On 26th July 1946 110 (City of York) A.T.C. Squadron were holding their annual summer camp at the Central Gunnery School (C.G.S.) at Leconfield. As part of their camp the Cadets were being allowed to be taken as passengers on training flights the C.G.S. were undertaking. There is a suggestion that more than one Wellington was being used for this but if this was so then the take-off times were staggered and their flights did not interupt or engage with each other. The Wellington concerned in this incident had suffered an engine malfunction prior to take-off and the two cadets already down to have a flight on this aircraft were allocated to a different aircraft to have their trip. The faulty aircraft was soon repaired and two further cadets would be allowed to go up in this original aircraft for what become the ill-fated flight.
The ill-fated flight finally took off with a pilot and two cadets on board at around 14.00hrs, they flew northwards and towards the North Yorkshire Moors. The pilot of the Wellington carried out a Bomber Affiliation training exercise with other aircraft, the Wellington was being subjected to a number of dummy attacks by two Spitfires. It was during one of these attacks and twenty five minutes into the flight that tragedy struck at 14.20hrs; one of the Spitfires was making a head-on attack on the Wellington when the pilot of the Spitfire misjudged the distance between the two aircraft. The two aircraft collided head on more or less directly over the village of Appleton le Moors. The Wellington partly broke up in the air, with parts being scattered across the main street in Appleton le Moors and on houses in the village. Both aircraft, including the main section of this Wellington came down in flames on and near the village football field. There would be no survivors. At the inquest to their deaths, the Coroner, Mr R K Smith gave a verdict of "death by misadventure".
Following a meeting with Mr Ken Luck in 2004 (then of Broughton, Malton) it became clear that he had witnessed this incident. He recalled that the Spitfires were flying around the Wellington and that one of them struck it head on, parts of the Wellington broke off soon after being struck, it then banked to the left caught fire and dived into the ground with possibly a wing breaking off prior to impact. He also recalled the pilot of the damaged Spitfire tried to fly off but he lost sight of this aircraft from his position in fields near Middle Farm, Beadlam Rigg, though he had heard later that it too had crashed. He did see the other undamaged Spitfire fly off, the pilot being F/Lt John T Newbould RAF. From speaking to an Appleton le Moors resident I gather that a number of villagers still have vivid recollections of the incident and there were plans to record these by the local village history group in 2006 but whether this was done is not known (by me).
Wellington BJ884 was built to contract 124362/40 by Vickers Armstrongs Ltd at Chester and was delivered to the RAF in July 1942. It was initially received by 45 M.U. on 20th July 1942 and on 24th August 1942 it was taken on charge by 28 O.T.U. at Wymeswold. It moved to 1443 Flight at Harwell on 20th November 1942 but moved on to 23 O.T.U. at Pershore on 3rd February 1943. On or just prior to 12th March 1943 it was slightly damaged in a flying accident that saw the repair begin on site on that date with it being returned to 23 O.T.U. on 13th March 1943. On or just before 19th August 1943 it was again slightly damaged in a flying accident that a repair was then begun on site on that date with it returned to 23 O.T.U. on 11th September 1943. It remained at 23 O.T.U. until three days before it disbanded on 15th March 1944. The aircraft was transferred back to 28 O.T.U. at Wymeswold on 12th March 1944 but this unit disbanded on 15th October 1944. The day previously it was flown to Sywell to have a major service at the M.U. there. On 8th February 1945 it passed to AW/CN and was then passed to 18 M.U. on 23rd March 1945. On 31st March 1945 it was taken on charge by the Central Gunnery School. It was destroyed in the incident at Appleton le Moors on 26th July 1945 with Cat.E2/FA damage being recorded after assessment.
Pilot - W/O Henryk Szwedowski RAF (P/780128), aged 45, of Poland. Buried Newark Cemetery, NOttinghamshire (plot, grave G.322).
Passenger - Cadet William Anthony Lain (1796), aged 17, of 110 City of York ATC. Buried York Cemetery.
Passenger - Cadet Robert Hall (116), aged 16, of 116 Archbishop Holgate Grammar School ATC. Cremated Lawnswood, Leeds. Commemorated Screen Wall Panel No.1.
