Whitley P4994 at Leeming airfield.
On 22nd December 1940 this aircraft was taking off at night from Leeming airfield for a local night flying practice when it failed to get airborne
and struck the roof of a farm house at Newton Picot close to the airfield at 19.07hrs. The aircraft crashed soon after and caught fire and sadly one member
of the crew died as a result of the accident. A police report located states that only four airmen were on the aircraft.
Pilot - P/O Peter Beckford Gough RAF (42599), of Wivenhoe, Essex. Slightly injured.
Second Pilot - P/O Ross Leslie Flewelling RAF (42703), aged 24, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Buried Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Rest of crew - Names unknown, slightly injured.
Ross Flewelling's grave at Leeming Churchyard. He received his commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 18th September 1939
and was re-graded as P/O on probation on 20th April 1940 and P/O on 24th July 1940.
Peter Gough was granted a commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on probation on 2nd September 1939, he was graded as P/O on probation on 20th April 1940
and P/O on 10th July 1940. He was promoted to F/O on 20th April 1941 but was killed flying with 10 Squadron on 11th May 1941 in Whitley P5048 on Ops to Hamburg. He is buried in Kiel War Cemetery. He is listed on Orford War Memorial, Suffolk.
Whitley P4994 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 15th May 1940. After a period of MU
storage it was taken on charge by 10 Squadron based at Leeming in July 1940 as a replacement for P4964 "ZA-U" which was transferred to 78 Squadron at Dishforth.
as a result of the accident at Leeming detailed above Cat.W/FA(burnt) damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off.