The reason for Oxford DF471 being in the air was so that three engine mechanics could be flown from Leeming airfield to Ford airfield to change the engine on a 427 Squadron Halifax that had landed there in a damaged state. Halifax DK234 had been damaged by flak in the port outer engine on an operational flight to Nurnberg on the night of 27th / 28th August 1943, the engine then caught fire and while the crew were able to put out the fire then aircraft then ran low on fuel on the return flight to England so they made a landing at Ford instead of trying to reach their home airfield of Leeming. The Halifax required an engine change and while the new engine had been sourced and delivered direct to Ford airfield from No.8 M.U. there were no engine fitters at Ford trained on the specific variant of Merline engine there.
Prior to taking off on 29th August 1943 a 427 Squadron navigator plotted a route for a pilot to fly and this was to use turning points of York, Bedford and Reading before locating Ford airfield. The weather on this date was poor but a forecaster in the meteorological office gave them a window for when the weather would probably be the most adequate to make the flight south. Rain and low cloud was to have been present over high ground for much of the day so the aircraft would need to remain below the cloud base, the best time for the flight was to have been in the early afternoon. Oxford DF471 was supplied to Leeming Station Flight the day before the accident by No.1535 Beam Approach Training Flight from Middleton St.George and appears to have been loaned or borrowed by 427 Squadron to make this flight. With the flight plan and the weather report obtained in the morning the aircraft taxied around Leeming airfield at 13.15hrs and took off at 13.21hrs with the time of arrival at Ford being around 15.45hrs. The pilot was fully trained to use Beam Approach flying equipment so it was deemed not necessary for a navigator to fly with them four airmen, combined with the small size of the aircraft which would have been cramped carrying the existing four people plus an extra airman with all their equipment. By 16.15hrs the aircraft had not arrived at Ford and it was listed as overdue. The aircraft was subesequently found by local people to have crashed into a hillside south of Dent. The crash site was on the very edge of Yorkshire with the boundary running along the summit ridge between Gragareth and Great Coum; two of Yorkshire's largest peaks. The crash occurred at around 15.00hrs and that all on board had died. Low cloud was covering the hills around Dent at the time of the crash. In David Earl's "Hell on High Ground 2" book he reported that the pilot was found at least 600 yards from the crash site. This could suggest that he was thrown out of the aircraft in the impact or had initially survived and had tried to go for help but his injuries had got the better of him.
An investigation was carried out and it was thought that the aircraft was simply flying in a westerly direction but at too low in height in cloud over the area of hills when the crash occurred. It also stated that the aircraft was fitted with beam flying equipment, the pilot was trained in operating it and that Leeming's beam transmitter was working, I assume from this they thought locating Leeming should not have proven the experienced pilot much trouble. What it does not state is the likely sequence of events prior to the crash. As the aircraft took off from Leeming at 13.21hrs and the crash occurred at around 15.00hrs the aircraft had not simply taken off and flown west. The flying time from Leeming to Dent would have been much less than a hour and that as the planned route after taking off from Leeming was due south. I would speculate that the aircraft headed south but the pilot realied that the visibility was too poor to continue so attempted to turn around and return to Leeming, in the course of heading back north he became lost.
Pilot - P/O Robert Lloyd Henry RCAF (J/18530), aged 23, of Turnerville, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (C/B/5).
Ground Crew / Engine Mechanic - Cpl William Phillip Holt RCAF (R/76130), aged 24, of Hillaton, King's County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (C/B/6).
Ground Crew / Engine Mechanic - Cpl James Edmond Keighan RCAF (R/84478), aged 37, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (C/B/3).
Ground Crew / Engine Mechanic - LAC Dennis William Davies RCAF (R/113216), aged 25, of Minburn, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (C/B/4).
Robert Lloyd Henry was born on 20th May 1920 at Chatham, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Robert Colin and Helen Amelia (nee Roebuck) Henry. As a young man he studied at the Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph between 1939 and 1941. He enlisted for RCAF service in Hamilton on 23rd July 1941 and after training in Canada he was awarded his pilot's flying badge on 17th July 1942. Having arrived in the UK in September 1942 he trained at 12 (P)AFU and 23 OTU. While at 23 OTU he was involved in a minor accident while taxying on 29th January 1943 at either Pershore or Stratford upon Avon airfield. He also undertook Beam Approach flying training at 1511 B.A.T. Flight and also 1535 B.A.T. Flight. He was posted to 427 Squadron on 20th February 1943 who were flying Wellingtons at the time. 427 Squadron later converted to Halifaxes and he undertook conversion training at 1659 HCU. While at 1659 HCU he was involved in a minor mishap on 3rd June 1943 when the starboard undercarriage of Halifax BB326 collapsed on landing at Topcliffe. Having converted to flying Halifaxes he returned to 427 Squadron. He received a commission on 9th May 1943. He was very experienced Halifax pilot with 427 Squadron and had completed eighteen operational flights with them prior to his death. He was flying in Halifax DK140 on 16th June 1943 when it crash landed at Leeming in trying to avoid a group of airmen on the runway. 427 Squadron's record book recorded the accident at Dent recording "it seems ironic that Sgt Henry, a very capable pilot who has faced the enemy on eighteen raids over enemy territory, totaling 111:21 operational hours, should meet this end."
William Holt was born on 27th October 1918 in Hillaton, Nova Scotia and was the son of William and Charlotte Holt. He was working in farming when he enlisted for RCAF service in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 25th October 1940, he enlisted for ground duties and specified he wanted to serve as an aero engine mechanic. After basic training in Canada he arrived in the UK in mid-March 1943 and was posted to 427 Squadron on 27th March 1943. He was attached to Rolls Royce Ltd in June 1943 for training but then returned to 427 Squadron.
James Keighan (pictured above) was the oldest of four brothers who served in the RCAF in WW2, he was born on 5th August 1906 in Cross Point, Quebec and was the son of thomas and Melvina Keighan. As a young man he worked on the railroad before going to live in Niagra Falls, Ontario. He married Mary Ellen Lonergan in 1929 and had five children of his own. He enlisted for RCAF service on 7th February 1942 in Hamilton and specified that he wanted to serve as ground crew as an aero engine mechanic. After training in Canada he was posted to serve in the UK arriving in March 1943. He begun service with 427 Squadron on 27th March 1943. His brother Joseph Lawrence Keighan was a pilot in 428 Squadron Bomber Command and was made a PoW in December 1943. Brothers Thomas and Charlie also served in the RCAF.
Dennis Davies was born on 27th January 1918 in Muckleton, Shropshire, England and was the son of John Horatio Percy and Francis (nee Kendrick) Davies. His mother was English and his father was Canadian. He was working in farming prior to enlisting for RCAF service. He enlisted in Edmonton, Alberta on 7th July 1941 for ground duties, training as an aero engine mechanic. After basic training in Canada left for service in the UK in April 1943. He was posted to 427 Squadron on 16th April 1943.
I visited the crash site of Oxford DF471 in 2006 and again in 2016. Parts of the aircraft remains close to the point of impact near the Yorkshire border and a number of pieces of the aircraft are still to be found in a sink hole some distance down the hillside. The photograph shown above is taken well below the crash site but looking up to the ridge. The photograph below is taken looking along the ridge at the general area of the crash site.
Sections of the aircraft undercarriage and main spar.
Further pieces of the aircraft with me in 2006.