fatal Flight

Allgood claimed a Messerschmitt Bf 109E in combat on 11 August 1940, but later that day, his aircraft was damaged by a Messerschmitt Bf 110. He survived without injury. Less than a month later, on 9 September, he crash-landed a Hurricane at dusk in Church Fenton. The aircraft was damaged but repairable. On 28 September, he was posted to No. 253 Squadron at Kenley.

The Crash at Albion Place

At 3:20 p.m. on 10 October 1940, nine Hurricanes took off from RAF Kenley. Allgood flew as the last in formation. About half an hour later, the squadron was flying at 20,000 feet over eastern Maidstone when his Hurricane, Serial No. L1928, went into a steep dive. It struck Nos. 59 and 61 Albion Place and burst into flames. Witnesses believed he tried to level the aircraft before impact, but there was no time. Both husbands of the women in the house were at work when the crash happened. The cause was never determined, though oxygen failure was suspected.

Aftermath and Legacy

Sergeant Allgood’s body was recovered from the wreckage wrapped in his parachute and buried on 22 October in St. Mark’s Burial Ground, Grantchester, Cambridge. His brother Edwin was also killed in service in May 1942 during a reconnaissance mission over the North Sea. Edwin’s name was later inscribed on Harold’s gravestone.

The crash site was excavated in 1978 during construction of a DVLA office, which has since been replaced by Coronet House. The houses of Albion Place stand today as silent witnesses to a tragedy that claimed nine lives in wartime Britain.