Wellington HE177 at East Moor airfield.
On the night of 21st/22nd May 1943 the crew of this aircraft were undertaking a mine laying operational flight and had left
Dalton airfield at 22.07hrs. On their return the pilot tried to land at East Moor but overshot the runway and crashed at 02.35hrs.
Four of the crew were killed in the crash. The aircraft ended up at right angles to the runway in the fields beyond the end of the
runway. There are two conflicting locations, near Low Carr Farm and near Thrush House - locations at opposite ends of the main runway.
Pilot - F/Sgt Alexander J Simpson RCAF (R/144570), aged 20, of Oxbow, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Navigator - F/Sgt Stanley D Frewen RCAF (R/120897), aged 23, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Bomber - F/O Arlie B Douglas RCAF (J/20854), aged 31, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
WOp/AG - Sgt Alfred J Grenon RCAF (R/199705), aged 25, of Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Rear Gunner - "Sgt A J Howes RCAF", injured. Possibly Alfred John Howes RAFVR (1254491).
Arlie Douglas and his grave at Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
The gravestones of the other three airmen sadly killed in this accident at East Moor.
Alexander Simpson was born on 5th February 1913 in Oxbow and enlisted in Regina on 11th July 1941 in Regina but was working in farming in Oxbow at the time. His parents had moved to Canada after WW1 from Elgin, Moray, Scotland, his father had been wounded twice in WW1 and had sadly lost two brothers.
Stanley Frewen was born on 1st November 1919 in Billinghurst, West Sussex. England.
He enlisted in Regina on 23rd August 1941 and was farming in Baljennie at the time. His
parents later moved to Winnipeg.
Who Sgt Howes exactly was is not yet known, he may well have been one Alfred John Howes RAFVR (1254491).
If so then he was soon back on active flying and posted to 426 Squadron as he was lost over Germany on 18th
August 1943 flying in Lancaster DS681. His pilot was W/Co Leslie Crooks DSO DFC, who himself had baled out
over Stonegrave, Yorkshire earlier in the year. Both were killed when the aircraft crashed near Griefswald.
F/Sgt Howes was twenty one years old and is buried in Berlin War Cemetery, Germany.
Wellington HE177 was built to contract B124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd at Chester and delivered to 428 Squadron at Dalton in
December 1942 following MU acceptance. It was written off after this incident with Cat.E2/FB damage being recorded.