Halifax B.VII PP349 near Whixley.
On 10th May 1946 this 1665 Heavy Transport Conversion Unit aircraft took off from Linton on Ouse so that the crew could give it an air test and aircraft acceptance test. Soon after leaving the ground a fire broke out and at around 14.10hrs it crashed on farmland between Whixley and Thorpe Underwood Hall, near Tancred Farm. The aircraft was destroyed and all on board were killed. It narrowly missed two farm workers, Kenneth Hulme and Herbert Daniel, who were ploughing with a shire horse and both sustained minor burn injuries.
Pilot - S/Ldr Kenneth Searby Stammers DFC AFC DFM RAF (65989), aged 31. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (H.L.3).
Wireless Operator - W/O David Robert Jones RAFVR (1076904), aged 33. Buried Rhyl Town Cemetery, Flintshire.
Flight Engineer - F/O William Ian Harvey RAFVR (176669), aged 21. Buried Markinch Cemetery, Fife.
Passenger / Ground Staff (Compass Adj) - F/Sgt Sonny Fox RAFVR (1893152), aged 20. Buried East Ham (Marlow Road) Cemetery, Essex.
Passenger / Fitter - LAC John Charles Simpson RAFVR (1530898), aged 22. Buried Newark upon Trent Cemetery, Nottinghamshire (F.303A).
Passenger / Fitter - LAC Glyndwr Pritchard RAFVR (1653762), aged 22. Buried Merthyr Tydfil (Pant) Cemetery, Glamorganshire.
Passenger / Fitter - LAC Hampton Sharling RAFVR (1500420), aged 23. Buried Childwall Churchyard, Liverpool (C.315).
Kenneth Stammers was awarded the DFM for service with 44 Squadron, Gazetted on 18th July 1941. Between the recommendation being submitted and the award promulgated he had received a commission on 24th April 1941. While in the rank of Acting S/Ldr he was awarded the DFC for service with 12 Squadron, Gazetted on 14th May 1943. Notification was printed in the London Gazette of the award of his Air Force Cross on 1st September 1944 for his role in instructing at Peplow with 83 O.T.U.. The photograph of him shown above was found on Facebook.
The large and beautifully kept CWGC plot at Newark Cemetery contains LAC Simpson's grave.
Halifax PP349 was built by Handley Page and was flown to 29 M.U. on 3rd September 1945. Here it was stored until being taken on charge by 1665 HTCU on 3rd May 1946
As a result of the accident on 10th May 1946 Cat.E damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 30th May 1946.
