During the evening of 1st August 1940 this 220 Squadron aircraft took off from Thornaby at 18.02 hrs to patrol Convoy SA3 off the East Coast. On the return to base the crew encountered foggy conditions, the crew had been had diverted to Catterick due to the conditions but when they arrived there they were re-diverted back to Thornaby. The pilot was apparently trying to force-land the aircraft when they hit high tension cables near Maltby, not far from Thornaby and it crash-landed at 23.48hrs nearby (the location given is Thornton Grange Farm, Stainton). The bomb load then exploded on impact. The electricity supply to Maltby was cut off for at least a day following this crash. The air gunner is believed to have escaped the aircraft before the aircraft's bomb load exploded but his three crew mates were not so lucky, they were killed.
Hudson N7314 was built to contract 791587/38 by Lockheed at Burbank, California and was shipped to the UK, arriving at Liverpool Docks in September 1939. From here it was transported to The British Re-assembly Division, Lockheed Ltd. at Speke before being issued to 9 MU on 12rd September 1939. It was taken on charge by 220 Squadron at Thornaby on 19th November 1939. A Cat.W/FA(Burnt) damage assessment followed the accident at Maltby on the night of 1st / 2nd August 1940 and it was struck off charge on 14th August 1941.
Pilot - F/Lt Harold Wentworth Aylward Sheahan DFC RAF (37266), aged 28. Buried Thornaby on Tees Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Pilot - P/O Charles James Allsup RAF (41539), aged 26. Buried Sanderstead, Surrey.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Sydney Smith RAF (623798), aged 26. Buried Thornaby on Tees Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Eric Dale Butler RAF (522038). Injured.
Harold Sheahan was from Johannesburg, South Africa. He was granted a short service commission in the RAF on 16th September 1935 as Acting P/O on probation and later posted to 5 FTS for training, he was confirmed as P/O exactly a year later and was posted to 220 Squadron on 29th November 1936. He was promoted to F/O on 16th March 1938 and rose to Acting F/Lt on 2nd March 1939 and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 20th February 1940 for service with 220 Squadron. He rose to F/Lt on 16th March 1940.
Sgt Smith's gravestone at Thornaby cemetery. He was from Deneside, Seaham. Co.Durham.
Acting P/O on probation Allsop was graded as P/O on probation on 3rd September 1939 before being confirmed as P/O on 31st October 1939. I believe that his father, Qm Sgt William Percy Allsup, fought in the Boer War with the Imperial Yeomanry.
Eric Butler had earlier survived the crash of 220 Squadron Anson K6199 at Bircham Newton on 9th November 1936 that killed one of his then crew. He received a Mention in Despatches on 1st January 1941.