On 16th November 1944 the crew of this 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft took off from Rufforth airfield at 17.48hrs to undertake a night training flight. At just after 22.00hrs the aircraft was in the circuit of Rufforth airfield and trying to make a landing, the visibility was poor with patches of fog, the crew of this aircraft made three attempts at landing but was not lined up with the runway each time so climbed away to make another approach. On the fourth approach to land at 22.18hrs the aircraft appeared to have got the line good but as it got lower the aircraft changed course and headed slightly left towards Grasslands Farm on the edge of the airfield. It struck the roof of the farm house and continued on a north-easterly heading onto the airfield, striking Halifax LL133 that was parked on the edge of the airfield and then crashing into a hanger and other buildings near it where a further Halifax LK910 was having maintenance undertaken. Fires developed around the hanger and badly damaged LK910 and the hanger. The rear fuselage appears to have remained reasonably intact and free of the fires, one of the airfield doctors who was soon on the scene along with one of the base instructors crawled inside and freed the injured rear gunner, he would go on to survive despite serious head injuries. Clearly Halifax JP128 was destroyed in the crash and Halifaxes LL133 and LK910 were also deemed too badly damaged to be worthy of repair. The scene at the damaged Grasslands Farm after the aircraft struck the house was left in devastation. Not only had the roof and upper-back wall of the house collapsed the fuel from the aircraft had been thrown over the farm buildings in which numerous cattle was housed. Three people in the farm were killed as a result of the crash but the heroic actions of various people who came to the fire resulted in the death toll not being higher. Two George Medals, three British Empire Medals and further Commendations were awarded as a result of the rescue efforts, the details and citations are recorded below.
Pilot - F/Lt William John Matthews RAFVR (109492), aged 31, wife of St.John's Wood, London. Buried East Finchley Cemetery, London.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Fred Gordon Smith RAFVR (1593160), aged 19, of Withernsea. Buried Withernsea Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Navigator - F/O John Thomas Lewis RAFVR (163556), aged 22, of Drefach Felindre, Carmarthenshire. Buried Drefach Baptist Cemetery, Carmarthen.
Air Bomber - F/O Leslie Bernard Stone RAFVR (153810), aged 20, of Thornton Heath. Buried Croydon Cemetery, Surrey.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Eric Andrew James Raymer RAFVR (2214194), aged 20, of Leeds. Buried Hull Northern Cemetery, Yorkshire (52/78).
Air Gunner - Sgt Eric Neil Genno RAFVR (2222028), aged 21. Buried Hartshill Cemetery, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.
Civilian - Mr George Robert Hildreth, aged 56. Buried All Saints Churchyard, Rufforth.
Civilian - Mrs Mary Jane Hildreth, aged 63. Buried All Saints Churchyard, Rufforth.
Civilian - Mr Kenneth Roy Hildreth, aged 23. Buried All Saints Churchyard, Rufforth.
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Lewis Felce RAFVR (3001395). Aged c21, of Newport Pagnell. Seriously injured. He died in 2006.
Civilian - Mr Noel Masterman Hildreth, aged 20. Injured.
Civilian - Miss Betty Masterman Hildreth, aged 22. Injured. Commended for Brave Conduct.
Civilian - Mr Walter Masterman, aged 61. Injured.
Civilian - Mr Leonard Steele. Gables Farm, Rufforth. George Medal
Civilian - Mr Herbert Stanley Smith, Rufforth. British Empire Medal.
Policeman - PC Raymond Hutchinson, Tadcaster. Commended for Brave Conduct.
LAC James Hughes Robb RAFVR (1056093). George Medal.
LAC George Edward Bannister RAFVR (1523183). British Empire Medal.
LAC Horace Fox RAFVR (1670252). British Empire Medal. Member of fire party.
Cpl Meredith. Mentioned by name in Rufforth airfield record book as doing noble work.
LACW Smythe. Mentioned by name in Rufforth airfield record book as doing noble work.
Ac Beaumont. Mentioned by name in Rufforth airfield record book as doing noble work.
ACW Beadle. Mentioned by name in Rufforth airfield record book as doing noble work.
