On 9th September 1942 the crew of this No.25 Operational Training Flight aircraft were undertaking a basic night training circuit flying exercise and left Finningley at 23.25hrs. Five minutes later they made a slightly heavy first landing, the pilot applied power and intended to continue with the exercise and attempted to climb away but the aircraft failed to gain height and flew into trees. In the resulting crash all members of the crew of four were killed. The resulting Court of Inquiry cleared the pilot of blame.
Wellington DV433 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden, Chester and was awaiting collection on 20th November 1941. It was received by 23 MU on that date before being taken on charge by 25 O.T.U. at Finningley on 17th December 1941. As a result of this accident on 9th September 1942 Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off. It was struck off charge on 17th September 1942.
Pilot - Sgt Reginald Victor Turpitt RAF (657241), aged 23. Buried Tawstock Churchyard, Devon.
Pilot - P/O Peter Wren Dormon RAFVR (118547), aged 26. Buried Frinton on Sea Churchyard, Essex.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie Hugh Davies RAFVR (1289382), aged 22. Buried Burry Port Cemetery, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Rear Gunner - Sgt Dennis Charles Alfred Peter R Denville RAFVR (1052819), aged 20. Buried Stoney Royd Cemetery, Halifax, Yorkshire.
Reginald Turpitt's birth was registered in South Molton, Devon in 1919 and as a young man he worked for Messrs. Trumps Ltd, Barnstable. He married in the Cheltenham area of Gloucester in 1940 and left an infant daughter who were living in Stanway, Gloucestershire. The Turpitt family had lost another son, Leading Telegraphist Charles Turpitt RN on 18th February 1940, he was on board HMS Daring and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. He was thirty two years old. HMS Daring was torpedoed off the Pentland Firth by the German U-Boat U-23 with the loss of all but five of it's crew.
Peter Dormon's gravestone in Frinton on Sea Churchyard, Essex. My thanks to Mr Adrian Lee for kindly supplying this photograph to me for inclusion in this webpage. Peter Dormon received a commission to the rank of P/O (emergency) on 27th March 1942.
Dennis Denville's personal information is not listed on the CWGC online database however a search of the internet brings up vague information to suggest that he was born in 1922. His father Charles Denville was a theatrical producer in Halifax at the Grand Theatre, where Dennis also performed. His father had set up the Denville Players in Barnsley. His group the Charles Denville Repertory Company would also tour the UK after the War.