Leeming AFB

The crew was performing a training flight from RAF Binbrook to RAF Leeming. On touchdown, the tail wheel detached. The airplane swung on runway and went out of control before coming to rest. While both crew members were uninjured, the airplane was considered as damaged beyond repair. Strong cross winds were blowing at the time of the accident.

The crew was engaged in a local training flight at RAF Leeming and was completing local single engine circuits and bumps. After takeoff, the operating engine failed. The airplane lost speed and height and belly landed in a cornfield located at Holtby Hall next to the A1, about 3 miles north of the airbase. All three crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Pilot was Sgt M. J. Perry. Thanks to his son Roger Perry for the photos.

At the time of the accident RAF Leeming was using the Martinet aircraft as a target aircraft for crews training in the use of the interception radar flying in larger bomber-aircraft. In the Wellington on this day were Cadets from 1869 (Middlesbrough) Squadron ATC who were visiting Leeming in August 1951 during their summer camp and the boys were being given flights in both aircraft to demonstrate such techniques done in the RAF's training role. In the mid-afternoon of 13th August 1951 such a training flight was being carried out. Each aircraft was carrying one ATC Cadet and any other day such a flight would have been a fantastic experience for these young boys. There were three trainee navigators on the Wellington, all taking turns in doing the interceptions. Some would appear to have flying experience though and many were commissioned officers and it is probable that all has seen Wartime service. One of men these was certainly no novice, F/Lt Quinton had been a night-fighter navigator who was awarded the DFC in 1946 but was retraining at Leeming at the time of this accident. He had been de-mobbed after the War but had found civilian life hard and after five years had re-applied for a short-service commission. For him this training flight would have been very much run of the mill and really only a refresher course. As the two flights begun the Martinet took off and flew away in one direction, a short time later the Wellington took off with seven on board and flew off in the opposite direction. The radar operators would then guide their pilot to the Martinet to practice their skills. Both aircraft were flying at between 8-10,000 feet and the area of the sky was free of cloud, without warning cloud closed in and soon after the Martinet appeared out of the cloud and was too close to the Wellington, it's wing struck the Wellington. The Martinet then went into a dive and crashed killing the two in the aircraft which included the ATC Cadet. Both probably stood no chance of being able to get out of the aircraft. The Wellington went into an uncontrollable spin and began to break up in midair. By the time of the collision the Cadet and F/Lt Quinton in the Wellington had taken up a position in the astrodome, Quinton had carried out his part of the exercise and had moved to one side to let one of the others have their turn. The tail section of the Wellington began to break away from the aircraft and there would have been very little the pilot would have been able to do to land the aircraft. In the Wellington at the time the parachutes of the aircrew were stowed awaiting use, seeing a parachute pack nearby F/Lt Quinton picked up this and clipped it on ATC Cadet Derek Coates' harness. He jestured to the Cadet how to deploy his parachute and then pushed him through a hole where the tail section of the aircraft was once attached and thus clear of the crashing aircraft. Such an action then prevented F/Lt Quinton's own survival as further parachutes were stowed in the rear of the aircraft and were by now impossible to get to. F/Lt Quinton would have known this and by these actions his own chances were limited. The aircraft crashed in fields around Hudswell, near Catterick, North Yorkshire and sadly the six remaining aircrew were killed in the crash. In all eight were killed in the collision.
Crew (228th OCU):
F/O Peter Frederick Keeling, pilot, †
F/O Dawyck George McLeod Veitch, pilot, †
F/O George Michael Trotman, navigator, †
F/Lt John Alan Quinton, navigator, †
P/O Frank Leslie Farrell, navigator, †
P/O Edwin George Percival Garratt, navigator, †
Cad Derek Coates.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/dales/pg367.html

The crew was returning to his base in RAF Ford after the three mechanics performed some repairs on an aircraft that previously diverted to RAF Leeming. En route, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions and low visibility when the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Great Coum located 3 miles south of Dent. All four crew members were killed. Crew from the 427th Squadron.

The aircraft left RAF Leeming in the evening of June 12 on a bombing mission to Bochum, Germany. While overflying The Netherlands by night, the aircraft was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed in flames in a field. Four crew were killed while three others were injured.
Crew (427th Squadron):
P/O Al M. Fellner, pilot,
Sgt J. Imms, †
P/O G. Dalton, †
P/O W. Thurston,
P/O B. Tedford, †
Sgt A. Dixon, †
P/O G. Huston.
Source & photos: http://www.626-squadron.co.uk/willem23.htm

The crew departed RAF Leeming at 1510 on a test flight. One hour later, while flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into two houses located in the center of Huntington, in the north outskirts of York, bursting into flames. All five crew members as well as three people in the houses were killed.
Crew:
F/O Charles William Gilbert Gray, pilot,
F/O Leslie Alexander Walker, navigator,
Sgt Cyril Marr, bomb aimer,
Sgt Willie Jackson Whittaker, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Robert Ernest Clark, air gunner.
Those killed on the ground were:
Miss Jane Raby Freer,
Mrs Henrietta Morley,
Miss Clara Jane Pickard.

The crew departed RAF Leeming at 1315LT on a training exercise. While returning to base at 1530LT, the airplane crashed while trying to land in strong crosswinds. All crew members escaped unhurt.
Crew:
Sgt J. A. Phillips, pilot +4.

The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2042LT to lay mines in the Cinnamon area, off La Rochelle. Last heard at 2323LT and probably crashed shortly later into the sea off Isle of Ré, west of La Rochelle. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O John Harvey Edwards, pilot,
Sgt Archibald Don Gordon, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Robert John Jones, navigator,
F/Sgt Reginald Victor Stuart, navigator,
Sgt Lionel Robert Wallace, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Floyd Roger Willis Anderson, air gunner,
F/Sgt Frank Duncan Roberts, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2113LT on April 4 on an operation to Kiel. Shortly after midnight, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed east of Sylt Island, near the Hindenburgdamm. Six crew members were killed and one became PoW.
Crew:
S/L Edward Gerard Gilmore, pilot, †
Sgt Kenneth William Haynes, flight engineer, †
F/Lt John Baillie Darroch, navigator, †
F/Sgt James William Taylor Maso Smith, bomb aimer, †
F/Sgt Potter George Oyler, wireless operator, †
P/O Maxwell Palmer Hall, air gunner, †
Sgt Russell Thomas Wiggett, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2045LT on an operation to Kiel. Over the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Klausdorf, 6 km southeast of Kiel. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt William Joseph Foley, pilot,
Sgt Robert Arthur Damms, flight engineer,
Sgt Harry Bertram John Sargent, navigator,
F/O Ralph James Wright, navigator,
W/O William Francis Jordan, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Robert Edward Goldney, air gunner,
F/Sgt James Alexander Campbell Taylor, air gunner.