Hampden L4183 at Finningley airfield.
On 29th November 1940 the pilot of this 106 Squadron aircraft was attempting to take off from Finningley for a night training exercise when the aircraft swung and ran into the bomb dump at 17.50hrs. The aircraft came to rest with the undercarriage collapsed. There are various modern publications which mention this incident and they vary with listing injuries being sustained; some say none, some disagree. I would suggest no injuries resulted as there is no casualty file within the AIR81 series in the UK National Archives which there should be had anyone been injured. The aircraft was written off as a result of the damage.
Pilot - F/O William Kenneth Burr Thomas RAF (72251).
Pilot - Sgt J E Sowden.
? - Sgt James Ernest Wiggall RAF (646231).
? - Sgt Flynn.
William Thomas was born in Oban, Scotland. He was granted a Commission as P/O on 12th April 1938. He was promoted to F/O on 10th May 1940 but was later killed on 4th February 1941 flying in Hampden AD750 and is buried in Nantes Cemetery, France. A memorial has since been erected close to the crash site.
Sgt James Wiggall was made a PoW on 24th July 1941 while flying in Hampden AE225 with 144 Squadron. His story is recorded in the book "The Colours of the Day" by Pat Chapman.
Sgt Sowden was the pilot of Hampden P2071 undertaking a training flight on 23rd December 1940 when the aircraft crashed near Market Drayton, but with no injuries reported.
Hampden L4183 was built to contract 549267/36 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was awaiting collection in May 1940. It was allotted to 106 Squadron on 4th May 1940 and was taken on charge by them at Finningley on 23rd May 1939. On 18th January 1940 it was sent to 32 MU and was returned to Finningley to rejoin 106 Squadron on 20th January 1940. As a result of the accident at Finningley on 29th November 1940 it sustained Cat.W/FA following assessment on 17th December 1940. It's AM Form 78 states that it was then struck off charge much later in May 1941 (which appears to have been a paperwork oversight rather than it lingering in a damaged state at Finningley).