Wellington HE802 at East Moor airfield, caught fire in the air.

On 3rd July 1943 this aircraft was flying its first Op with the squadron to Cologne when approximately half an hour after take off a fire broke out in the aircraft and an early return and safe landing were made at East Moor but the aircraft was declared Cat.B/FB.

Pilot - Sgt James E Pendleton RAFVR (1217783). Uninjured.

Navigator - P/O Derek Collins RAFVR (158425), of Scarborough, Yorkshire. Uninjured.

Air Bomber - F/O George Jarvis RAFVR (128010), of Windhill, Shipley, Yorkshire. Uninjured.

WOp/AG - Sgt Raymond C White RAFVR (1053456). Uninjured.

Rear Gunner - Sgt R Bland J Pierce RCAF (R/102844). Uninjured.

F/Sgt Pendleton, P/O Jarvis and Sgt's White, Pierce and Collins all arrived at 429 Squadron on 5th March 1943 (probably as a complete crew). Their aircraft was hit by flak on Ops to Duisburg on 12/13th May 1943 but they returned safely. All were posted to 432 Squadron on 14th August 1943 who were based at Skipton on Swale. Their time with this squadron was sadly only brief as on the night of 30th/31st August 1943 all were flying Wellington JA118 on Ops to Monchengladbach. They are now buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
Derek Collins was twenty one years old, he received his commission on 20th May 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency).
George Jarvis was thirty years old. He received his commission on 15th August 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 15th February 1943.
Raymond White receieved his commission on 27th July 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency).
Wellington HE802 was built to contract B124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's at Chester and delivered to MU for acceptance in April 1943. It was issued to 420 Squadron at Middleton St.George but transferred to 429 Squadron at East Moor during the last week of June 1943. Following this incident detailed above Cat.B/FB damage was recorded, it was sent to works for repair and on completion of repair it was issued to 20 OTU at Lossiemouth in August 1943. It was later destroyed (with Cat.E2/FA damage) on 26th August 1943 when it broke up in the air and crashed at Corry Down, Aberdeenshire with the loss of its then crew.