Halifax W1155 near Leeming Bar.
On 25th June 1942 this 10 Squadron aircraft was being given an airtest but it stalled while turning on the final approach to land at Leeming, it crashed near Leeming Bar at 14.45hrs. The location given is some five hundred yards short of main runway and near to Blow Houses, to the north of the airfield. The investigation suspected that cause of the accident was partly down to an elevator malfunction, blaming the possibility of the trimmer control wire connections being reversed. The aircraft struck a tree and then crashed onto or very close to a search light battery and sadly two soldiers who were at their post were also killed. Their names were not recorded a basic police report I have located, however, my research would suggest that the two named below were these individuals with their deaths being on the same date, registered in the same area and being in the same unit. The occupant of the rear turret of the aircraft escaped with his life possibly after the turret broke away in the crash.
Pilot - Sgt William Joseph Walter Wiseman RAFVR (1375338), aged 26, of Bromley, Kent. Buried Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Alfred Carter RAF (571212), aged 22, of Edgbaston, Birmingham. Buried Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Navigator - F/O James Gordon Mutter RAFVR (87421), aged 29. Of Wallesey. Buried Wallesey Churchyard, Cheshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Stanley Valentine Duvall RAFVR (902732), aged 32, of New Malden, Surrey. Buried Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Donald Ross Stewart RCAF (R/79018), aged 20, of Westmount, Quebec, Canada. Buried Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - P/O Douglas Alfred Street RCAF (J/9585), of Welland, Ontario, Canada. Injured.
Further casualty - Gunner Tom Jobson Owers, Royal Artillery (1076293), 372 Bty, 43(5th Bn, Duke of Well Reg.) Searchlight Regt. Aged 29, of West Pelton. Buried Pelton Cemetery, Durham.
Further casualty - Gunner John William Kay, Royal Artillery (1659878), 372 Bty, 43(5th Bn, Duke of Well Reg.) Searchlight Regt. Aged 35, of Hunslet, Leeds. Buried New Hunslet
Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire.
Gravestones of the four airmen buried at Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire and Gunner John Kay's family grave in Hunslet Cemetery, Leeds which has since falled over and is now very neglected.
James Mutter received a commission on 20th October 1940 to the rank of P/O on probation and rose to F/O (war subs) on 20th October 1941. CWGC list no age for him however his
birth was registered in West Derby, Liverpool in 1913.
Donald Stewart was born on 26th September 1921 at Westmount, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Donald Howard and Marion (nee Ross) Stewart. His father was president of the BVL Co Ltd, Montreal. Donald enlisted for RCAF service on 3rd January 1941 in Montreal and after training in Canada he was awarded his air gunners' flying badge on 9th January 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 7 AGS and 1484 T.T.Flt before posting a brief posting to 158 Squadron on 23rd May 1942 and then to 10 Squadron on 25th May 1942.
Halifax W1155 was built to contract B.982938/40 by English Electric Company Ltd. at Samlesbury. It was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming on 6th June 1942. As a result of the battle damage on 17th June 1942 minor Cat.A/FB damage was recorded. It was quickly repaired on site but on 25th June 1942 it crashed at Leeming Bar while on an airtest (possibly after repairs were believed complete). Cat.E2/FA damage was the damage assessment and the aircraft was struck off charge the same day. A very brief existance of the aircraft.
P/O Street soon recovered from his injuries and was posted to 405 Squadron. On the night of 26th / 27th July 1942 he was flying as a wireless operator/ air gunner in Halifax W1186 on Ops to Hamburg. The aircraft exploded in the air and crashed near the Elbe in Germany and he is buried at Hamburg Cemetery. He was twenty three years old. He was born on 9th November 1918 to James Cunard and Marjorie Marie Street (nee MacTavish), of Welland, Ontario, Canada.