Halifax EB198 near Huby, Easingwold.

On 15th September 1943 the crew of this aircraft were undertaking a training flight, a practice bombing exercise over the Strensall Ranges near York. As they were about to drop their third bomb on the range the pilot's escape hatch opened at the jettison pins. The crew attempted to close the hatch but it broke off the aircraft but as it broke free it damaged the starboard fin leading edge and starboard rudder, control of the aircraft was lost as a result of this damage to the tail of the aircraft. The pilot ordered his crew to bale out but he stayed with aircraft possibly trying to force-land the aircraft. It would appear unlikely that he was trying to find the nearest airfield as he must have flown over East Moor but was perhaps trying to fly the aircraft back to base of Croft (but speculation on this researchers part). Before a landing could be made the aircraft went into a dive from which the pilot recovered but it then made a slow roll and crashed at around 12.30hrs (although this time varies between sources, ranging from 12.25hrs, 12.35hrs and 12.45hrs). The rest of crew survived but the pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed between Huby and Stillington on land belonging to, as the police report quotes "Newtons Farm, Huby" though there is no farm with this name at Huby. The aircraft crashed virtually on the road between Huby and Stillington and not far from where Halifax LK761 would crash later in the War. A hole in the hedge made by the crashing aircraft is still to be seen today. "Newton's Farm" remained a mystery until I spoke to Stillington resident Mr John Sparrow in 2011, he suggested that at the time the land could well have been owned by Newton House Farm, Sutton on Forest. As the crow flies the field is not far removed from the farm.

The pilot's funeral took place on 21st September at 11.30hrs, Linton on Ouse supplied the Guard of Honour and the firing party and was attended by serving members of his crew. The Unit's chaplin, S/Ldr Earl Lautenslager officiated. The pilot was to become one of the first airman to be buried in Harrogate's Stonefall Cemetery and possibly the first in the new section of the cemetery. Almost one thousand airmen would later be buried in this area cemetery. The list of survivors is very much my work-in-progress list. Various publications have attempted to list them and none so far appears correct, to date this is my best guess as written below. Halifax EB198 was built to contract ACFT/637/C4/C by Rootes Securities at Speke and delivered directly to 1664 HCU at Croft in June 1943. It was written off following this incident with Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage being recorded.

Pilot - F/O Henry A Poulter RAAF (409940), aged 30, of St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Harry Glass RCAF (R/156584), of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Uninjured.

Navigator - Sgt C W Wray RAF (1314764), uninjured.

Bomb aimer - F/O Christopher W Graham RAFVR (151241), of Trinidad, West Indies. Uninjured.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt S O (or S C, or G O) Sharp RAF (1317939), slighty injured.

Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt H J Robinson RCAF (R/138018), uninjured.

Rear Gunner - Sgt F Finlay (or Findlay) RAF (701162/701167?), uninjured.

Henry Poulter and his gravestone in Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. He was born on 24th September 1912 at Richmond, Victoria and enlisted 7th November 1941 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was married and had a young daughter and was a school teacher in civilian life in Australia. The photograph below shows his funeral procession in the cemetery at Harrogate.

In July 2011 I met with Stillington resident Mr John Sparrow who remembered this incident occuring in 1943 and was himself at school in Stillington at the time. He kindly showed me where the aircraft crashed, it is the area shown in the photograph above with the hole in the hedge being created by the crashing aircraft.

Those who baled out and survived the incident detailed at the top of this page later were alloted another pilot, probably F/O J H Wilson RCAF and completed their training. On 30th/31st March 1944 they had been posted to 429 Squadron and were undertaking Ops to Nuremburg when Halifax LK804, was attacked by fighters and was badly damaged. A fire broke out in the aircraft but Sgt Glass was able to put this out but on their return they were forced to ditch the badly damaged aircraft in the English Channel. Unfortunately the nose section of the aircraft broke away on impact and the pilot was unable to get clear before the aircraft sunk and he was sadly lost. A number of the crew were badly injured but they were later picked up off the Normanby coast by high speed launches. Their pilot, F/O Wilson, is listed on the Runnymede Memorial. For his efforts in fighting the fire on board the aircraft Sgt Glass was awarded an immediate DFM, Gazetted on 2nd May 1944. Sadly his long-term fate was perhaps sealed, he was lost on 8th August 1944 flying in Halifax LW132 on Ops to Chantilly, the aircraft caught fire at 15,000ft outbound and broke up at 5,000ft. Only one of his then crew were able to bale out. Sgt Glass was sadly killed and buried in Brookwood Cemetery, he was twenty three years old. He was born in Dufferin, Ontario in 1921 and enlisted in Toronto in April 1941. The citation for his DFM reads..

"This airman was the flight engineer of an aircraft detailed to attack Nuremberg one night in March 1944. During the operation the aircraft was repeatedly attacked by fighters and sustained extensive damage. A fire commenced but Sergeant Glass, by his gallant and determined efforts, succeeded in extinguishing the flames. Later, whilst over the North Sea on the homeward flight, the pilot was forced to bring the aircraft down on to the water. Two wounded members of the crew were in danger of losing their lives but were saved by Sergeant Glass who also assisted other members of the crew into the dinghy. He proved a tower of strength in most distressing circumstances."

Christopher Wellington Graham was one of a small number of West Indian aircrew who served in Bomber Command. He received his commission on 19th February 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency), and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 19th August 1943. He rose to F/Lt on 19th February 1945. He remained in the Reserve after the War and was granted a substantive rank of Flight Lieutenant on 1st November 1947 (with seniority back dated to 19th August 1946) but nothing more is known of him.

Nothing is known of the others listed in EB198, possibly because their names are not correctly recorded.