Whitley T4285 near Beningbrough.
On 24th July 1941 this 58 Squadron aircraft had just taken off from Linton on Ouse to undertake an operational flight to bomb Emden, soon after taking off it began
to suffer engine trouble. The crew jettisoned their bombs and turned the aircraft around to make for their base. Fifteen minutes after taking off the
aircraft crash landed in the River Ouse near Beningbrough at 23.20hrs. The aircraft is said to have been deliberately ditched in the river and the crew
apparently paddled to the river bank in the dinghy, the photograph above shows the aircraft in position in the River Ouse the next day. One assumes the
recovery was slightly unusual for the recovery team. The aircraft crashed into the river near to the Red House, Moor Monkton which was a preparatory school
at the time. Members of staff at the school including the headmaster Thomas Hardwick assisted the crew in getting to the river bank in a small boat that
pupils had made. The crew were taken back to the school to await collection. I thank Mr Robin Gordon for his input in recording this incident.
Whitley T4285 was built to contract 38599/39 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 26th October 1940.
After a lengthy period of MU storage it was taken on charge by 58 Squadron at Linton on Ouse in April 1941 to replace Whitley T4266 lost
on 18th April 1941. As a result of this incident in the river on 24th July 1941 Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded on the paperwork after assessment.
Pilot - Sgt Harry Aston Williams RAFVR (937280).
Second Pilot - P/O Harold Knight RAFVR (65538).
Observer - P/O Arnold Wilmot Rees RAFVR (60520).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Edwin Horne RAFVR (960947).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Norman Fenton RAFVR (952943).
Harry Williams survived the crash of 35 Squadron Halifax L9579 near Youlton on 13th October 1941. He was awarded the DFM for service with 35 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th March 1942 but by the time this was printed in the London Gazette he had received a commission on 16th February 1942 (116901). On 2nd June 1942 he was flying 1652 Conversion Unit Halifax R9372 on the Thousand Bomber raid on Essen, the aircraft lost power over the target and began to loose height on the return flight. Over Holland it was shot down and was crash landed. All the crew became PoWs. He survived the War and remained in the RAF until at least 1961.
This photograph was taken inside Stalag Luft III in 1943. Harry Williams is seated centre-left. The names of the others are not known. My thanks to Andrew Homer for kindly supplying the two photographs shown here.
Harold Knight received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 24th April 1941. He was reported as missing on 30th November 1941 when Whitley Z6507 failed to return from an operational flight to Hamburg. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Joseph Horne failed to return from an operational flight on Stettin on 30th September 1941 when 58 Squadron Whitley Z6944. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Norman Fenton was killed on 8th November 1941 during an operational flight to Berlin with 58 Squadron in Whitley Z9205. He is buried in Kiel War Cemetery.