On 27th May 1936 the pilot of this No.9 Flying Training School aircraft became lost in bad weather and made a forced landing in a cornfield somewhere in the Thornaby area but it overturned on landing.
Pilot - Acting P/O Edwin Charles Sanders Fewtrell RAF (37673).
Edwin "Tony" Fewtrell was granted a short service commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 23rd March 1936.
He was graded as P/O on 27th January 1937 and rose to F/O on 27th October 1938 and F/Lt on 3rd September 1940.
He was awarded the DFC around October 1940, the citation for which reads.. "This officer has completed
more than twenty night flying operations over enemy territory at extreme ranges, and in the face of severe enemy opposition and
difficult, weather conditions. He is a captain of aircraft of invariable resolution and great skill, who has set a splendid
example to the others on his station." By the time his DFC was Gazetted he was already a PoW as on 8th July 1940 he was the pilot of Hampden P4390 on Ops to bomb the Dortmond Ems Canal with 61 Squadron. His aircraft was hit by flak and crashed in Germany, one of the four crew was killed while the other three including him became PoWs. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 13th June 1946 probably for work done while a PoW. Post war he extended his service rising to G/Cpt by the time he retired. He died in the Easton area of Winchester, Hampshire in 2010, he was ninety four.
Hart K5817 was built to contract 410420/35 by Vickers at Weybridge and was delivered to 9 FTS on 20th March 1936. Following this accident near Thornaby Cat.R/FA damage was recorded and it was repaired only to suffer a second accident, Cat.R/FA damage again, on 10th August 1937. It was again repaired but was destroyed in another accident on 6th September 1937. With Cat.W/FA recorded it was struck off charge on 12th October 1937 with 324.20hrs total flying time.
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