On the night of the 29th September 1941, ten 102 Squadron aircraft took off from Topcliffe to bomb Stettin railway station, this particular Whitley took off at 18.53hrs. The weather over the target was described as "clear with ground haze and flak was moderate to heavy". This aircraft was first from the squadron to bomb and attacked from 12,000 feet, flashes were seen in the area which was already burning on the ground. In total 95 aircraft of a force of 139 aircraft of various types bombed around four aiming points in Stettin, over all good bombing was reported. Stettin was pretty much at the range that Whitleys could reach with standard fuel tanks.

During the early morning of the 30th of September 1941 the crew were well into their return leg of the flight and was more or less on course for their home base at Topcliffe. They crossed the Yorkshire coast at around 03.30hrs in the Middlesbrough area and a course was set for base at Topcliffe, at a height of 2000 feet to avoid striking the high ground they would have to cross over. There were no problems upto then in the flight. Afew minutes later at 03.55hrs the aircraft flew into the ground on the North Yorkshire Moors above Danby, in the region of Danby Head (or Fryup Head). The front end of the aircraft was badly damaged in the impact but it did not catch fire, when the aircraft finally came to a halt the crew were able to scramble out, all but the second pilot that is, he was sadly killed in the impact, he was on his first trip and was thrown from the aircraft in the impact. The observer, who was uninjured and the other pilot, who had a slight cut to the head decided they would go for help, not knowing where they were they made their way off the moor and eventually found a farm some hours later, the farmer then took them to up to Danby Beacon Chain Home station for help. Some time later the airmen along with the help finally arrived back at the crash site, following a long walk from the nearest road where their lorry had parked. It was not until 13.00hrs until all airmen were back at the lorry at the nearest road. They finally arrived back at Topcliffe four hours later, where upon they found that their lockers had already been cleared out on the assumption they would not be returning. The crash was put down to the pilot falling asleep at the controls, because of this the aircraft had descended and crashed into the high ground which it was flying over.

Whitley Z6871 had been built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton. It was delivered to the RAF in July 1941 and after acceptance issued to 102 Squadron in the same month. The aircraft was slightly damaged at Topcliffe when Whitley Z6868 exploded when it was being bombed-up. The aircraft was soon repaired and after the accident on the Norths Yorkshire Moors, detailed above, the aircraft was recovered with the aim of it being repaired, this however was not done, it was declared a write off some days later on 30th September 1941 with Cat.E2/FB damage being recorded.

The airman killed was :

2nd Pilot - Sgt Donald K Kibbe RCAF (R/56344), aged 23, of Westfield, Massachusetts, USA. Buried Topcliffe Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Those who survived this accident were:

Pilot - P/O David B Delany RAFVR (63472) - slightly injured, cut above his eye.

Observer - Sgt Philip L N (Len) Trehearn RAFVR (947664), of Rhyl, Wales. - uninjured.

Wireless Operator/Air Gunner - Sgt Charles (Maxie) Miller RAF, of Edinburgh - injured, cut forehead.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Gayler RAFVR (1356736) - injured, broken nose.

Air Gunner - Sgt Clifford Carr RAFVR (1378971), of Newcastle-on-Tyne - uninjured.

Sgt Kibbe's grave at Topcliffe Cemetery. Although an American citizen he, like a number of his fellow countrymen, enlisted into the RCAF in the early part of the War before America came into the War. He was buried on the 6th of October 1941 at Topcliffe Cemetery. Dispite searching I am yet to find a photograph of him.

Two photographs of Len Trehearn. Sgt Trehearn was sadly to be killed on 14th April 1942 when Halifax R9488 crashed near Baldersby, Thirsk while the crew were giving it an airtest. Details found on this website by clicking here. Len Trehearn is buried at Rhyl in Wales and was married to Margaret. I would like to thank Mr Phil Trehearn, son of Sgt Len Trehearn, for contacting me and for the photographs of his father shown.

Charles Miller is shown on the photograph seated on the left (photo Mr Ed Cooke, ex 102 Squadron, my thanks to him for this photo and his information about this crew). The full line up is as follows, (back row L-R, Jim Frazer (KiA June 42?), Alec Jaggers (KiA Sept 41), ???, Eric Borsberry (or Eric?, KiA July 42), ???, Front Row L-R Maxie Miller, George Davidson (KiA Dec 43?). Miller later baled out of a returning Whitley and broke his ankle. He was posted to an OTU when he recovered.

By December 1942 102 Squadron had converted to Halifaxs, on 7th December 1942 Clifford Carr was flying in Halifax W7924 which is believed to have crashed into the North Sea on Ops to Mannheim. His body was never found and he is commemerated on the Runnymede Memorial. He was thirty years old and was married to Annie Carr.

Whitley Z6871 crashed somewhere in the area shown in this photograph, I have spent many days searching this area and have found nothing and while all available map references suggest the site is in the region of Danby Head nothing has ever been found here by anyone that I am aware of. Myself and John Skinn think it more likely from a letter written by Len Trehearn to his parents that the aircraft crashed at the head of the next valley east - Fryupdale. Whilst we have searched a fairly wide area having no proper location to go on makes the search hard.