On the night of 16th / 17th April 1942 Hudsons were undertaking night circuit training around Thornaby airfield as part of the training course at No.6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit. The crew of one aircraft approached for landing at too low a height and
struck a tree at the north-eastern boundary of the airfield near Manfield Farm at 00.45hrs. In the resulting crash three of the crew lost their lives whilst the pilot survived
albeit seriously injured. The crash site today has been built over, believed to have been about two hundred yards south-west of the present Roundel public house.
Pilot - P/O D G James RAF (OR P/O Ralph Worthington James (108839)). Seriously injured.
Observer - Sgt Clifford McCormick Carkner RCAF (R/74488), aged 25. Buried Thornaby-on-Tees Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Alfa Powell RAFVR (1181850), aged 20. Buried Brecknock Churchyard, Wales. (Ystradgynlais (St. Cynog) Churchyard).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Jack Ernest Taylor RAF (615773), aged 23. Buried Newark on Trent Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Sgt Carkner and his headstone at Thornaby Cemetery. I would like to express my thanks to Mr Greg McIntosh, nephew of Sgt Carkner for contacting me in the early stages of my research and for kindly supplying these photographs of his Uncle. Clifford was born on 6th November 1916 in Winchester, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Hugh McCormick and Eva (nee Robertson) Carkner. The family later moved to Ormond, Ontario. He was working as a poultry farmer when he enlisted for RCAF service on 14th November 1940 in Ottawa. After training in Canada he was awarded his Air Observer badge on 25th October 1941. He arrived in the UK by the end of 1941 and was posted to 6 (C)OTU in late-February 1942.
Jack Taylor and his obituary published in the Newark Herald. I thank his relation Catrina Turner for kindly contacting me in September 2018 and supplying photographs shown here.
Jack Taylor's grave and the original grave marker in Newark Cemetery.
Alfa Powell.
Athough the initials of the pilot P/O James are recorded as being "D.G." Flight Magazine records those airmen injured on active service. On the same page as Carkner's, Powell's and Taylor's deaths an "R.W.James" is recorded on the injured airmen's section and it could be that this is infact the correct initials for the pilot of Hudson T9378. In addition to this a F/O Ralph Worthington James RAFVR (108839) was the pilot of Hurricane T9521, training with 56 OTU on 11th November 1942. The Hurricane collided with another and both crashed fatally near Ballado Bridge, Scotland. This may well be the same airmen who, having recovered from his injuries earlier in the year was posted to instructional duties with 6 (C)OTU. T9521 collided with Hurricane V7080 which itself was damaged at Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire earlier in the War.
Hudson T9378 was built by Lockheed-Vega at Burbank, California and purchased by the British Purchasing Commission. It was delivered to the UK, arriving at Liverpool Docks and was then transported by road to the Lockheed Assembly Division (UK) Ltd. at Speke were it was assembled and tested. On 25th September 1940 it was taken to 20 MU and after acceptance it was issued to 233 Squadron on 28th September 1940. The aircraft was transferred to No.6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit on 30th July 1941. It crashed at Thornaby on 17th April 1942 that saw a Cat.E2/FA damage assessment and it was struck off charge.