Whitley Z6871 at Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 6/7th September 1941 the crew of this aircraft were tasked with Ops to Huls but before they could take off the aircraft became bogged down.
The aircraft may then have been struck by Whitley Z6800.
The aircraft crashed on the North Yorkshire Moors at the end of the month.
Pilot - P/O Bruce B P Roy RAFVR (102583), of Palmer's Green, Middlesex.
2nd Pilot - Sgt Lawrence W Carr RAF (1250644), of Crayford, Kent.
Obs - Sgt Philip L N (Len) Trehearn RAFVR (947664), of Rhyl, Wales. - uninjured.
WOp/AG - Sgt Philip A Taylor RAFVR (995861).
AG - Sgt P Smiddy
Sgt Taylor was killed on 30th November 1941 flying on Ops to Hamburg in Whitley Z6800.
He is buried in Kiel War Cemetery, Germany.
Len Trehearn was involved in a number of other mishaps in Yorkshire. At the end of September 1941 he was flying in this same Whitley when the aircraft crashed
on the North Yorkshire Moors near Danby, details found here. He survived this incident
and later began to convert to flying in Halifaxs but was sadly to be killed on 14th April 1942 when Halifax R9488
crashed near Baldersby, Thirsk while the crew were giving it an airtest. Details found here.
Len Trehearn is buried at Rhyl in Wales.
Sgt Carr's aircraft Whitley Z6868 exploded prior to take off on 31st August, he and his crew were able to run clear before the explosion and escaped injury. This incident is detailed on this website. He later converted to Halifaxs and on 28th April 1942 he was the pilot of Halifax W7653 on Ops to Cologne when his aircraft was shot down by a night fighter over Belgium. He was able to evade capture thanks to the Comete Line and crossed into Spain on 13th May 1942.
P/O Roy was posted missing after Ops on 8th November 1941 in Whitley Z6820.
He was 23 years old and is commemerated on the Runnymede Memorial.