On the night of 16th / 17th November 1942 the crew of this 25 Operational Training Unit aircraft were undertaking a Bullseye training flight and left Finningley at 17.45hrs on 16th November. Soon after midnight a mix-up in changing the fuel tank supply resulted in both engines cutting out. The pilot ordered his crew to bale out before he then force landed it in a field near near Maltby, Rotherham. One of the crew had delayed his jump because of his "inability to adjust his parachute pack" and he died having jumped at too low an altitude for the parachute to work. The names of the others in the aircraft are not yet known. The pilot was later posted to 61 Squadron and his crew who he flew with their may have been the same with whom he was training with at 25 O.T.U..
Wellington BK193 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd., at Hawarden, Chester. It was received by 48 M.U. at Hawarden on 28th August 1942 and was taken on charge shortly after by 25 O.T.U. at Finningley on 6th September 1942. On 21st September 1942 it sustained minor damage in a flying accident on 21st September 1942 which no details are yet known. It was repaired on site by a team from Fairfields and was returned to 25 O.T.U. on 17th October 1942. As a result of the crash on 17th November 1942 the aircraft was written off with Cat.E2/FA damage being the assessment. It was struck off charge on 25th November 1942.
Pilot - Sgt Frederick Charles Allcroft RCAF (J/17472).
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Edward Ranald Newson RAFVR (1182450), aged 33, of Norbury. Buried Streatham Park Cemetery, Surrey (Square 8/35233).
Other crew members - Names unknown.
Edward Ranald Newson was the son of Ada and John Newson MBE, of Norbury and was the husband of Winifred Newson. His middle name although an unusual spelling is correct, he was born in the Camberwell area of London in 1909 and he married in the same area in 1935. He was well above the average age for aircrew and was nearly twice the age of his pilot. The date of his father's MBE or the history behind it being awarded is yet to be researched.
Frederick Allcroft was born Frederick Hewitt on 1st April 1923, he was the son of Charles and Beatrice Hewitt but he was raised under the surname of his step-father of Allcroft and enlisted under this surname on 24th June 1941. He was working as an apprentice aero engineer for the Vancouver Air Training Co at the time of enlistment there. After completing his training in Canada he was awarded his Pilot's Wings on 10th April 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 6 (P)AFU, 13 OTU, 25 OTU and 1661 Conversion Flight before posting to 61 Squadron on 2nd March 1943. He flew his first operational flight with 61 Squadron on 9th December 1942 to Lille, for service with 61 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 1st July 1943 having received his commission on 11th April 1943. The citation for his DFC states that his first operational flight was to Essen (on 5th March 1943), this was infact his second. The Dortmund reference occurred on 4th May 1943. The citation for his DFC reads.. "On his first sortie, which was against heavily defended objectives at Essen, the aircraft in which this officer was flying was hit by anti-aircraft fire but, undaunted by this, he bombed the target and made a safe return on three engines. During a sortie to Dortmund in May 1943, his aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters on the outward flight. After the attack had been skilfully evaded, one engine in the aircraft failed, but despite this he proceeded to the target which was successfully bombed. On the return journey another engine failed but by superb skill and determined courage this pilot made a safe return. Throughout all his operational sorties Pilot Officer Allcroft has displayed high courage and devotion to duty." He was was posted to 83 Squadron PFF in June 1943. On 3rd January 1944 when his aircraft, Lancaster JB355, failed to return from Ops to Berlin. 83 Squadron lost four aircraft and twenty eight men on this night. He is buried in Berlin War Cemetery, Germany and was still only twenty years old.