Hawker Hind K5528 near Cayton Bay, Scarborough.
At 08.20hrs on 13th June 1937 this aircraft left 83 Squadron's home airfield of Turnhouse airfield near Edinburgh with the
intention of flying to Biggin Hill airfield near London. A known route for such flights at the time was made by simply following
the coastline and using airfields along the way for re-fuelling. Good progress was made but over the Yorkshire Coast in the
Scarborough area the crew ran into thick fog, the pilot attempted a forced landing in a field near Cayton Bay at the top of the
cliffs but this did not go fully to plan, the aircraft possibly suffered engine failure whilst making an approach to land, stalled
at low height and crashed. The aircraft suffered damage to the wings and undercarriage with the propeller also being broken. The
damage was severe enough for it to be written off. The two airmen on board were not injured.
Pilot - Sgt William Cowan Ollason RAF (564005).
Observer - Cpl Wakelin RAF.
William Ollason gained his Wings on 6th August 1936. By 1937 he was married and his wife lived at Dairsie, Fifeshire. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 1st May 1941. He was still serving with 83 Squadron in 1941 and was awarded the DFC for service with then, Gazetted on 23rd September 1941. On 23rd Novemner 1941 he was promoted to F/O (war subs) and he was promted to F/Lt on 1st May 1942. While flying with 101 Squadron on 3rd April 1943 his aircraft, Lancaster W4923, was hit by flak over Holland which sadly killed the mid upper gunner (Sgt G E Gadd) and wounded his rear gunner, he was able to make a safe landing at base. For service with 101 Squadron he was awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 30th April 1943 and it refers to the incident on 3rd April 1943.
"This officer has completed much operational flying. he is an ideal leader, whose exceptional skill and unconquerable determination to achieve success have won the confidence of all with whom he has flown. One night in April 1943, during there return flight from Essen, when nearing the Dutch coast, his aircraft was subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire. A very close burst riddled the fuselage with shrapnel, killing one and dangerously wounding another of the aircraft's crew. The elevator trimmers were severed, and the situation became perilous. By superb airmanship, S/Ldr Ollason retained control of the aircraft and, by wedging the control column with his knee, succeeded in maintaining level flight. In this position he flew the damaged bomber to an airfield in this country, where he effected a perfect landing."
He was promoted to S/Ldr (war subs) on 6th January 1944. Post-war he remained in the RAF and was granted a permanent commission on 1st September 1945, he was promoted to W/Co on 1st July 1947 (with seniority of 1st October 1946). He finally retired from the RAF on 3rd December 1957.
Hawker Hind K5528 was built to Contract 404654/35 by Hawker at Kingston upon Thames and was delivered to 2 ASU at Cardington
on 23rd June 1936. It was issued to 83 Squadron at Turnhouse on 31st July 1936. After the crash near Scarborough it was dismantled on
site and taken away for assessment before being struck off charge on 5th August 1937 with a total of 180 hours, 10 minutes flying time.
William Chorley's superb Bomber Command Losses book for 1939-40 (2nd Edition) includes some pre-war Bomber Command incidents and this is one, while I get a credit for some of the Wartime research in his book this is one incident we did not dicuss prior to the book going to the publishers. Mr Chorley only lists the pilot in his book but the Scarborough newspaper of June 1937 details this landing at Cayton and while it credits the pilot as being a Sgt "Allason" it also lists Cpl Wakelin as being on board.