Halifax W7669 near Dalton on Tees.
On 5th June 1942 the crew of this 78 Squadron aircraft were to undertake an operational flight to bomb Essen and had left Croft at 23.21hrs. Soon after leaving the airfield the port inner engine caught fire, the crew jettisoned the bombs, the pilot turned the aircraft around and into the airfield's landing circuit to go around and land. While he was lining up with the runway the port wing dropped and the aircraft stalled and with little height to recover the aircraft dived into the ground some four hundred yards south of Dalton on Tees, only four minutes after taking off. Sadly three of the crew were killed and the other four sustained injuries. The fire in the engine was believed to have started because of a glycol leak.
Pilot - F/O Harold Ernest Bedford RAFVR (100577), aged 31, of Slough. Buried Upton-cum-Chalvey Churchyard, Slough, Buckinghamshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Vincent George Musselwhite RAF (619222), aged 23, of Cheriton. Buried Cheriton Churchyard, Hampshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James O'Rourke RAFVR (984531), aged 22, of Saltcoats, Ayrshire. Buried Ardrossan Cemetery, Ayrshire.
? - Sgt W L Turner. Injured.
Navigator - P/O Frank Eric Alder RAFVR (107921). Injured.
? - Sgt D G Phillips. Injured.
Air Gunner - Sgt Meller. (Sgt John George Mellor RAFVR (1008176)). Injured.
James O'Rourke's grave in Ardrossan Cemetery, Ayrshire.
Halifax W7669 was built to contract B.73328/40 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. It was taken on charge by 78 Squadron at Croft on 24th April 1942. As a result of the serious accident near Croft on 5th June 1942 the damage assessment was Cat.E/FA but the assessment may have taken some time as it was only struck off charge on 1st July 1942. It had only flown some 41 hours up until this accident.
Harold Bedford recieved a commission on 17th May 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation rising to F/O exactly a year later. While undertaking conversion training at 1652 Conversio Unit on 24th February 1942 he was landing Halifax L9609 when the undercarriage collapsed. On completion of this training he was posted to 78 Squadron and on 23rd April 1942 he was the pilot of Halifax R9427 that crashed at Pocklington airfield.
Vincent Musselwhite was born on 13th January 1919 at Abbotts Ann, Andover, Hampshire.
Frank Alder received a commission on 13th September 1941 to P/O on probation (emergency), he rose to F/O (war subs) exactly a year later. For his service with
78 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 18th May 1943, the citation reads.. "This officer has completed 71 operational sorties, some of which have been
against targets in the enemy's most heavily defended areas." I thank his daughter Mrs Mary Shannon for contacting me in September 2015 and updating this account.
The last named on the list above was probably one Sgt John George Mellor RAFVR (1008176) who was killed on 28th August 1942 while flying Ops in 78 Squadron Halifax W7809.
He was also from Ardrossan, Ayrshire.