Lincoln B.2 RF500 near Leconfield.

During the morning of 26th November 1951 this Central Gunnery School aircraft was one of two being flown from Jurby, Isle of Man to Leconfield. Both aircraft had been used to transport the Leconfield airfield rugby team to Jurby earlier in the week so that the team could play a game against their airfield's team and were then to be flown back with the team. This aircraft took off from Jurby at 09.10hrs and flew back toward Yorkshire. After an hour's flying time the aircraft had reached the circuit of Leconfield airfield. While making an approach to land at Leconfield the pilot undertook what would have been a routine part of the flight in extending the aircraft's flaps prior to the landing but as soon as the flaps were extended the aircraft pitched nose-up and it began to lose flying speed. Despite the pilot's best efforts in attempting to apply full power to the engines he could not prevent height being lost. The starboard wing then dropped and the aircraft struck the ground just south of the airfield. It stayed reasonably intact and skidded across a field into the embankment of the Beverley to Bridlington railway line. It came to ret close to Molescroft Grange and had come to rest partly blocking the railway line. There was a total of fifteen people on the aircraft at the time, two were unfortunately killed and everyone else was injured to some degree. A number of people on the ground had witnessed the crash and two made their way up the line to stop any trains. Peggy Farmer, Una Stork, Abram Stork and Laurence Bedford were all thanked for their help assisance in helping the injured men in the aircraft.

An investigation was carried out and concluded that the passengers and the movable load within the aircraft were in the wrong position for landing. Their position affected the center of gravity so that it was in the balance during the flight but when the pilot extended the flaps this then changed the center of gravity and beyond the critical level. It was stated that someone should have been detailed to act as a steward to marshall the passengers to pre-arranged positions prior to landing but this did not happen. Given that the nose pitched up and that many of those on board escaped serious injury it appears likely that passengers were all at the back of the aircraft prior to the landing. The pilot did not realise the issue and had he lowered the flaps he may have been able to regain control.

Pilot - Master Pilot Charles Douglas Lee RAF (531991), aged 33. Very seriously injured and later transferred by air to a hospital near Oxford.

Aircrew - F/Sgt Donald Munroe RAF (573231). Seriously injured.

Navigator - F/O Keith Frederick Hopkins RAF (1606741). Injured.

Engineer - F/Sgt John Lindsey Scott Robinson RAF (1592103). Injured.

Passenger/"Player" - J/Tech Robert Taylor RAF (584922), aged 20. Buried Carlisle General Cemetery, Cumbria.

Passenger/"Player" - LAC Roy Edward Skeldon RAF (2500676), aged 21. Buried Woodhouse Cemetery, Leeds, Yorkshire.

Passenger/"Player" - S/Ldr Leslie Gordon Weldon Lilly RAF (36175). Seriously injured.

Passenger/"Player" - LAC E R Hayes. Seriously injured.

Passenger/"Player" - LAC R C Marshall. Seriously injured.

Passenger/"Player" - AC1 E A Watkins. Seriously injured.

Passenger/"Player" - AC1 R W Reaney. Seriously injured.

Passenger/"Player" - AC J Sowden. Seriously injured.

Passenger/"Player" - LAC R Smith. Injured.

Passenger/"Player" - LAC E Rawson. Injured.

Passenger/"Player" - AC B Mortimer. Injured.

Leslie Lilly was granted a short service commission in the RAF on 15th March 1939 as P/O (with seniority back dated to 4th January 1939). He rose to F/O on 3rd September 1940 (with seniority back dated to 4th August 1940) and to F/Lt exactly a year later. He then rose to S/Ldr (war subs) on 1st September 1942 and was still this rank when, on 15th March 1944, he transferred to the RAF Reserve and was called up for service immediately almost certainly so he could transferred to the RNZAF as a day later he was granted a commission in the RNZAF. Postwar he transferred back to the RAF and remained in the service for many years. On 16th May 1949 he was appointed to a permanent commission to the rank of F/Lt (with seniority backdated to 4th April 1948) and was transferred to the Equipment Branch on this appointment. He was in the Equipment Branch when he rose to S/Ldr on 1st July 1953. He commanded 62 Squadron in Malaya in 1942 and later commanded 353 Squadron in 1944. As S/Ldr he retired from the RAF on 2nd September 1961, retaining the rank of W/Co.
In 1991 Keith Hopkins arranged a dinner for the people who had assisted in the rescue of those involved.

I thank and credit Mr Harvey Stork with much of the background information supplied to create this account and also thank him for his time in contacting family members for this. His family lived at Molescroft Grange at the time of the accident and a number of his family were commended for their actions in saving the lives of a number of airmen involved.

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