Leonard Steele (George Medal), Stan Smith (British Empire Medal), Raymond Hutchinson (Commendation) and Betty Hildreth (Commendation) were all recognised their bravery on this night, the details of the awards were printed in the London Gazette on 24th April 1945. The citation for their award states.. "An aircraft crashed on to a farmhouse, setting it and the surrounding farm buildings on fire. Steele and Smith hurried to the farm. Steele broke open the front door and went up the stairs which were blocked by debris. He forced his way into a bedroom and found the farmer's daughter (Betty Hildreth) trying to lift an elderly man out of bed. Steele, with help, removed the rubble from the bed and released the injured man. They had hardly left the room when the burning roof collapsed. Steele then heard that the farmer and his wife were still in the burning house. He climbed up the outside wall and entered their room, the walls and roof of which had caved in. Meanwhile Smith had found a ladder and entered a bedroom, but finding no one in that room, he climbed through another window and joined Steele. Together they released the badly injured victims and lowered them through the window. Steele and Smith then endeavoured to rescue the farmer's son who had been sleeping, in a room at the back of the house, but the flames were too fierce and rescue efforts had to be abandoned. Steele acted with conspicuous courage and complete disregard of his own personal safety and was ably helped by Smith." Although George and Mary Hildreth were rescued from the damaged and burning building they were later confirmed as having died.
LAC's James Robb (George Medal), George Bannister (British Empire Medal) and Horace Fox (British Empire Medal) were also recognised for their bravery. Notification of their awards were printed in the London Gazette on 3rd July 1945. The citation states.. "One night in November 1944, an aircraft crashed on to the roof of a farm house adjoining an R.A.F. airfield, setting the house and the surrounding farm buildings on fire. Leading Aircraftmen Robb and Fox at once ran to the scene. Leading Aircraftman Robb entered the house by the front door, which had been broken open by a civilian, with whom, he went up the partly wrecked staircase. They found a girl trying to help an elderly man, who was slightly injured, out of bed. Leading Aircraftman Robb and the civilian assisted the pair down the stairs into the open. On being informed that two old people were still upstairs, (Leading Aircraftmen Robb and Fox and other helpers managed to get through the window of the bedroom by scaling up the outside wall of the house. They were driven back by smoke and fire, but after a hose had been sprayed into the window, they were able to re-enter the bedroom by means of a ladder which had been brought to the scene. After the rescuers had removed the rubble which had fallen on the vicitims from the burning roof and collapsed walls, the two old people were found. They were then lowered down the ladder to helpers on the ground. In the meantime the girl, who had been previously helped out of the house went into a blazing cow-shed in an endeavour to release the cattle. Leading Aircraftman Bannister had come upon the scene in the crash tender and, seeing her danger, he went into the shed and led her to safety, releasing some of the animals himself at the same time. Leading Aircraftman Bannister next entered the farm house, which was by now well alight, to attempt to rescue the other occupants. He groped his way up the partly demolished and obstructed stairs and, in spite of the smoke and flames, found a bed, but as the bed was covered with debris, he was unable to find anyone there. He then climbed back over the stairway into another bedroom, which he searched, also without success. As he left the room, the remains of the burning roof caved in. Leading Aircraftman Bannister then proceeded to help fight the fire with the crew of the crash tender. Leading Aircraftmen Bannister, Robb and Fox, by their courage, set a fine example to all those who were present at the incident."
Eric Genno and his grave at Stoke on Trent.
Unknown course photograph at Bridgnorth in February 1944. Eric Genno is seated in the bottom row. He was engaged to be married to Miss Stella Jones at the time of the crash. I thank Angela Wilson for these photographs.
Leslie Stone received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 15th October 1943 and rose to F/O six months later. His brother John Dennis Stone RAFVR (1270251) was killed training at 1659 HCU on 28th January 1943 when Halifax W1146 crashed near Keld, Swaledale, Yorkshire. Both brothers are buried in the same grave in Croyden Cemetery.
William Matthews received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 22nd October 1941 and then rose to F/O on probation on 1st October 1942 and to F/Lt on 22nd October 1943. He was new to flying heavy bombers while training at Rufforth but had flown smaller aircraft earlier in the war in Canada.
John Lewis received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 14th January 1944 and rose to F/O six months later. The website "http://griffiths123.com/b23.htm" details his early life but has made a right pig's ear of documenting how he died but there are no contact details on the site to allow corrections to be submitted.