At 10.30hrs on 18th January 1944 the crew of this 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft were to undertake a day-time cross country training exercise and prior to taking off from Topcliffe received instruction to not fly below 3,000 feet in height. Fog was effecting visibility on this date and in the previous days. The instruction to remain at above 3,000 feet was a common instruction for flying in poor visibility and this would ensure that aircraft would be well clear of the highest hills in England over which the training flights were flown. The weather was deemed fit for take off in the mid-morning and this crew were given clearance to take off from Topcliffe at 09.58hrs. Shortly after taking off the weather appears to have deteriorated and at 10.04hrs the crew were instructed by flying control at Topcliffe to return to base, the wireless operator in LW334 acknowledged the instruction. As they had not landed at 10.22hrs another message was transmitted with the same instruction to return to base and again the message was acknowledged. At around 10.30hrs the aircraft was thought to have been letting down land to land but flying a very wide circuit of Topcliffe airfield, they were almost certainly flying in fog and could not see the high ground when the aircraft flew into the north-west side of the North Yorkshire Moors. The aircraft clipped the top of Black Hambleton hill near the village of Osmotherley and then crashed much lower down the hillside where upon it broke up. Sadly all six airmen in the aircraft were killed. It was not known why they were flying so low when the aircraft crashed; a faulty altimeter or minor a navigation error in the bad visibility was probably to blame though neither were ever established as fact. It transpired through my research locally that a game keeper was on Black Hambleton prior to the crash and had heard a low flying aircraft, he heard and felt the aircraft crash below him and was almost certainly the first on the scene but sadly nothing could be done for those involved. The remains of a propeller blade were found on top of Black Hambleton; on Dodd End, in the mid-1990's by a fellow historian and this seems likely to have been from LW334.
Halifax LW334 had a brief service history, it was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4/C by English Electric Ltd at the Samlesbury factory. It was delivered to Cunliffe Owen on 16th October 1943 and was then taken on charge by 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit on 7th November 1943. Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded following the incident detailed above on 18th January 1944. It was struck off charge on 30th January 1944 once the paperwork caught up.
Pilot - F/O Joseph Pierre Lavallee RCAF (J/10983), aged 22, of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Richard George Kimball RCAF (R/54130), aged 24, of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Navigator - F/O Wilfred Leger Boisvert RCAF (J/20970), aged 25, of Swastika, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Bomb Aimer - F/O Walter Phillips RCAF (J/23210), aged 23, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Guy Henry Hivon RCAF (R/187271), aged 20, of St Paul, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - WO1 George Ernest Giff RCAF (R/111125), aged 25, of Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
While photographs of each members of this crew have been located I am still seeking a crew photograph showing all six of the above together, and also I have yet to learn the name of what would have been their other air gunner who was not on board when Halifax LW334 crashed.
Joseph Lavallee was born on 28th July 1921 in Loretteville, Quebec, Canada and was a son of Joseph and Blanche (nee Perreault) Lavallee. He was known by his middle name of Pierre. Loretteville later became part of the growing Quebec City. He had four siblings; two brothers and two sisters and sadly Pierre's father died when he was young. Pierre had initially tried to enlist for RCAF service in June 1939 but his application was rejected as he was too young, he also tried to enlist in October 1940 into the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan but due to a change in their enlistment conditions he was also not successful. When he was eventually successful in enlisting for RCAF service on 11th June 1941 in Quebec City he had just completed studying for a B.A. degree at Laval University in Quebec City, possibly studying as doctor. He enlisted for aircrew duties and specifically to train as a pilot. After basic training he was awarded his pilot's wings on 10th April 1942 and received a commission on the same date. He was also assessed as being an above average trainee so was then selected to undertake flying instructor training and undertook a flying instructor's course between 25th May 1942 and 17th July 1942. Having qualfied as a flying instructor he was posted to instruct at 13 S.F.T.S. at St.Hubert in July 1942. On 16th August 1942 while instructing at 13 S.F.T.S. he and a pupil were involved in a minor taxiing accident when Harvard 2918 collided with another aircraft at St.Hubert. Both aircraft sustained slight damage but no-one was injured. On 21st January 1943 he was still instructing at 13 S.F.T.S. when Harvard 2653 clipped a tree while making a precautionary landing in a designated low flying area as part of a training flight. He and his pupil did not sustain injuries though as the instructor he was deemed responsible. Soon after this mishap he received an assessment and was taken off instructional duties.
He was then selected for service overseas he left Canada for service in Great Britain on 26th March 1943, travelling by boat and arriving on 10th April 1943. His service and training over the coming months saw him posted down the regular Bomber Command training programme. He was posted to 20 (P)A.F.U. on 4th May 1943 with a brief spell at 1519 (B.A.T.) Flight from 2nd June 1943 to 7th June 1943, returning to 20 (P)A.F.U. with this complete. He was then posted to train at 23 O.T.U. at Pershore from 6th July 1943 to 12th October 1943. At O.T.U.'s it was common for many Bomber Command airmen to form the main part of what became their regular crew. Here however his service file stated that there was a problem with his original navigator and this appears to have resulted in a partial re-crewing and then a longer than normal period at 23 O.T.U. In mid-October 1943 he was posted to Dalton Battle School and then on to 1659 HCU on 4th December 1943 with probably all of those listed above. I thank Mr Louis-Charles Lavallee for kindly contacting me in March 2016 and for supplying the photograph of his uncle shown above.
