Jeffrey Stuart Thomas and his gravestone at Crick, Northamptonshire. He was born in Manchester in October 1920 and had a B.Sc. degree in Coal Utilisation from Birmingham University when he enlisted into the RAFVR on 30th July 1940. His parents lived in Dunchurch, Rugby at the time. He married Elizabeth Lough at Daventry Registry Office in June 1942. She had a degree in Fine Art from King's College, University of Durham but qualified as a nurse in Birmingham in 1943. At the time of the accident she and her husband Jeff were living in York. After training Jeff Thomas qualfied as a pilot in April 1941 and underwent further training at 19 O.T.U. in Scotland from 10th May 1941 until posting to 76 Squadron on 23rd July 1941. He underwent two attachments to 78 Squadron later in the year returning to 76 Squadron both times. In November 1941 he was admitted to hospital for an unknown reason for some weeks and returned to 76 Squadron on being deemed fit for active service. He received his commission on 13th June 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation. It is likely that he completed his Tour with 76 Squadron and on 21st August 1942 he was posted to 462 Squadron on its formation and flew in North Africa. He received a promotion to F/O on probation on 13th December 1942 and on 21st January 1943 was posted out from 462 Squadron almost certainly down a path to train as an instructor. 462 Squadron became so short of aircrew that the unit was forced to become non-operational around this time. He was posted to 1663 HCU on 25th April 1943 and at the time of his death he had 443 hours experience on piloting Halifaxes. His wife was expecting a baby when he died and I would like to thank his daughter Joanna Bornat for contacting me in April 2012 and for kindly supplying the photograph of her father shown above and for the service records she allowed me to use in compiling this webpage.

Crick war memorial in the village churchyard.

462 Squadron's Operation Record Book is shown on the Australian National Archives website but many of the 1942 pages are in so poor condition and in the wrong order so that understanding them is difficult, Jeffery Thomas flew at least seven operational flights with 462 Squadron that have been tracked down in the ORB in October and November 1942.

In July 2014 I was contacted by Mr Chris Blows who is related to Ted Hitchcox and who kindly supplied the photograph of the crew shown above. As of the last update to this webpage the following names are believed correct... Back row (left to right) Unknown, Todd, Hitchcox, Dickinson. Front Row (left to right) Unknown, Blakeley.

In 2009 I was lucky enough to be contacted by Ted Hitchcox's sister-in-law Mrs Barbara Hitchcox, she was kind enough to be able to provide some background information on Ted and the photograph shown above. Ted was one of five children and all five played their part in the War. He became a member of the Auxillery Air Force as far back as 1933 and he was a member of a Barrage Balloon unit in the London area before the War. He was also married in 1933. The families of the crew also exchanged letters and photographs of their sons. A further photograph exists of him with another six men, possibly an earlier crew and the family believe that although a tall man he had been a tail gunner for a period and had flown on Lancasters, possibly operationally. At the age of thirty two he could well have flown in the earlier part of the war but his rank being Sergeant at his death would suggest that his operational flying was limited. Research is ongoing. He was the mid upper gunner in Halifax DG402 when it was crashed in Yorkshire.

Robert Todd and his grave at Carluke Cemetery, south-east of Glasgow, he is buried with his grandparents. He was born on 29th August 1916 in Greenock, Scotland and was the son of Peter Niven and Helen Elizabeth (nee Mercer) Todd who later all moved to Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada when he was eight years old. As a boy he attended schools in Windsor, Ontario until 1936 when he then started work as a clerk for the pharmaceutical company Parke Davis but between 1938 and 1942 he studied chemistry at the Detroit institute of Technolgy, Michigan, USA at night school (where Parke Davis' headquarters was). He enlisted for RCAF service on 16th March 1942 in Windsor, Ontario for aircrew and trained as an Air Bomber, he was awarded his Air Bomber's flying badge on 30th December 1942. With training in Canada complete he left for service overseas in January 1943 and arrived in the UK on 4th February 1943. He was later posted to train at 4 A.O.S. and 19 O.T.U. before being posted to 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit on 1st August 1943.

Sgt Dickinson's gravestone (my thanks to Mr Tony Glover for this photograph). Arthur Dickinson was possibly know by his middle name and may well have been about to become engaged to be married at the time of his death.

Wallace Blakeley was born on 19th July 1923 in Almonte, Ontario, Canada and was the son of William and Clara (nee Bennett) Blakeley. As a boy he attended schools in Almonte until 1939 when he begun working as a weaver for the Rosmond Woollen Mills in Almonte. He enlisted for RCAF service on 10th August 1942 in Ottawa stating that he wished to enlist for flying duties and specifically an air gunner. After completing his gunnery training in Canada he was awarded his Air Gunner's half-wings, he was then posted overseas and arrived in the UK in May 1943. He then continued his training at 19 OTU later that month before posting to 1663 HCU on 1st August 1943. I thank his nephew Mr Robert Blakeley for kindly contacting me in April 2016 and supplying additional information about Wallace.

I first located the crash site on Rudland Moor in September 2002 having had a couple of failed attempts at trying to find it due to wildly inaccurate map references published at the Yorkshire Air Museum. I revisited the site with John Skinn in March 2003 and carried out a wider search to determine the extent of existing wreckage and record the location. I again returned to the site on the 60th anniversary of the crash to pay my respects. The photograph above shows what I believe to be part of a line of five holes in the peat made by the rotating propellers and engines as the aircraft crashed. I again returned to the site in October 2011 to take better photographs and see what extent recent controlled heather burning over part of the crash site had revealed. Below is part of the wreckage trail.

Above shows probably the most complete piece found to date, an air intake from the port outer engine. The markings on it are shown below.

Below is an example of a Rootes manufacturing inspection stamp (the "R2" mark at the top left) and Halifax part number (with the "57" prefix) proving the site.

Back to North Yorkshire Moors table.