Wellington Z1670 near South Kilvington, Thirsk.

This aircraft was being given an air test on 3rd April 1943 when it clipped high tension electric cables on a hillside in the Upsall area whilst flying roughly north west of Thirsk at too low a height. The pilot attempted to regain control, and turned the aircraft around back towards Thirsk. Height was lost and it eventually crashed almost four miles away at 15.30hrs just east of Manor Farm, South Kilvington injuring all those on board. The aircraft had clipped trees just prior to hitting the ground and a small fire broke out after the crash. The location given in RAF records was Broad Farm, however there is no such location. A possible explanation of this could be that the Broadwith family owned Manor House Farm at the time of this accident and sometimes the RAF appear to have recorded the owners name rather than the actual farm name on the crash report.

No navigator is listed as being in this aircraft at the time however this crew's regular navigator was a Sgt Howard A Tennis RCAF and he may also have been in the aircraft but escaped injury. If so he was soon commissioned as he lost his life on 13th May 1943 when Wellington HE423 was shot down on Ops to Duisburg.

Pilot - Sgt David M Smith RCAF (R/106305) - injured.

BA - F/Sgt Douglas R Nelson RCAF (R/114313)- injured.

WOp/AG - F/Sgt W J (or W G) Nicholl RCAF - injured, broke both right and left tibula and fibia and there is a suggestion that at least one leg was amputated.

Air Gunner - Sgt Raymond T Crimmins RCAF (R/131089), aged 27, of Cuba City, Wis. Canada, married to Marie Crimmins, of Aberkenfig, Glamorgan. Injured.

Fitter - Cpl H Bulter - injured.

Fitter - Cpl T C Lane RCAF - injured.

Nursing Orderly - Cpl J L Maddox RCAF - injured.

David Smith was born in Winnipeg in 1922 but lived at St.James, Manitoba when he enlisted in Winnipeg in May 1941. After training he (along with Nelson, Nicholl and Crimmins) was posted to 429 Squadron on 27th December 1942. This crew flew Wellington Z1670 on a handful of operational flights in the months leading upto the accident near Thirsk in April 1943. Sgt Smith was soon back in the air following his mishap near Thirsk and on the night of 25/26th June 1943 he was the pilot of Wellington HF495 detailed to attack Gelsenkirchen when the aircraft was attacked by an Me110 which injured the wireless operator and bomb aimer (Sgt Nelson) and also set fire to the aircraft. Sgt Smith put the aircraft into a dive which eventually put the fire out and he was able to make a crash-landing at Hardwick on their return to England without further injuries to the crew. For his actions on this night he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 27th July 1943. Hugh Halliday's research into RCAF awards has found the citation for this award which reads..

"This airman was the pilot of an aircraft which attacked Gelsenkirchen one night in June 1943. On the return flight the bomber was attacked by an enemy fighter and sustained damage to the fuselage, the hydraulic system and the wireless equipment, while two of the crew were wounded. A fire broke out in the bomb bay but Sergeant Smith violently dived his aircraft and the flames were extinguished by the force of the wind. On reaching an airfield in this country he effected a successful crash landing. Sergeant Smith displayed great skill and resource in harassing circumstances."

Exactly a month later on the night of 25/26th July when returning early from Ops to Essen with the navigation aids having failed when his aircraft overshot on landing at East Moor with slight damage to Wellington HE350. On the night of 3rd/4th August 1943 his Wellington was slightly damaged by flak from a ship but he was able to land safely without further damage. On 25th November 1943 Wo2 Smith DFM, along with WO2 Nelson were in Halifax LK995 which was shot down on Ops and both men were taken PoW.

Douglas Nelson was born in May 1920 in St.Catherines, Ontario. His family moved to North Tonawanda, New York State, USA when he was young but he returned to his native Canada to enlist into the RCAF in 1941. While stationed at East Moor he would meet his future wife. After being liberated in 1945 he returned to England and married before returning to Canada together. Also of interest is that in 1955 they and their two children returned to Yorkshire to live where he started a motor mechanic buisness and later ran a service station at Green Hammerton, between York and Harrogate. Douglas Nelson died in Yorkshire on 3rd May 1997.
Sadly the then W/O Crimmins was to be killed only weeks after this incident at South Kilvington when Wellington HE423 was shot down by a nightfighter on Ops and crashed in Holland. He was twenty seven years old.
The others named above appear to have all survived the War but nothing more is known of them.