Middleton St George AFB

The aircraft was on a flight from Middleton St. George to Birmingham, and the crew of one pilot and one photographer planned to complete several photographic survey jobs en route. Shortly after sunset, when flying at 2,000 ft. a.m.s.l. at an estimated position five miles west of Sheffield and near high ground rising to 2,000 ft. a.m.s.l., the pilot decided that the fuel remaining was insufficient to reach Birmingham with the existing headwind of 40 knots. He established contact with Manchester Approach Control and was given permission to divert to Manchester Airport on a special VFR clearance "not above 3,500 ft. a.m.s.l. on a QNH of 1013 mbs., clear of all cloud, and in sight of the surface". Shortly after this, when on a north-westerly heading to intercept a QDM of 270°M to the 'ME' (Manchester) beacon, the pilot saw hill tops about four miles ahead and commenced climbing from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. The pilot states that the aircraft entered cloud at 2,500 ft. and that, on reaching 2,700 ft., he noticed that the vertical speed indicator was showing a descent of 2,000 ft./min. He states that he applied full power and eased the nose up but, after this, he remembers nothing further until he regained consciousness lying on the ground, alongside the photographer in front of the wrecked aircraft.

The aircraft left RAF Middleton Saint George at 1845LT on a night navigation exercice. At 2137LT, the crew informed ground that the mission was uneventful until this time. Twenty-three minutes later, the aircraft went into a dive. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, it partially disintegrated and eventually crashed in a pasture. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
S. J. Murdoch, pilot,
F/Lt W. A. Ryde, navigator,
F/Lt H. Seiman, navigator,
Sig A. E. Bazen.

During an airshow in RAF Middleton Saint George, the crew was involved in a demonstration mission consisting of para-dropping a low height. On final approach, during the last segment, the airplane nosed down and crashed at runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

While cruising in VFR mode over the region of Coventry at an altitude of 4,500 feet, the Anson collided with a BEA C-47 registered G-AHCW and carrying four crew members and six passengers from Northolt to Glasgow. Following the collision, both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in Exhall, north of Coventry. All 14 occupants in both aircraft were killed.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2338LT on July 13 on an operation to Aachen. While returning to base the following night and flying at an altitude of 6,000 metres, it was shot down by a German fighter, exploded in the air and crashed in Hulsonniaux, killing the entire crew.
Crew (428 Sq):
F/Lt William G. Weeks, pilot,
Sgt S. Zayets, flight engineer,
F/O E. D. Robertson, navigator,
P/O W. F. Stewart, bomb aimer,
Sgt J. R. Goodfellow, wireless operator,
Sgt A. D. Dawson, air gunner,
F/O H. B. Ward, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2352LT on July 13 on an operation to Aachen. In the vicinity of the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and later abandoned by the crew over Belgium. It crashed in Marche-en-Famenne and was destroyed. All seven crew members parachuted to safety, five became PoW and two evaded.
Crew (428 Sq):
P/O W. D. F. Ross, pilot,
Sgt D. J. Webb, flight engineer,
Sgt W. B. Webber, navigator,
Sgt T. Chiszczyk, bomb aimer,
Sgt A. M. Winter, wireless operator,
Sgt J. C. A. Hayes, air gunner,
Sgt E. A. Bridge, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2345LT on July 13 on an operation to Aachen. Passing over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Genderen. Both air gunners were killed, one crew evaded and four others became PoW.
Crew (428 Sq):
F/Lt Donald Scott Morgan, pilot,
Sgt Donald Brown, flight engineer,
F/O Francis Henry Ditchburn, navigator,
P/O J. P. O'Leary, bomb aimer,
P/O Boyd Leslie Gillis, wireless operator,
Sgt Thomas Henry Pritchard, air gunner, †
Sgt Montague Edwards, air gunner. †

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2256LT on July 13 on an operation to Aachen. Passing over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Venlo. An air gunner was killed and six other crew members became PoW.
Crew (419 Sq):
2nd Lt B. J. J. Furey, pilot,
Sgt James Shaw Carmichael, flight engineer,
Sgt Murray Cottenden, navigator,
Sgt Gilbert Colin Perrett, bomb aimer,
Sgt John Campbell Gilchrist, wireless operator,
Sgt Kenneth Lasalle, air gunner,
F/Sgt William Charles Batkin, air gunner. †

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2236LT on July 9 on an operation to Gelsenkirchen. Over the target area at an altitude of 10,000 feet, it was shot down by the German Flak. The pilot ordered the crew to bail out which they all managed successfully. Shortly later, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in Imhausen. The pilot was killed. Five crew members became PoW and one evaded.
Crew:
S/L Frederick Harold Bowden, pilot, †
Sgt Hugh McGeach, flight engineer,
Sgt Harry Norman Frederick Rowe, navigator,
P/O Raymond John Gritten, bomb aimer,
Sgt A. J. A. Reynolds, wireless operator,
Sgt John Wingfield Nuttall Hurst, air gunner,
P/O Benjamin McKenzie Fitzgerald, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton Saint George at 2230LT on July 3 on an operation to Cologne. Passing over Belgium, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Muizen. Three crew members were killed and four others became PoW.
Crew:
P/O Angus Hugh Bell, pilot, †
F/Sgt John Albert Anderson, pilot, †
P/O William Bryce Taylor, flight engineer, †
Sgt Arthur Owen Simpson, navigator,
F/Sgt Robert Omer Williston, bomb aimer,
F/Sgt Joseph Douglas Henry Arseneau, wireless operator,
Sgt John Frederick Graham, air gunner,
Sgt George Edward Aitken, air gunner.