Lancaster DS649 at Rose Cottage Farm, Wiganthorpe, Terrington.
Just before 16.55hrs on 6th November 1943 the crew of this aircraft took off from East Moor airfield, they were undertaking a series of circuits and landings as part of
a training flight and had completed around four of these take-offs already. This form of training was a basic training flight used by crews who were converting to fly heavy
bombers. Their training unit, 1679 Heavy Conversion Flight, were not based at a specific airfield at this stage in the War but on paper it was officially based at Wombleton
airfield, however they used East Moor for some of their training. The exercise had begun around two hours earlier and had taken place in good weather. The airmen on board
were 432 Squadron personnel retraining on the Lancaster type as 432 Squadron were exchanging their Wellingtons for Lancasters. Five minutes later during one of these short
flights the aircraft's nose and starboard wing struck a tree damaging the aircraft and propellers, it then crashed in a small field close to Rose Cottage Farm, between
Terrington and Wiganthorpe at 17.00hrs, it was completely wrecked and was burnt out and the crew of six killed instantly. The reason for it flying so low was not determined,
but the crew had not reported any trouble prior to the accident. It appears there was no navigator on board at the time of the crash but for this exercise none would be required.
One local man contacted during my research stated that he believed there was an engine was on fire prior to the crash, as yet no evidence of this has been found in official
reports but if so it could explain why the aircraft flying so low, and it could be that the pilot was attempting to find somewhere to put the aircraft down. The Court of
Enquiry sourced in Canada stated that all engines were operating correctly prior to striking the tree.
There are a number of documents and other textual sources which try and detail this incident but many make an incorrect suggestion that there was one survivor (with him
being the missing navigator), no official report compiled at the time mentions this and I believe this is untrue. Locals who remember the crash all speak of there being
no survivors and with the damage to the aircraft it seems unlikely that anyone could survive it. A police report does however refer to five being killed and one sustaining
serious injuries; he died soon after the crash at the scene.
Another reference to this incident is to be found in Brian Shields' book "East Moor Experience", he makes the same (probable) error in suggesting the navigator survived
the crash. He does however include a peice of vital information though in the form of an extract of the Flying Control Officer, East Moor. This states that aircraft "E"
(this Lancaster, DS649) began its circuits and bumps training flights at 14.18hrs and on this day were using three aircraft, "A", "E" and "F". Aircraft "E" made what
would be its last take off at around 16.46hrs and and 17.05hrs East Moor's crash crew sighted smoke in the distance, about ten miles away. R/T contact with "E" had
failed to get a response from the aircraft so "F" was sent up to investigate. They reported back that it was an aircraft that had crashed and was burning, East Moor then
sent their crash team to the site along with medical and ambulance personnel. An RAF Regiment guard was also arranged and the crash tender put out the fire. Shields'
book also quotes the M.E.T. weather report as being fine, wind as being a light northerly with visibilty being 25-30 miles. Shields also gives the pilots regular
navigator as being a Sgt J. Burns and his long term fate is not yet known but he was not on DS649 when it crashed. There is also a suggestion that the aircraft was
actually flying from East Moor to Wombleton practicing night-landings and take-offs. Whilst not exactly a night landings practice it could have been getting dark
when the exercise was in its later stages given the time of year but it was not undertaking a night exercise.
Lancaster DS649 was built to contract ACFT/239 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and delivered into MU storage in November 1942. It
remained there until being issued to 426 Squadron at Linton on Ouse in June 1942 when the unit re-equipped with Lancaster MkII's, having
operated Wellington's previously from Dishforth. DS649 saw little service with 426 Squadron who were not operational on Lancaster MkII's
so the aircraft was used by 1679 Heavy Conversion Unit at East Moor initially to convert 426 Squadron crews. It suffered a Cat.A/FA landing accident
at East Moor a month previously to the accident at Terrington, being repaired at East Moor and returned to the training in the days before
its last flight. It was written off following the accident near Terrington.
