On 21st November 1944 the crew of this 78 Squadron aircraft took off from Breighton airfield at 17.21hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Sterkrade. The flight was the pilot's last operational flight of his tour and he was due to be screened after the flight. The crew appear to have bombed the target area as instructed without incident and made for home. On their return to Yorkshire they joined the landing circuit for Breighton airfield and awaited their turn to land on the runway in use. In the time the aircraft took off from Breighton and returned the wind direction was changing, the air pressure had also changed slightly. The wind had changed that much by the time this aircraft was into the landing circuit that all landings were delayed while the runway in use was changed. All aircraft in the circuit were told to continue circling the airfield at a height over 1000ft and wait their turn to land. Because of the high experience of this pilot this aircraft was asked to make a dummy landing run over the new flare path to check the visibility. The Halifax flew as instructed at between 50 and 100 feet above the runway, after crossing the far end of the airfield boundary the aircraft climbed to around 300 feet and then began a turn to rejoin the airfield circuit. At 23.25hrs while making the turn the aircraft lost height, the port wing tip clipped trees in an area of woodland called Brindleys Plantation near the village of Spaldington, around two miles south-east of Breighton airfield. It then cartwheeled, struck a small building in the wood and caught fire. Sadly all seven airmen in the aircraft were killed. An investigation could not be certain exactly what had caused the aircraft to loose height but it was thought that the pilot believed the aircraft to have been higher above the ground when he began making the turn, this was because the air pressure had changed by 6 millibars in the time the aircraft took off (when the altimeter zero was set to the ground level at Breighton) and the time it returned when the zero reading would have effectively been below the actual ground height. Air historians Albert Pritchard, Eric Barton and Ken Reast located small fragments on the surface at the crash site in 2000 with permission from the landowner, confirming the crash location.
Pilot - F/Lt Malcolm Stjernqvist Buchanan DFC RAAF (414641), aged 31, of Goomboorian, Queensland, Australia. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/C/9).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Robert James Barron RAFVR (1822881), aged 27. Buried Insch New Cemetery, Aberdeenshire.
Navigator - F/Lt Wilbert James Robertson RCAF (J/20244), aged 25, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/C/10).
Bomb Aimer - P/O Lawrence Albert Welsh RCAF (J/87795), aged 20, of Regina, Saskatchewan. Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/C/8).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O James Hedley Rice RAFVR (185745), aged 34. Buried Ashby de la Zouch Cemetery, Leicestershire.
Air Gunner - P/O James McCannon RAFVR (184087), aged 23, of Sligo. Buried Ahamlish Cemetery, Sligo, Repulic of Ireland.
Air Gunner - P/O James Vincent Reddington RAFVR (187488), aged 19, of Huddersfield. Buried Edgerton Cemetery, Huddersfield, Yorkshire (18R/99).
Malcolm Buchanan was born on 28th December 1912 at Gympie, Queensland, Australia and enlisted for RAAF service in Brisbane on 8th November 1941. After basic training in Australia he left for service overseas on 13th December 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 2 (O)AFU, 1538 BAT Flight, 10 OTU and 1658 HCU before posting to 78 Squadron. On 18th July 1944 he, James Rice and James McCannon were flying Halifax MZ788 on an operational flight to bomb a flying bomb site at Acquet. During the flight the Halifax was hit in the cockpit area by flak which injured their then flight engineer. A fire broke out within the fuselage and three other members of their crew baled out over the sea and were lost. Malcolm Buchanan was slightly injured but was able to fly the aircraft back across the English Channel and landed at West Malling but overshot on landing as the braked failed. Buchanan was awarded an immediate award of the DFC while his then flight engineer received a CGM. The flight in which he was killed in November 1944 was to have been his final operational flight of his Tour after which he was to have been screened.
Lawrence Welsh was born on 27th January 1924 at Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of William John and Clara (nee McDougall) Welsh. He enlisted for RCAF service in Regina on 26th February 1942 and after trainng in Canada he was awarded his Air Bomber's flying badge on 9th July 1943. On arrival in the UK he trained at 6 (O)AFU, 20 OTU and 1658 HCU before posting to 78 Squadron on 2nd May 1944. He received a commission on 6th July 1944.
Wilbert Robertson was born on 7th April 1919 at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was the son of Mark Wilbert and Bessie Mae (nee French) Robertson. As a young man he studied civil engineering at the University of Alberta as well as working as a surveyor during university holidays. He enlisted for RCAF service in Edmonton on 7th January 1942 and after completing training in Canada was awarded his air observers' flying badge and also a commission on 23rd October 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 2 (O)AFU, 10 OTU and 1658 HCU, he was posted to 78 Squadron on 23rd October 1943. He was also probably very close to completing a Tour with 78 Squadron and this may have been his final flight, as was the case with his pilot.
James Rice received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 13th October 1944.
James McCannon received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 12th August 1944.
James Reddington received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 10th November 1944.