Halifax DG404 on Heathfield Moor, Pateley Bridge.

Halifax DG404 prior to its crash.

On 12th July 1943 the crew of this 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft took off from Rufforth near York for a cross-country night navigation exercise but part way through the flight the crew encountered bad weather over the Yorkshire Dales. The aircraft then suffered a loss of power in one engine and in the poor visibility the pilot attempted to force land the aircraft (with possibly it's wheels down) on Heathfield Moor, to the west of Pateley Bridge at 02.00hrs but the aircraft crashed. It is not yet known how many died at the scene because at least one of those who initially survived; the flight engineer, managed to walk some distance from the site and find his way down to summon help at Highfield Farm. The crew were then taken to this farm where locals tell the story that sadly at least one of the crew died before medical help arrived. In total three of the crew died as a result of the accident, four were injured and were taken to Harrogate Hospital. The survivors would all recover from their injuries and return to flying duties and complete their training but sadly none would see the end of the War.

There is one slight issue in proving the story today of someone sadly dying in the farmhouse because Halifax LL576 crashed near to Halifax DG404 later in the war and the same story exists with regard one of the crew of that aircraft sadly dying in a farmhouse. Whilst not beyond the realms of possibility that the same happened twice these are the only known incidents in the Pateley Bridge area where the events are told and it is perhaps not true that it happened for both incidents but proving it is difficult today.

Killed were..

Navigator - Sgt Thomas Henry Woollard RAFVR (1389559), aged 28. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Bomb Aimer - Sgt Thomas Reid RAFVR (1560929), aged 20. Buried Eastwood Cemetery, Glasgow.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John Godley RAFVR (1074276), aged 23. Buried Cumbernauld Cemetery.

Survived were..

Pilot - F/O John Stuart Barber RAFVR (131081). Injured.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Walter Douglas Hall RAFVR (1254960). Injured.

Air Gunner - P/O Arthur James Walker RAFVR (140904). Injured.

Air Gunner - Sgt Douglas Walter Batten RAAF (30053). Injured.

I visited the crash site of Halifax DG404 in December 2006, scattered remains are still to be found over a fairly wide area. A number of water filled holes in the area of the crash are filled with parts of the aircraft.

The largest piece still at the crash site is a section of engine bulkhead.

Air Historian and author Nick Roberts at the crash site in 1985 with a large section of engine cowling.

Thomas Woollard's grave in Harrogate's Stonefall Cemetery. He was one of the last to be buried in old military plot because soon after this accident the large wargrave plot came into being on the eastern side of cemetery. CWGC is missing any family information for him. Using the 1939 Register he was possibly born on 28th December 1914 and was the son of Thomas William and Beatrice Florence Woollard, in 1939 the family were living at Harwich, Essex and he was working as an explosived charge hard. In the 1921 census the family were at Tendring, Essex with him listed as being born onat One House, near Stowmarket, Suffolk.

John Barber was from Notting Hill, London. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 9th October 1942 and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 9th April 1942. His middle name is given as Stewart in the London Gazette where as CWGC quote Stuart. He recovered from his injuries sustained in the crash of DG404 and returned to operational flying. After a posting to 77 Squadron he was lost when Halifax JB856 crashed at Schönhagen on 22nd October 1943. He is buried in Hanover War Cemetery, Germany and was twenty two years old.

Walter Hall was from Wimbledon, Surrey. He recovered from his injuries, completed his training and was posted to 10 Squadron. On 29th December 1943 he too was posted as missing when Halifax JD314 was shot down by a night-fighter near Meppel, Holland. His body was one of three not identified from the crash site and it seems probable that he is one airman buried as an unknown at Ruinerwold General Cemetery. He was twenty three years old.

F/Sgt Batten was born on 9th May 1915 in Launceston, Tasmania. Prior to enlisting he worked as a carpenter, he enlisted in Hobart on 18th March 1940. He arrived for training at 10 OTU on 13th April 1943, and then at 1663 HCU on 12th June 1943 before being posted to 158 Squadron on 30th October 1943. He flew his first operational flight with W/O R A Gray RCAF to Mannheim on 22nd November 1943, he later returned early from a trip to Berlin with P/O J D Laidlaw on 22nd November 1943. Following this incident above he was posted to 640 Squadron on 7th January 1944. The Squadron was still operating from Lissett when his aircraft was lost when he was posted missing on 22nd January 1944. Halifax LW459 is believed to have crashed into the North Sea off Flamborough Head. He was twenty eight years old.
Arthur Walker was from Rugby, Warwickshire. He received a commission on 5th March 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 5th September 1943. He was later posted to 76 Squadron and was awared the DFC for service with this squadron (Gazetted on 28th April 1944) for his actions on one specific operational flight as a rear gunner. The citation was a joint one with P/O John Albert Bate and Sgt Harry Van Den Bos, it tells the story..."These officers and airman were rear gunner, flight engineer and mid-upper gunner respectively of an aircraft which attacked Nuremburg one night in March 1944. Just as the bombs had been released the aircraft was attacked by a fighter. Cannon shell and machine gun bullets struck the bomber, causing a fire to start in the fuselage, starboard mainplane and the main bomb bays; one of the starboard engines was also put out of action. Nevertheless, Flying Officer Walker and Sergeant Van Den Bos maintained their vigilance and as the enemy aircraft closed in to make, another, attack they drove it off by well directed bursts of fire. Shortly afterwards the fighter again attacked but Flying Officer Walker and Sergeant Van Den Bos defended their aircraft with great skill. Following their accurate bursts of fire the attacker was seen to spiral towards the ground, completely out of control. Meanwhile, Pilot Officer Bate had displayed commendable promptitude in dealing with the fire and quelled the flames by means of extinguishers. On reaching an airfield in this country it was discovered that the undercarriage could not be released. Pilot Officer Bate immediately seized an axe, hacked a way through the fuselage to reach and release the uplock, thus allowing the undercarriage to drop to the down position. His pilot then landed the aircraft safely. In trying circumstances these officers and airman displayed great courage, determination and devotion to duty."

He sadly died on 14th October 1944 and was twenty four years old and is buried in Whinfield Cemetery, Rugby however working out how he met is end is currently open to conjecture as there is no immediate Bomber Command loss that could fit. His death was registered in Hull, Yorkshire and on the same date one other air gunner died in the Hull area. I currently believe that at the time of his death he was an instructor at the Central Gunnery School (CGS) at Catfoss. On 14th October 1944 one of their aircraft, Wellington X3546, collided with Spitfire EP409 over Hull while on a fighter affiliation exercise and crashed towards the Northern outskirts of Hull. This requires proving but I believe that he was in this Wellington and went down with the aircraft and died in the resulting crash in Hull. Some of the crew were able to bale out of the Wellington.

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