Pilot - F/O Russell A Davis RCAF (J/17308), aged 23, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Robert C Mitchell RAFVR (1568420), aged 20, of Glasgow. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Bomb Aimer - WO2 Alexander H MacDonald RCAF (R/124964), aged 28, of Bridgeport, Nova Scotia, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Frederick W Hunt RAFVR (1216145), aged 22, of Leicester. Buried Anstey Cemetery, Leicestershire (Grave 599).
Air Gunner - Sgt Leonard W Lehman RCAF (R/184282), aged 20, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Roy L Green RCAF (R/168797), aged 19, of Brant, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
F/O Davis RCAF and his headstone at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. Prior to enlisting into the RCAF he had
worked in Malton, Ontario in aircraft manuafacturing. He enlisted in March 1941 in Toronto and after initial
training gained his Wings on 5th May 1941. He arrived in the UK in January 1942 to continue his training
with 1511 Beam Approach Training Flight and later with 17 OTU. His first operational posting was to 18 Squadron
in June 1942 flying Blenheims. It would appear that he sustained some form of injury or sickness in July 1942 and his
time with 18 Squadron ended. In October 1942 he was posted to 1482 Bombing and Gunnery Flight where he was
engaged in piloting target tug Martinet aircraft. He received his commission on 27th February 1943 to the rank of P/O. On
10th June 1943 he was posted to 22 OTU to train to fly Wellingtons and after completing this training he was
posted to 432 Squadron initially based at Skipton on Swale though they soon moved to East Moor. He his first operational
flight with 432 Squadron on 23rd August 1943 as second pilot, he flew a second operational flight as a second pilot on
30th August 1943 and a third as second pilot on 3rd September 1943. On 22nd September 1943 he flew his one and only operational flight as Captain with 432 Squadron in Wellington HZ485 on Ops to Hannover. He then left 432 Squadron on posting to 11 OTU on 26th
September 1943 probably in preparation for conversion to his Heavy Conversion Unit training which begun on 16th October
1943 at 1679 HCU. At this date in the War all 432 Squadron crews were being training at 1679 HCU in small groups.
At the time of the accident at Terrington he had a flown a total of 366 hours though only four hours were in
a Lancaster.
Through contact with his neice Mrs E Kutzner, she was able to add further details regarding his family. He was
from a large family; their were six brothers (of which four were in active service at this time in the War)
and a sister. I thank Mrs Kutzner for her contact.
Sgt Leonard Lehman RCAF and his headstone. He was born on 27th October 1923 and married
on 2nd January 1943 but soon afterwards he went overseas. The photograph of him shown above
appeared in an issue of The Manitoulin (Island) Expositor in 1994.
Alexander MacDonald RCAF and his headstone. He had previously served with 420 Squadron. W R Chorley's Bomber Command
Losses book reports that on 11th April 1943 he was forced to bail out of Wellington HE422 on return from Ops to Frankfurt
over the Pembrokeshire coast, his pilot, P/O C W Jackson RCAF sadly was drowned. The photograph of his is shown at
"www.vac-acc.gc.ca".
The other three airmen's headstones.
I visited the crash site in July 2007 with air historians Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Dick Barton.
Permission to visit the site was given by Mrs Howard to whom we are most greatful. Small fragments of the aircraft
remain at the crash site although many were molten bits showing the sign of the post-crash fire.
Part of an instrument face.
One of the few peices we located was has a readable part number on it.
My thanks also to air historian Mr David Fuller for researching Russell Davis and sharing this research, and to Russell Davis'
neice Mrs Kutzner for contacting both David and myself.
Locating the site general area of the crash site was initially down to speaking to Mr John Henley of Wiganthorpe who
was able to speak to elderly residents of Terrington which had greatly assisted in locating the correct landowner. Local
historian, Mr Tony Wright's interviewing of further residents also was of great help to the cause. I would also like to
thank Mrs Howard for allowing our visit and she has shown a great interest in the events on her land.