Whitley N1383 at Driffield airfield.
On 17th December 1939 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft were making a night landing at Driffield when it undershot the runway and hit a hedge.
Pilot - S/Ldr Roland Gustave Harman RAF (29092).
Crew - Names unknown.
Ronald Harman joined the RAF around 1930, as P/O on probation he was posted to 25 Squadron at Hawkinge on 23rd June 1931 and made a P/O four days later. He was then made F/O on 27th January 1932. As F/O he was posted to 2 FTS at Digby on 22nd October 1934 and later to 7 FTS at Peterborough on 16th December 1935. In early 1936 he was appointed to F/Lt on a permanent commission and to S/Ldr on 1st October 1938. He was the pilot of Whitley N1379 which was damaged near Dishforth on 26h March 1940 (detailed on this website). S/Ldr Harman was awarded the DFC on 13th September 1940. He was Mentioned in Despatches in January 1941. He later rose W/C from temporary W/C on 8th December 1942 and later to Group Captain in January 1944. The photograph above shows him early in his RAF career in 1932 while he was serving with 25 Fighter Squadron (found in Flight Magazine archives).
Whitley N1383 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was delivered to 102 Squadron at Driffield in October 1939. Following the incident above
Cat.M/FA damage was recorded. It was repaired on site and returned to the unit. It was lost (with Cat.W(m) damage recorded) on 26th April 1940 on Ops to Aalborg after it was
shot down and crashed at Store Vildmose, near Aalborg with four of its then crew killed and one being made a PoW.