Lysander T1630 near Malton.
On 31st December 1941 the pilot of this Lysander was undertaking drogue towing duties, probably off the Yorkshire Coast. On his return towards base the engine of the
aircraft began to fail and sputtered badly at 3000 feet. The pilot jettisoned the drogue cable and while attempting a forced landed near Malton the aircraft struck a
hedge. The undercarriage was broken off and the aircraft came to a halt in a field soon after at 11.30hrs alongside the Castle Howard Road, Malton. The pilot survived
although it is not known if he was the only one on the aircraft at the time. The aircraft was taken away for repair. The incident happened in the Trigger Castle / Thorpe Manor
area between Malton and Coneysthorpe.
Pilot - P/O Richard Bradwell RAFVR (60522).
Lysander T1630 was built to contract 23637/39 by Westland's at Yeovil but converted during production to a Target Towing (T.T.) MkIIIA. It was delivered
to MU storage in December 1940 but not issued to a unit until 28th April 1941 when it was taken on charge by 60 OTU at Leconfield. 60 OTU moved to East
Fortune on 4th June 1941 but T1630 was transferred to 54 OTU at Church Fenton on the same date. It suffered Cat.R(b)/FA damage in the incident at Malton
on New Years Eve 1941 and taken away to be repaired in works. After repair it was issued to 52 OTU at Aston Down on an unknown date in 1942. Later in
the same year it moved to 55 OTU at Annan, eventually ending it's days at MU storage where it was struck off charge on 16th July 1943.
Richard Bradwell was commissioned on 2nd December 1940 as P/O on probation, rising to F/O (war subs) on 19th November 1941 and F/Lt exactly a year later. At
the time of the incident near Malton he had a total of 348 hours flying. As F/Lt he was awarded the DFC for service with 108 Squadron (Gazetted on 30th
November 1943). He shot down at least four enemy aircraft and later flew with 46 Squadron in The Mediterranean area. After the War he continued
his service but was sadly killed on 30th April 1952 in the accident of Canberra WD960 at Llandow, Wales. At this time S/Ldr Bradwell
was a test pilot at Farnborough. He was thirty years old and is buried at Farnborough Cemetery, Hampshire.