Hampden AD923 near Dishforth airfield.
On the 21st of September 1941 the crew of this aircraft were returning from Ops to Frankfurt and were diverted north to land at Dishforth because of fog over their base.
At 04.30hrs the aircraft was turning to
make its approach to land when the fuel ran out and the aircraft crash-landed close to the A1 road just north of the airfield in an area known as Hutton Moor. The aircraft was seriously
damaged but the crew escaped serious injury.
Pilot - F/Lt William J W Kingston RAF (70366), of Schull, Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland.
Obs - Sgt Robert C W De Courcy RAFVR (1255048), of Bailey, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
WOp/AG - Sgt Tod
Wop/AG - Sgt Joseph A Tobin RAFVR (931607), of Highbury, London.
Kingston's rank at the time of the AD923 incident at Dishforth is often quoted as F/O, I believe this is incorrect as he was made F/Lt
three weeks previously (as per information found in the London Gazette).
Mr Earl reports that the then F/Lt Kingston crash landed Hampden AE441 near Langham airfield soon after his landing at Dishforth, also on this second
aircraft were Sgt's Tod and De Courcy. On 7th February 1942 all three were flying in Hampden AE392 which was shot down on a mine laying flight, all three
were killed. Kinsgton was 27, De Courcy was 24 and Tobin was 19 years old. All are commemerated on the Runnymede Memorial.
William Kingston had been in the RAF Reserve pre-War but relinquished his initial commission to
been granted a short service commission in the RAF as P/O on probation on 31st August 1939,
he rose to F/O on 3rd September 1940 and to F/Lt on 3rd September 1941.
In his book "Hell on High Ground 2" David Earl gives an account of this incident and although the information is written in good faith he suggests the aircraft crashed onto
high ground on the North Yorkshire Moors on Hutton Moor, south of Guisborough. The location given in police records is the Hutton Moor between Dishforth and Melmerby.
With polite respect to Mr Earl's research I would suggest there is an error in the book.
On 7th November 1941 Sgt Tod was in Hampden AE238 which crashed near Lichfield, Staffordshire and escaped serious injury.