Lysander L4754 to the south of Wakefield.
During the evening of 28th June 1940 this 4 Squadron aircraft was been flown from Hatfield airfield in Hertfordshire up to Linton on Ouse but had left Hatfield later than
initially planned due to there being a problem in starting the engine. It begun to get dark as the aircraft flew north and after a slight error in navigation the
pilot became lost, he force landed the aircraft around five miles south of Wakefield but crashed while doing so.
Pilot - P/O Michael Stanley James Wilton RAF (40780).
Michael Wilton was born in the St.Thomas district of Devon in 1917. He was granted a short service commission in 1938 and was confirmed in the rank of P/O on 4th April
1939. He rose to F/O on 3rd September 1940 and to F/Lt exactly a year later. P/O Wilton was serving with No.4 Squadron prior to October 1940 and moved from England over to
France with them on 2nd October probably flying over in one of their Lysanders. He served as Orderly Officer under intruction in March 1940 and in May 1940 he evacuted with
4 Squadron back to England. On 26th April 1941 he was involved in a car accident in the York area and suatained facial injuries resulting in him being treated at East Grinstead Hospital and becoming of the Guinea Pig patients. In April 1942 he transferred to the Reserve and the reason for this is unclear but he also appears to have dropped a rank around this time, it may have been because he was still being treated at East Grinstead. He later served with 60 Squadron and survived the War having risen to S/Ldr. He remained in the RAF after the war and transferred to the Secretarial Branch in April 1948 but retired on 19th October 1952. He died in Oxford in April 1988.
Lysander L4754 was built to contract 555425/36 by Westland Aircraft Co. Ltd. at Yeovil and was delivered into MU storage in November 1938 before being issued to 4 Squadron at
Odiham in January 1939 when the unit began converting from Hectors. It moved with this unit to Mons-en-Chaussee on 2nd October 1939 and to Monchy-Lagache on 3rd October 1939,
to Lille/Ronchin on 16th May 1940, to Clairmarais on 21st May 1940, to Detling on 22nd May 1940, to Hawkinge two days later and to Ringway a day later. 4 Squadron moved to
Linton-on-Ouse on 8th June 1940 and it arrived in Yorkshire. After being inspected Cat.W/FA damage was recorded following the incident on 28th June 1940 as detailed above.
It was a real veteran of the Battle of France.