Whitley T4206 at Topcliffe airfield.
In the early hours of the 15th of October 1940 the crew on this aircraft were returning from Ops to Stettin having taken off from Topcliffe at 17.40hrs the previous evening.
The weather was poor over base and with visibilty being reduced when coming into land the aircraft struck a tree near the undershoot area at 03.30hrs. The aircraft crashed and
sadly one of the crew, believed to have been acting as second pilot died from his injuries.
Pilot - S/Ldr George R H Black RAF (37373), aged 27, of New Barkby. Buried Barkby Cemetery, Leics.
Pilot - Sgt Thomas E Coogan RAF (534642), injured. Of Geasby, Cheshire.
Sgt Boddington, injured.
Sgt Garwood, injured.
(WOp/)AG - Sgt James W Woodroffe RAFVR (937800), of Radford, Coventry. Injured.
Sgt Thomas Coogan crashed landed Whitley N1356 at Jurby on the Isle of Man on 8th June 1940 while on a training flight with 77 Squadron. He was awarded the DFM in January 1941
with 77 Squadron. He was later posted to 19 OTU and sadly killed on 16th March 1942 flying Lysander R9120 which crashed on Findhorn Beach, near Kinloss killing him and one other.
He is buried in Kinloss Abbey Burial Ground.
F/Sgt Woodroffe was killed on 30th November 1941, he was still with 77 Squadron and his buried
in Sage War Cemetery. He was twenty five years old.