On evening of 5th March 1945 the crew of this 420 Squadron aircraft took off from Tholthorpe airfield at 16.29hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Chemnitz. In the half an hour or so after taking off the aircraft would have flown around the Tholthorpe area generally climbing in height to allow all the 420 Squadron to get into the air and for them to then head off on the operational flight together. During this afternoon there was an unforecast freezing fog layer which resulted in a several aircraft of the bomber force climbing into the cloud but then suffering from the effects of icing on the aircraft causing some to crash. Just before 17.00hrs the problems started and aircraft began to fall out of the sky. At 16.50hrs another of the 420 Squadron aircraft was believed to have iced up and crashed near Dishforth airfield. Halifax NA190 appears to have climbed to the required height and just set out on the operational flight, avoiding the initial icing blackspot. It had left the general area of Tholthorpe and had started out on the flight south. Unfortunately the unforecast freezing cloud layer appear to have been present over the York and Tadcaster areas and while this aircraft was flying through them the aircraft began to ice up with control eventually being lost.
Mr Frederick Wharton, of Newstead Farm, Saxton, was ploughing a field near Hayton Wood, Aberford and heard the aircraft flying towards him while it was flying in cloud, his account of the pre-crash events are recorded in a report held in the National Archives. He stated that he heard the sound of the aircraft's engines but that they then all stopped and then were restarted soon after. Having lost height the aircraft then appeared from below the cloud, still flying reasonably level, one member of the crew was seen to jump from the aircraft and a parachute open but then almost immediately the engines all stopped again. The nose of the aircraft dropped and the aircraft dived into the ground near Aberford, at 17.20hrs, around a mile south of Hazelwood Castle. On impact with the ground the bomb load blew up causing a huge explosion and creating a deep crater in the bedrock, wreckage was found scattered across some twenty fields. Mr Wharton was forced to try and outrun falling burning debris and avoided injury, he made his way back to the impact crater shortly after to see help he could give. The survivor, who had landed near the crash site and after releasing his parachute, walked to the impact crater where he met Mr Wharton who directed him to the nearest telephone at Hazelwood Castle. The survivor was later awarded the DFC and his citation refers to Halifax NA190 which adds more details.
The difficult task of finding the remains of the crew was carried out and as all six have graves at Harrogate the crash site technically not a wargrave but I would suggest that because very little of the crew was ever found at the site and as such this crash site should be treated as a wargrave. Just my opinion based on the records available.
Pilot - P/O Roald Frederick Sollie RCAF (J/93048), aged 27, of Bentley, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/H/15).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Robert Louis Dinnen RAFVR (221828), aged 21, of Ballyjamesduff, Co.Cavan, Ireland. Buried Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/H/12).
Navigator - P/O William Gaba RCAF (J/94503), aged 21, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/H/13).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Emmet Soloman Kaechele RCAF (J/92691), aged 27, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/H/14).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/O Robert George Smith RCAF (J/87951), aged 21, of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/H/16).
Rear Gunner - P/O Ralph Oscar Battler RCAF (J/94502), aged 20, of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H/H/11).
Mid Upper Gunner - F/Sgt James Harry Waugh DFM RCAF (R/93891). Uninjured.
Six members of the Sollie crew who died near Aberford inHalifax NA190. The Sgt MacGregor shown with them was the crew's regular mid upper gunner but for this flight he had been replaced by F/Sgt Waugh. I credit Richard Koval with this photograph.
Roald Sollie was born on 24th April 1918 at Sortland, Norway, he was the son of Christian Theodor and Emma Petrika (nee Jensen) Sollie. He and his family later emigrated to Bentley, Alberta, Canada where his father worked in farming. As a young man Roald worked as a service station attendant prior to enlisting for RCAF service on 1st December 1941 at Edmonton. After basic training he was awarded his pilots' flying badge on 18th December 1942, he was then posted to the UK soon after. He then trained at 15 (P)AFU and while training there on 28th June 1943 he was involved in a taxying accident which damaged the Oxford in which he was the pilot. He was later posted to train at 22 OTU and 1664 HCU before posting to 420 Squadron on 31st December 1943 (with Emmet Kaechele). He appears to have flown or began a Tour with 420 Squadron during the first half of 1944. He then received a commission on 22nd September 1944. He was posted to 1659 HCU in November 1944 and then posted back to 420 Squadron on 30th December 1944. His brother Sgt John Berge Sollie RCAF (R/150594) was killed on 29th June 1944 when 22 OTU Wellington HF641 crashed in Northamptonshire. He is buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey.
