Halifax at East Moor airfield.

On the 24th of February 1944 this Halifax crashed on take off and stopped in trees near the airfield perimeter at 18.25 hrs. The crew were ok. They were tasked with bombing Schweinfurt's ball bearing factories which nine other 432 Sqdn Halifax's set out to do.

The aircraft was built to contract ACFT/891 by Fairey Aviation Ltd at Stockport and delivered to MU store in January 1944. Shortly afterwards it was issued to 432 Sqdn at East Moor in the second week of February 1944. It sustained Cat. B/FB in the incident detailed above and was repaired in worksat the YARD workshop down the road from East Moor at Rawcliffe. On completion of the repair it was issued to 76 Sqdn at Holme-upon-Spalding Moor in mid 1944. It then transferred to 518 Sqdn Coastal Command at Brawdy in February 1945 and moved with the unit to Chivenor on 26th November 1945. The unit disbanded on 21st June 1946 and it was flown to MU store (probably at Clifton) when it was struck off charge as scrap on 24th January 1947 and cut up.

Pilot - F/O Earle K Reid RCAF (J/14021), of Milford Station, Nova Scotia, Canada.

2nd Pilot - F/Sgt Clarke RCAF. Of Hawkestone, Ontario, Canada.

FEng - Sgt John A May RAF (575531), of Gravesend, Kent.

? - F/O James T Smith RCAF, of Victoria, Canada.

? - WO2 Vincent C MacDonald RCAF, of Meota, Sask, Canada.

? - F/Sgt George G Maguire RCAF, He was married, his wife lived in Chatham, Kent.

AG - Sgt Robert L Clarkson RCAF (J/90061), of N. Hamilton, Canada. He was married.

? - Sgt Joseph J Barr RCAF, Point Edward, Ontario, Canada.

At this time 432 Sqdn had two F/Sgt Clarke's undertraining in February 1944, but perhaps more remarkable both men were brothers; Arthur and Edward Clarke RCAF. Arthur Clarke (J/89944) was killed weeks later in a crash on the North Yorkshire Moors. The family then suffered a double tragedy when Arthur's brother Edward Clarke RCAF (J/86745) was lost on 29th July 1944 when his 432 Sqdn Halifax NP702 was lost without trace. Arthur was aged 22, his brothers age is not recorded.

F/O Reid and his crew were lost on the ill-fated night of 30-31st March 1944 when their Halifax was shot down by a night fighter, at the time of his death F/O Reid undertook twelve Ops in eight weeks. Sgt's May and Clarkson were killed, the other four became POW's.