Henryk Szwedowski (Photo Mr Grzegorz Szychlinski) and his grave at Newark. Henryk Szwedowski had over 23 years and 8000+ hours of flying to his name, this must have made him one of most experienced pilots in the RAF at the time of his death in 1946. Details of his life remain sketchy, he was born in 1901 in or near Gdansk, Poland. He served as a pilot in No.3 Regiment of the Air Forces in Poland prior to war breaking out, his huge number of flying hours suggest that he was flying for years prior to out-break of the Second World War. It is known that he took part in the war between Poland and the Soviet Union in 1920, it is doubtful though that this was as in any flying capacity.
The then, Sergeant-Major Henryk Szwedowski flew as part of a four man crew as a pilot in the bomber "LOS" against German armoured divisions near Radom (The three others being: Ltn Zygmunt Szymanski, also a pilot and Corporals: Antoni Berger and Franciszek Szuba, both "shooters" / gunners. On 17th September 1939 they landed in Buczacz (east teritory of pre-war Poland). This day was also the invasion of Russian army and then he was almost certainly arrested on this date here and sent to Siberia. It is believed that Szymanski also ended up in the UK. Information regarding his movements thereafer, leaving Siberia and arriving in the UK, are not yet known. In 1941 he arrived in the UK with the Polish army. On 6th June 1941 he was serving as a staff pilot with No.2 Bombing and Gunnery School, based at Millom. On this date he was flying Battle L5789 on a target towing exercise when the undercarriage failed to lower and he landed at Millom on one wheel. The Battle was slightly damaged. He later served with 300 Squadron and 301 Squadron. He would later serve with 1586 SDF. As a result on his time with 300 Squadron and 301 Squadron he must have done at least one Tour with Bomber Command, if not two. There is a suggestion that he could have also been involved with ferrying aircraft as well. It is possible that he was involved in other minor flying mishaps both in Poland and in the UK, if so, information is yet to be researched. On 17th May 1942 he was flying a No.4 Air Gunnery School Lysander L4736 when he crash landed near Stannington, Northumberland and was injured. He would later transfer into the RAF. The CWGC entry states he was serving with No.17 EFTS at the time of his death.
Prior to being sent to Siberia Henryk married a lady called Henryka, they would have a son, Michal Szwedowski, born in 1939. Sadly he would never meet his father. Michal's mother Henryka died in 1949 of tuberculosis leaving him an orfan. He was taken in by a local couple. It is through contact with their son Grzegorz Szychlinski and the information he has been able to give regarding Henryk Szwedoski that this page is as detailed. I thank him for this and for the photograph. Sadly Michal Szwedowski died a few years ago.
The War Graves section of Newark Cemetery. A large number of Polish Forces serving in the UK were buried here.
Anthony Lain was born in York on 26th October 1928 and was the son of William Ernest and Elsie (nee Rickell) Lane. He had two older sisters. In the 1939 Register the family were living at
No.12 Charlton Street, York. Tony was working as a trainee motor mechanic prior to his death. Both of Tony Lain's parents died within a few years of their son's death,
they were buried in the same grave as their son in York Cemetery. The grave is one of a number of offical War Graves, having found the grave to be untended the 110 (City of York) Squadron
ATC keep the grave in immaculate condition and their long-standing hard work is to be commended. It transpires that Mr Ken Butterfield (of the Walmgate area of York in 2010) and Tony Lain were
friends, Mr Butterfield was also on the same camp with his ATC Unit in 1946 and was infact allocated a ride on the ill-fated Wellington but was one of the two Cadets transferred beacuse of
the engine problems it had prior to taking off. At the time of his Tony Lain was hand carving a wooden plaque of his ATC Squadrons emblem, his death prevented the completion. Years after his death, Mr Butterfield discovered
this incomplete plaque and set about finishing it. Through contact with Tony Lain's sister and a dedication service the plaque now hangs at the Yorkshire Air Museum following, he would also
play a major part in arranging a commemorative citation to be placed with it in the Rear Gunners room at the Museum.
Part of the Wellington is believed to have crashed onto the village sportsfield.
Robert Hall was the son of Arthur and Annie Hall and was born on 21st March 1930. In the 1939 Register the family were living
at No.53 Sycamore Terrace, Bootham, York. He was still at school at the time of his death.
