On 14th August 1944 the crew in this 1655 Mosquito Training Unit aircraft were undertaking a night cross-country training exercise when the Mosquito flipped onto it's back while flying at 25,000 feet. The control column then locked back which caused the aircraft to go into a flat spin. Having lost control the two crew baled out and the aircraft began to break up. Most of the aeroplane crashed near Egton Church at about 01.00hrs while one of the engines and a section of outer wing was found around a mile away. Upon landing both crew received minor injuries, the pilot was taken to the "Narvic Hotel Military Hospital in Whitby. The navigator appears to have only suffered from shock and but where he was taken is unclear.
Mosquito KB269 was built to a Canadian Government Contract No. B.S.B.2115 by De Havilland (Canada) at Downsview, Ontario and it was delivered to the UK, arriving at Prestwick on 12th May 1944. After arriving at 13 M.U. on 25th at 1944 for acceptance and modifications it was immediately taken on charge by 139 Squadron at Upwood on 6th July 1944. The aircraft was then transferred to 1655 Mosquito Training Unit (M.T.U.) at Warboys on 16th July 1944. It was written off following the incident at Egton on 14th August 1944 with Cat.E2/FA(Burnt) damage being the damage assessment.
Pilot - F/Lt Hugh Colin Kimpton RNZAF (NZ.401391), of Palmerston, North Island, New Zealand. Slightly injured.
Navigator - F/O Myrddin Watkins RAFVR (144445). Slightly injured.
The aircraft crashed near where this house has now been built. I contacted Mr and Mrs Clark of Egton in February 2004, Mrs Clark has lived here all her life and recalls that this Mosquito crashed in a field between the church and the school, a house had been built here in recent years but the crash site should still lay behind this house in the field. My thanks to them for this and other information they gave me. The garden of the house was searched by air historians Eric Barton, Ken Reast and Albert Pritchard some years ago but nothing aircraft related was found in the garden.
Hugh Kimpton was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 21st November 1918 and served in the RNZAF from 4th June 1940 to 25th December 1945. He embarked for the UK in January 1941 in the rank of Sergeant. On 11th February 1942 the then F/Sgt Kimpton was training with 149 Conversion Flight (149 Squadron's Stirling conversion flight), when Stirling W7457 he was piloting crashed on landing at Lakenheath when the undercarriage had not locked down properly. One assumes he went on to fly with 149 Squadron. On 8th August 1944 F/O Kimpton crashed on take-off at Wyton in Mosquito KB262 when he applied power too quickly on take off casuing a swing to develop and then the undercarriage gave way. He is listed at F/O on that date, so I presume that he was promoted in the next five days, therefore before the Egton incident. All incidents are covered in William Chorley's Bomber Command Losses book 8. After the Egton incident F/Lt Kimpton was posted way from the MTU course on 27th September 1944 without completing it. He later returned home to New Zealand after the War where he died on 10th July 2006. My thanks to Mr Errol Martin for much of this information.
Myrddin Watkins received a commission on 2nd April 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency), he was promoted to F/O on 2nd October 1943. The units he flew with prior to this incident over Egton is not known but he had almost certainly preformed his navigation duties well and was converting to be a Pathfinder Mosquito navigator. F/O Watkins was later posted to 608 Squadron and awarded the DFC for service with 608 Squadron, Gazetted on 22nd December 1944, the citation reads.. "This officer has participated in a large number of sorties including seven attacks on Berlin. The last time he took part in an attack on the German capital the aircraft was hit by an anti-aircraft shell. One engine was put out of action. The air speed indicator was damaged. On the return flight bad weather was encountered. Despite this, Flying Officer Watkins navigated the damaged aircraft home with unerring skill. This officer has set a fine example of keenness and determination throughout a successful tour of operational duty." He was later promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 2nd April 1945. He remained in the RAFVR until reliquishing his commission on 9th June 1956.