William Gaba was born on 1st May 1923 at Yuskowychi(?), The Ukraine but he emigrated to Canada with his parents Stefan and Ahafia (nee Tokarska) Gaba and brother and sister in 1929. He was still a student when he enlisted for RCAF service 12th October 1942 in Toronto and after training was awarded his air navigators' flying badge on 28th January 1944. On arrival in the UK he trained at 7 (O)AFU, 86 OTU and 1659 HCU before posting to 420 Squadron on 30th December 1944. He received a back-dated commission after his death, dated to 4th March 1945.
Emmet Kaechele was born on 28th November 1917 at Drumheller, Alberta, Canada and was the son of Reverend Soloman and Emma (nee Skode) Kaechele. The family moved around Canada when he was young and had lived in Alberta, Saskatcehwan and British Columbia before they returned to settle in the Red Deer area of Alberta. After leaving school he initially worked in farming until 1938 when he became a nurse. In 1940 he became a minister of the Nazarene Church, possibly the same faith as his fathers. He enlisted for RCAF service on 3rd June 1942 at Calgary and married Lulu Grace Ewing at Bowden, Alberta in January 1943 while training. After training in Canada he was awarded his Air Bombers' flying badge on 28th May 1943. On arrival in the UK in Summer 1943 he trained at 6 (O)AFU, 22 OTU and 1664 HCU before posting to 420 Squadron on 31st December 1943. On 1st August 1944 he was posted to 415 Squadron and received a commission on 23rd August 1944. In November 1944 he was posted to 1659 HCU and then back to 420 Squadron on 30th December 1944 (with Roald Sollie). He appears to have been on his second tour of operations when he died. He is also a spitting image double of Dutch footballing legend Ruud Van Nistelroy.
Robert Smith was born on 9th April 1923 at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Joseph and Florence (nee Andrews) Smith. As a young man he studied at technical college in Moose Jaw and worked as stock and parts man for companies locally. He enlisted for RCAF service on 28th May 1942 in Regina and after training was awatfed his wireless operator / air gunner's flying badge on 3rd May 1943. On arrival in the UK the following month he continued his training. Following time with 1 (O)AFU, 22 OTU and 1664 HCU he was posted to 420 Squadron on 31st December 1943. On 22nd May 1944 he was posted to 434 Squadron until August 1944 (probably having completed a tour). He then received a commission on 2nd July 1944 but then later trained at 1659 HCU before re-posting to 420 Squadron on 30th December 1944.
Ralph Battler was born on 30th January 1925 at Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Weston Detweiler and Clara (nee Hollinger) Battler. He left college in 1941 and briefly worked at a rubber factory before starting work at the Doon Twines flax mill in Kitchener making rope. He enlisted for RCAF service on 3rd December 1942 at London, Ontario and following basic training was awarded his air gunners' flying badge on 19th May 1944. He was in the UK a couple of months later and trained at 22 OTU and 1659 HCU before posting to 420 Squadron on 30th December 1944. He also received a back-dated commission after his death, dated to 4th March 1945.
Robert Dinnen's grave at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery.
James Waugh was born in June 1924 at Summerside, Prince Edward Island and enlisted for RCAF service in Montreal in November 1942. Mid way through his tour with 420 Squadron he survived the crash of Halifax HX346 near Thrintoft, Yorkshire on 21st November 1944. One member of his then crew was killed while he and other members of the crew received injuries. For service with 420 Squadron he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 9th January 1945 the citation makes mention to one incident a couple of months earlier, it reads.. "This airman has taken part in a number of sorties and has proved himself to be a cool and confident crew member. One night in November 1944 he was the rear gunner in an aircraft detailed to attack Oberhausen. After leaving the target area the bomber was intercepted by a fighter. The enemy aircraft came in with guns blazing. Flight Sergeant Waugh coolly withheld his fire and gave the necessary evading directions to his pilot. When the attacker was within close range, Flight Sergeant Waugh opened fire. His bullets struck the enemy aircraft which burst into flames, fell away and afterwards crashed on the ground. This airman displayed skill and coolness worthy of much praise." Having received a commission he was later awarded the DFC for further service with 420 Squadron, Gazetted on 26th October 1945 this citation states that.."Pilot Officer Waugh has successfully completed numerous sorties since the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal. During his tour he shot down one enemy aircraft and was involved in two aircraft crashes. Despite these trying experiences this officer resumed operational flying with undiminished enthusiasm. While flying on an operation in March 1945, Pilot Officer Waugh had to leave the aircraft by parachute on instructions from the pilot at approximately 3,000 feet. The aircraft crashed directly beneath him and the explosion caused him to shoot up again and his parachute partially folded up. After a drop of 400 feet he was able to get his parachute open again and alight safely. Throughout his operational career Pilot Officer Waugh has shown courage, tenacity and devotion to duty worthy of the highest praise."