Halifax LK754 at East Moor airfield.

On 24th February 1944 this Halifax crashed on take off from East Moor and stopped in trees near the airfield perimeter at 18.25hrs. The crew escaped serious injury. They were tasked with bombing Schweinfurt's ball bearing factories which nine other 432 Squadron Halifax's did not get far.

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, Saskatchewan, Canada.

? - F/Sgt George G Maguire RCAF. His wife lived in Chatham, Kent.

AG - Sgt Robert L Clarkson RCAF (J/90061), of North Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

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

In February 1944 432 Squadron had two F/Sgt Clarke's who were pilots on their books 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 when Halifax LW614 crashed it what is now Dalby Forest. The family then suffered a double tragedy when Arthur's brother Edward Clarke RCAF (J/86745) was lost on 29th July 1944 when Halifax NP702 was lost without trace. Arthur was aged twenty two years old, his brothers age is not recorded. It is not yet known which of the brothers was acting as second pilot to F/O Reid on this night.

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 had undertook twelve Ops in eight weeks. Sgt's May and Clarkson were killed, the remaining four became POW's.
Halifax LK754 was built to contract ACFT/891 by Fairey Aviation Ltd at Stockport and delivered to MU store in January 1944. It was issued to 432 Squadron at East Moor in the second week of February 1944 and sustained Cat.B/FB in the incident detailed above. It was repaired in works at the Y.A.R.D. workshop down the road from East Moor at Clifton/Rawcliffe. On completion of the repairs it was issued to 76 Squadron at Holme-upon-Spalding Moor in mid-1944. It later transferred to 518 Squadron in 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 storage (probably at Clifton) when it was struck off charge as scrap on 24th January 1947 and cut up.