Halifax BB203 at Cornborough Farm, near Sheriff Hutton.
On 16th July 1942 the airmen in this Halifax were engaged on 158 Conversion Flight training flying out of East Moor airfield. On board were three pilots and two flight engineers, one of the pilots was an instructor and two were pilots converting from Wellingtons to Halifaxes. The aircraft was returning to East Moor and it had passed over the Dalby and Whenby area at a low level, up to now the flight had gone well but as it flew towards base to local residents it seemed to be flying too low to avoid a crash, some of these locals set off on their bicycles knowing that it wouldn't be long before they got to where the aircraft would crash. The aircraft flew on at this low level for some way. The pilot of the Halifax began his approach to land at East Moor airfield, it was thought that he overshot his turn that would have lined him up with the runway and then tried to over-correct this turning error by increased banking, this however caused a stall to the aircraft. The early Halifax rudder over balance problem was also thought to have been a contributing factor to the crash. By this stage the aircraft was too low to avoid the inevitable, the stall and the increased banking caused the aircraft to clip a chimney stack on Cornborough Villa, west of Sheriff Hutton. Soon afterwards, at 11.37hrs, it crashed into the paddock near the farm before coming to rest again a tree. A fire took hold. Two brothers, Arthur and George Pearson, were in a nearby farm, Cornborough Manor, at the time, hearing the crash they rushed to the scene, entered the wreckage and were able to drag one airman out of the flames. Sadly this airman died of his injuries soon after, the other four airmen were killed instantly by the crash. The house was later repaired following a successful insurance claim.
Instructor Pilot - P/O James Wilson Craig RAFVR (118685), aged 21, of Ayr. Buried Ayr Cemetery, Fifeshire, Scotland.
Trainee Pilot - P/O John Forster Withy RAFVR (114441), aged 31. Buried at Newton on Ouse, Yorkshire. (At controls at time of crash).
Trainee Pilot - W/O Harry Ward Williamson RCAF (R/71602), aged 29, of Tottenham, Ontario, Canada. Buried at Newton on Ouse, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Edward Place RAFVR (1129411), aged 20, of Stockton on Tees. Buried Hartlepool Stranton Cemetery, Durham.
Flight Engineer (in rear turret) - Sgt Alexander Dunn RAFVR (1369631), aged 25, of Kelty, Scotland. Buried Beath Eastern Cemetery, Fifeshire, Scotland.
Harry Williamson was born on 2nd February 1915 in a farming community in an area between Toronto and Georgian Bay, the location given on his RCAF enlistment papers gives the plot number his parents farmed at but I cannot work out exactly where this was. He was the son of Russell and Florence Maud (nee Ward) Williamson and as a young man he worked on the farm at Tottenham, Ontario. I assume this was near to where he was born. He enlisted for RCAF service on 14th August 1940 in Toronto and mid-way through traiing he married Sybil Kirkpatrick in January 1941 probably back home at Tottenham. Following training in Canada he was awarded his pilot's flying badge on 28th May 1941. He arrived in the UK in mid-July 1941 and was immediately posted to 10 OTU on 21st July 1941. On 7th August 1941 while flying Whitley N1374 at 10 OTU he unfortunately landed the aircraft at Abingdon without lowering the undercarriage. He was posted to 158 Squadron on 16th June 1942. Both Withy and Williamson were buried at Newton on Ouse on the 20th July 1942. Almost the whole of 158 Squadron attended the service, after which a tea was had at Aldwark Manor.
Their instructor James Craig had served with 405 Squadron in 1941 and successfully ditched Wellington W5581 off the Devon coast in July 1941. He received a commission on 16th March 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and had previously served at 1652 HCU before arriving at East Moor on 22nd June 1942 for instructional duties with 158 Squadron. His family grave is located in Ayr Cemetery where his original wooden grave marker is also present.
Two of the headstones of those killed in this accident, Withy's at Newton on Ouse churchyard and Sgt Place's in Hartlepool Cemetery.
John Forster Withy received a commission on 4th November 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). He is commemorated on the Lloyd's insurance War Memorial in London and also listed on that memorial is a Henry Forster Withy who was almost certainly related to him. F/Lt Henry Forster Withy RAFVR (102293) was lost off Malta in 1940 flying with 185 Squadron.
Alexander Dunn's brother John was also killed on actice service in WW2.
Halifax BB203 was built by the London Passenger Transport Board at Leavesden under contract B1242357/40. After testing at MU it was taken on charge by 35 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 17th June 1942 but it was actually transferred before delivery from them and to 158 Conversion Flight at East Moor. It was declared Cat.E2/FA (Burnt) on 16th July 1942 following the incident at Cornborough and it was struck off charge on the same day. Its total flying time totalled 47 hours and 38 minutes, there is also a possibility it carried the squadron coding "NP-Z".
Halifax BB203 clipped the left side chimney stack of the farmhouse shown in the photograph above and then crashed into the field behind where I was stood taking this photograph. I visited the site in January 2005, together the Sheriff Hutton local history group we found a number of small items at the site. Permission was gained from the Vaux family prior to the visit and I am grateful to them for allowing my visit. Their son Fergus aided our search and is pictured below with George Pearson's citation and award.
The items found at the site. They were to be included in a local display and then returned to the site.
Of the rescuers, Arthur Pearson was killed in a car accident on 17th January 1976, aged sixty seven years old. George Pearson was born in 1905, he died in 1999, he married Lilly (who was still living on my visit to the crash site and she still lived locally at the time in Sheriff Hutton). George was a churchwarden from 1946-82 at Sheriff Hutton Parish Church. I would like to thank Mrs Lilly Pearson for allowing her husband's award and citation to be shown to me.