Walter Phillips (pictured above) was born on 14th January 1921 to George and Margaret "Lizzie" (nee Holsky) Phillips, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His father was born in Austria and his mother was born in Russia so perhaps his family was not "Phillips" but his father changed their family name to a more English sounding name when they became Canadian Nationals. After leaving school in Edmonton in 1940 he began work as a stenographer for a sign maker in Edmonton. He enlisted for RCAF service on 5th January 1942 there and to serve as aircrew. He initially undertook pilot training but switched to becoming a bomb aimer, gaining his air observer's flying badge (which was normal for air bombers at that time) on 22nd January 1943. He received his commission on the same date as receiving his wings. He was then posted to the UK in March 1943 and trained at 3 (O)AFU, and 23 OTU before posting to 1659 HCU on 4th December 1943.
George Giff was born on 7th March 1917 to John S. and Annie Vera (nee Wynne) Giff, both of Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada. After leaving school in Smith Falls he had studied at the DeForest Training College in Chicago but doesn't appear to have completed a course, he then stated on his attestation form that he had worked at odd jobs was unemplyed when he enlisted for RCAF service. He enlisted for RCAF service on 21st June 1941 in Ottawa and after basic training in Canada was awarded his Air Gunner's badge on 25th May 1942 but he spent another year in Canada training. He was posted overseas and arrived in England in May 1943. He was then posted to 9 (O)AFU on 8th June 1943, 23 OTU at Pershore on 7th July 1943 and to 1659 HCU on 4th December 1943 after a spell at the Battle School at Dalton.
Guy Hivon was born on 1st October 1923 to Henry Hector and Marie Hivon (nee Lepuchon / Liprokon ?), of St.Paul, Alberta, Canada. Guy enlisted for RCAF service on 8th October 1942 in Edmonton and at the time was a student. After initial training in Canada he was awarded his Air Gunner's badge on 9th July 1943. He was then posted overseas soon after and arrived in the UK in September 1943. He then trained at 23 OTU at Pershore beginning 22nd September 1943 and was posted to 1659 HCU at Topcliffe on 21st December 1943. His Canadian registration of death gives his address as being in Edmonton, Alberta. His brother Louis Hivon served in the Canadian Navy (died in 2007).
Richard Kimball was born on 28th January 1920 in Ottawa, Ontario and was the son of Richard Hopkins and Cecelia M (nee Thomson) Kimball, his father was a US citizen and had been a customs clerk. as a young man Richard appears to have been technically minded and attended the Ottawa Technial College, the Muir Technical College (of Pasadena, California) and the PJC College (Texas?) studying mechanical courses. He would then appear to have remained in the USA on completion of his studying and worked for a couple of companies in Pasadena, California as a sheet metal worker. He enlisted for RCAF service on 26th July 1940 in Ottawa for ground duties stating his occupation had been sheet metal working. He then became an airframe mechanic with the RCAF. After basic training in Canada as an airframe mechanic he was posted to the UK, on arrival in the UK he was posted to 418 Squadron based at Bradwell Bay on 13th January 1942 and then to Thorney Island airfield on 18th September 1942 and later to Ford airfield. What appears to have been fairly common is that when there was a requirement for aircrew flight engineers a number of technically qualified groundcrew airframe mechanics remustered for these duties. He probably re-mustered to aircrew in early 1942. He was posted to No.4 School of Technical Training on 16th June 1943 to train as a flight engineer and as part of the course he spent a week at Short Brothers in October 1943 before returning to 4 S.of.T.T. He was awarded his Flight Engineer's badge on 2nd November 1943. His course assessment stated he was "a very good N.C.O and an exceptional Cadet". He was posted to 1659 HCU on 4th December 1943. By the time the CWGC compiled their records his father died and his mother had remarried and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Wilfred Boisvert was born on 14th November 1918 in Swastika, Ontario and was the son of Thomas William and Margaret Anne (nee Long) Boisvert, of Swastika, Ontario, Canada. His father died in 1932. He had two brothers and a sister, his older brother Carl had served in England in the RCAF with 425 Squadron. Wilfred was working as a clerk for the Mines Assay Supplies Ltd in nearby Kirkland Lake when he enlisted for RCAF service in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 1st November 1941. Why he was in Halifax is not known. He had received his commission on 20th November 1942 being also awarded his air Navigator's badge on the same date. He left Canada for the UK in January 1943 and then trained at 3 (O)AFU from 8th June 1943, 22 OTU from 12th July 1943, 23 OTU from 21st September 1943 before posting to 1659 HCU at Topcliffe on 4th December 1943.
The aircraft crashed onto the hillside in the background of this photograph after first clipping the top of the hill off the top right of the photograph. A propeller blade was found on this hill top in the 1980s and probably marked the spot where the aircraft had initially clipped.
This photograph shows a general view of where the aircraft would then crash, in this area there is a line of shallow depressions which could well be made by the engines and fuselage as the aircraft fell. In the 1970s a further propeller blade was found buried in this area.
In tribute to the six airmen killed when Halifax LW334 crashed in January 1944 aviation historian David Thompson erected a memorial at the crash site, it was dedicated on the fiftieth anniversary on the crash in January 1994 with Rev.Stuart East officiating. Every year since this dedication an annual pilgrimage to the memorial takes place with a short service taking place. In August 2016 Louis-Charles Lavallee and his family visited North Yorkshire and I was able to assist them in visiting the crash site and the memorial.
A small number of pieces of the airframe are still scattered around the crash site.
A typical Halifax part number with a good example of an E.E.P. (English Electric, of Preston) manufacturers inspection stamp. English Electric made the aircraft on contract from Handley Page Ltd.
The lever from the auto-pilot unit I found in 2000.
My thanks to Mr James Weighell (of Cow Wath at the time of the incident) who recalled this accident very vividly and has recounted many of his war-time boyhood memories to me, without his help a number of the webpages for aircraft in the Snilesworth area would not be as detailed as they are. The "http://scarletboy44.tumblr.com" website has used my uncredited photographs taken from my webpage relating to this incident.