Halifax W7939 near North Grimston, Malton.

During the evening of 29th March 1943 a number of 78 Squadron aircraft took off from Linton on Ouse for Ops to Berlin. This specific aircraft set out at 21.36hrs and climbed to 8000 feet when the oil pressure dropped in one of the engines. This led to the engines big end failing and soon after the crank shaft breaking. This in turn led to complete loss of the aircrafts oil. The bomb load was jettisoned at 22.00hrs (location unknown), the crew baled out at a safe heighht but with low cloud in the area the pilot opted not to try and land the aircraft. The pilot baled out when the offending engine caught fire and the aircraft crashed between North Grimston and Langton at 22.15 hrs. 329 aircraft took off for the raid to Berlin on this night. The investigation stated that the pilot should have attempted to feather the damaged engine earlier in the sequence dispite him being relatively inexperienced on the Halifax with only 31hrs flying the Halifax at night.

Pilot - Sgt Kenneth A Toon RNZAF (415206), initially from Christchurch, New Zealand.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Lawrence G Donaldson RAF (1280330), of Auckland, New Zealand.

Navigator - Sgt Royston Falcus RAFVR (1479674).

Bomb Aimer - Sgt Harold J Burridge RAFVR (1379810).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John P Whelan RAAF (403883) of Denman, New South Wales, Australia. Injured.

Air Gunner - Sgt G M Campbell RAF (1071995), injured.

Air Gunner - P/O Jack R Sands RAFVR (172710).

I have not yet information regarding the exact crash location, however a map reference sourced plots to the area shown area shown on the above photograph.

Kenneth Toon (picture above) embarked New Zealand for the UK in April 1942, on 30th June 1942 he begun training with 2(P)AFU and on 15th July 1942 began training with 6(P)AFU but was "slightly injured on active service" on 29th August 1942. He was posted to 15 OTU on 8th September 1942 and later to 1652 HCU on 20th January 1943. Towards the end of Fenruary 1943 he was posted to 78 Squadron.

He flew his first operational flight as a second "dickie" pilot on 5th March 1943 with Sgt Riach to Essen and then flew a second as second pilot on 9th March 1943 to Munich. On the 11th March 43 he flew his first operational flight as captain (with Sgt Whelan as his wireless operator) to Stuttgart. On 26th March 1943 they flew to Duisburg and on 27th March 1943 to Berlin. The incident at North Grimston occured on 29th March 1943 with Sgt Whelan sustaining injuries following his descent.

On the 14th July 1943, the now Warrant Officer Toon was the pilot of Halifax JD108 when it was shot down by a night-fighter over Belgium. Of those named above involved in the incident near North Grimston Toon and Burridge were killed, Sgt's Donaldson and Falcus evaded capture, and Campbell became a PoW. W/O Toon was twenty one years old; he and Burridge are buried in Gosselies Communal Cemetery, Belgium. The photograph of W/O Toon's grave was found on Facebook. Kenneth Toon was married by the time he arrived in the UK, his wife Margaret lived at Osgoode Station, in Ontario, Canada.

Harold Burridge received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 3rd July 1943. CWGC does not list is full name on it's web-based database.

As previously stated Donaldson and Falcus both evaded capture and returned to the UK.

Lawrence Donaldson was born on 23rd May 1915. He found the famous Comete escape line and made it back to the UK through them.

Royston Falcus evaded capture but his route home is not yet known. He was later commissioned on 24th September 1944 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 24th March 1945. Nothing more is known of him.

John Whelan was born on 2nd April 1921 and enlisted into the RAAF on 4th March 1941. He was posted to 78 Squadron from RAF Holme on Spalding Moor on 9th March 1944 but it appears that he arrived as a 'spare' rather than with a crew as he arrived alone. He flew his first operation with 78 Squadron on 22nd March 1944 with F/O Murray to Frankfurt. His completed second was with F/Sgt Paul Christiansen RCAF on 9th April 1944 to Lille and he flew his third with them on the 10th April 1944 to Tergnier. His fourth was flown as part of F/Sgt Pritchard's crew to Boulogne on 19th May 1944 and by this time Whelan had been promoted to Warrant Officer. He also flew his fifth with Pritchard on 22nd May 1944 to Orleans but this was aborted not over enemy territory due to the port inner fuel pump becoming unservicable. He flew his sixth and final operational flight on 7th June 1944 to Juvisy in Halifax MZ636. Their aircraft was hit by flak over the target at Juvisy in France and again near the village of Plessis-Pate, near Bretigny-sur-Orge (Saine et Oise) which brought the aircraft down between midnight and 01.00hrs on night of 7/8th June 1944.
Jack Sands received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 16th January 1944 (but notification was not published in the London Gazette until April 1944). He was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 27th June 1944 for service with 78 Squadron. He rose to F/O (wars subs) on 16th July 1944 and survived the War.