Whitley Z6625 near Austwick.

On the night of 8th / 9th June 1941 the crew on this 78 Squadron aircraft were tasked with bombing Dortmund and they took off from Middleton St.George at 22.55hrs. Having bombed from 15,000ft on their way home they picked up a radio message instructing them divert north to land at Prestwick because of fog over Yorkshire which was blanketing their home airfield and the Vale of York. This bad weather had cost the crew of Whitley Z6571 their lives in the accident at Ellingstring, near Masham on the same night. The crew of Z6625 were making for Prestwick when they received a message to cancel the diversion and land at base. The crew were either lost by this stage or where intending on flying across the country to the west coast and then heading up the coast but the time the crew were instructed to return to base the aircraft was running low on fuel. They probably knew that there was much higher ground around then and pilot had little option to descend when a break in the cloud came and force land the aircraft in a field near Austwick, Settle at 06.15hrs. None of the crew sustained any injury and the aircraft was not damaged. The aircraft was later filled with a small amount of fuel with the intention of taking off from the field and flying to Liverpool. W/Co Robinson, S/Ldr Williams and 78 Squadron's engineering officer arrived at Austwick and made the flight to Liverpool and later flew the aircraft back to base. This incident is covered in more detail in Stan Howes' "Goosepool" book and a series of letters appeared in The Dalesman magazine in 2008 making reference to the incident. The field in which this landing took place was near Orcaber Farm, Orcaber Lane, Austwick.

Pilot - F/O Christopher Chevalier Cheshire RAF (87635).

Second Pilot - Sgt Sid Lang, of Canada.

Observer - Sgt Gordon John Smalley RAF (754689).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Tommy Hall.

Rear Gunner - Sgt "Tug" Wilson.

Christopher Cheshire was the brother of Leonard Cheshire VC. Both he and F/Sgt Smalley were made PoW on 12th August 1941 flying 76 Squadron Halifax L9530 which was shot down by flak. His life and loss are well documented elsewhere and I do not wish to simply copy these works.

Gordon Smalley was born on 30th April 1920 at Burton on Trent, Staffordshire and was the son of Arthur John and Alice Eva (nee Lyons) Smalley. In the 1939 register he is listed as being a brewery clerk at Burton on Trent and also a member of the RAF. He married Hilda Dorothy Alton and died in February 1992.

Whitley Z6625 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton. It was allotted to 20 MU on 5th March 1941 and was then received by them on 16th March 1941. The aircraft was taken on charge by 78 Squadron at Middleton St.George 23rd March 1941. It sustained no damage as a result of the landing at Austwick on 9th June 1941 (Cat.U damage). The aircraft continued to serve with 78 Squadron until 9th July 1941 when it crashed on return from Ops to Hamm, the port engine failed over the North Sea and while making a forced landing near Bircham Newton it struck trees and a haystack and crashed. It's five crew survived but the aircraft was badly damaged with Cat.E/FB damage being recorded. The aircraft was struck off charge on 31st July 1941.

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