On 29th August 1943 this 102 Squadron aircraft had been given an airtest during the afternoon, on landing at Pocklington on completion of the flight control was being effected by a strong crosswind and poor visibility. The aircraft drifted off the runway and onto wet grass, across a trench which removed the undercarriage and it slid to a halt on its belly. The ditch or trench had been dug to protect aircraft was running into the watch tower and had done its job but this was the fifth Halifax to narrowly avoid the watch tower.
Pilot - F/O Alan Gibson RAFVR (126828).
Pilot - S/Ldr Charles Mervyn Patrick Kempster RAFO (39882).
Alan Gibson received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 17th July 1942. He was later promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 17th January 1943 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 17th July 1944. For service with 102 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 7th November 1943. It seems very likely that he left the RAF after the war and became a pilot for BOAC, someone with the same name and a holder of the DFC was the pilot of the ill-fated DeHavilland Comet G-ALYP that broke up in the air over the Mediterranean Sea on 10th January 1954 with the loss of all on board. He was thirty one years old. There is very little on the internet about Alan Gibson's flying after 102 Squadron and prior to what would appear to be the same man's untimely death in 1954 and given his experience there should be more written about him.
Charles Kempster received a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation 5th July 1937 and was promoted to F/O on 10th December 1939. He had flown with 18 Squadron in early 1940 and was part of the RAF Air Component that was posted to France. On 3rd January 1940 he was the pilot of Blenheim L1410 that was flying an operational flight when he was attacked in error by a Hurricane and then further attacked and damaged by Me109s over Germany. The damage sustained as a result of the Me109 attacks resulted in the return to France not being possible so Kempster force landed the aircraft in Belgium. Sadly one of the crew died but he and one other survived but were interned for a period. He was later promoted to F/Lt on 10th December 1940 and to S/Ldr (temp) on 1st September 1942. Prior to his time with 102 Squadron he served with 76 Squadron. Post-war he remained in the RAF at least until 1963 having served as an instructor at the Birmingham University Air Squadron. He received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in the New Year's Honours list in 1958.
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