Crash of a Handley Page H.P.63 Halifax V near Addingham: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 31, 1944 at 1730 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.63 Halifax V
Operator:
Registration:
DK185
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth - Dishforth
Location:
Addingham
Yorkshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a night training exercise from the RAF Dishforth. En route, while flying in poor weather conditions due to fog and mist, the captain seems to be lost and was trying to locate the airport of Yeadon when the aircraft struck the ground and crashed between the villages of Addingham and Ilkley, Yorkshire. A crewmen was seriously injured while all six other occupants were killed. Unfortunately, the only survivor died a day later. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was about 40 miles off the intended track.
Crew:
Donald George McLeod, pilot,
Felix Byrne, flight engineer,
Lewis Riggs, navigator,
Robert Henry Rahn, bomb aimer,
William George King, wireless operator,
George Martin, air gunner,
Albert Lorne Mullen, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X into the North Sea: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jun 12, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HZ261
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
North Sea
World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2314LT on June 11 on an operation to Düsseldorf. It failed to return to base and is believed to have been shot down by a German fighter and to have crashed somewhere into the North Sea. Lost without trace.
Crew:
P/O Norman Dennis Hayes, pilot,
F/O James Leslie Rawson, navigator,
F/Sgt Desmond Gerald Richardson, bomb aimer,
F/Sgt Clifford Earl Schamehorn, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Donald Andrew MacKenzie, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Zemst-Bos: 6 killed

Date & Time: May 26, 1943 at 0226 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE590
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Zemst-Bos
Flemish Brabant
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2321LT on May 25 on an operation to Düsseldorf. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Zemst-Bos, killing all six crew members.
Crew:
P/O Stuart Pennington, pilot,
Sgt Richard Ellwood Talman, pilot,
F/O John Kaye Watson, navigator,
P/O Norman Cecil Swan, bomb aimer,
Sgt Edward Thomas, wireless operator,
W/O Donald Lyall Beatty, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X near Buurse: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 24, 1943 at 0125 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE281
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth - Dishforth
Location:
Buurse
Overijssel
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2306LT on May 23 on an operation to Dortmund. Passing over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in a field near Buurse. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (426th Squadron):
Sgt Leslie Gordon Sutherland, pilot,
Sgt William Dunkerley, navigator,
Sgt Sydney Jepson, bomb aimer,
W/O Kenneth Howard Masterson, wireless operator,
W/O Levie Afrien Rivest, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Nederhorst den Berg: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 14, 1943 at 0253 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE697
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Nederhorst den Berg
North Holland
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2334LT on May 13 on an operation to Bochum. Passing over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Nederhorst den Berg, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
F/Sgt James Austin Thomson, pilot,
F/Sgt Albert Frederick Hopley, navigator,
F/Sgt Joseph Paul Olivier Ethier, bomb aimer,
Sgt Norman Hudspith, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Thomas Ferguson How, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X into the North Sea: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 14, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE243
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
North Sea
World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2353LT on May 13 on an operation to Bochum. It failed to return to base and is believed to have crashed somewhere into the North Sea. Lost without trace.
Crew:
P/O James Bruce Pettigrew, pilot,
P/O Robert Eugene Wagner, flight engineer,
Sgt William Edward Delaney,
Sgt Sidney Eric Herbert,
Sgt Esmond Dassett Dwelly, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Noordschans: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 13, 1943 at 0328 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE157
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Noordschans
North Brabant
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2349LT on May 12 on an operation to Duisburg. Passing over the Netherlands the following night, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Noordschans. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O Kenneth Franklin Fighter, pilot,
F/O George McMillan, navigator,
F/Sgt David Chester Maxwell, bomb aimer,
Sgt Eric William Betts, wireless operator,
F/O Howard Ralph Drake, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Melmedy: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 13, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE905
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Malmedy
Liege
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2356LT on May 12 on an operation to Duisburg. The following night, while passing over Belgium, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Malmedy. A pilot was killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Ian Ralph Andrew Runciman, pilot,
F/O Douglas Gordon Fraser, pilot, †
P/O Dallas Laskey,
F/O Gordon Miller,
Sgt Douglas Hill Pennock,
F/Sgt Olaf William Forland, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Stonegrave

Date & Time: Apr 27, 1943 at 0550 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE867
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Stonegrave
North Yorkshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 0046LT on an operation to Duisburg. It was badly shot about by a German fighter while in the vicinity of Wesel and after regaining the Yorkshire coast, it was abandoned near Stonegrave. All six crew members parachuted to safety, among them two were injured.
Crew:
W/Cdr Leslie Crooks, pilot,
Sgt J. A. Thompson, observer,
P/O Donald Wallace Simpson, navigator,
P/O Lawrence H. Power, bomb aimer,
F/Lt Francis Peter Marsh, wireless operator,
Sgt G. F. How, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Badly shot about by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Sankt Thomas: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0151 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE591
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
Location:
Sankt Thomas
Rhineland-Palatinate
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2115LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Sankt Thomas, 12 km north northeast of Bitburg. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Leslie Thompson, pilot,
W/O John Clayton Kennedy, navigator,
F/O Raymond George Wood, bomb aimer,
Sgt James Parkinson, wireless operator,
W/O Edward Ambrose Whalen, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.
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