On 27th February 1916 this aeroplane was badly damaged as the result of a force-landing near Lackenby whilst on the transfer flight from RNAS Killingholme to RNAS Redcar which would have seen it join the Home Defence Flight. It suffered damaged to the wings and undercarriage but was deemed repairable. The photograph above shows B.E.2c 1139 in a damaged state which must be at Lackenby. The pilot was serving at RNAS Killingholme at the time of the incident.
Pilot - FSL Norman Reginald Davenport RNAS.
B.E.2c 1139 was manufactured by The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company, Leeds. It was delivered to RNAS Killingholme on 15th September 1915 and was accepted there on 1st October 1915. It was being transferred to Redcar to join the RNAS Home Defence Flight on the day of the accident at Lackenby on 27th February 1916. From here it was dismantled, taken to Redcar, repaired and returned to service. It was again damaged on 1st April 1916 at Redcar but this time it was assessed and then written off when the paperwork was submitted on 14th April 1916.
Norman Davenport was born on 23rd May 1893 in Auckland, New Zealand. He entered the RNAS on 21st August 1915 and gained his Royal Aero Club Aviators' Certificate (Cert.No.2096) at the Grahame-White Flying School, Hendon on 25th November 1915. He was posted to RNAS Killingholme on 2nd February 1916. He was later found to have defenctive eyesight and his commission terminated on 25th May 1916. He survived WW1 and later returned to New Zealand. I thank Ms Lucy Cooper for the photograph of the damaged aircraft shown above which was found in her grandfather's photograph album of his days in the RNAS.