Tiger Moth N9244 at Brough airfield.
On 12th December 1940 this 4 EFTS aircraft was being flown on a basic training flight by a pilot flying solo, on landing the starboard wing collided with the port wing of another aircraft that was already on the ground at Brough airfield. Both aircraft sustained damage.
Pilot - LAC William Walter Hughes RAFVR (1257674).
William Hughes was later posted to 37 Squadron. He was killed on 2nd July 1942 flying in North Africa when Wellington Z1179 crashed. Aged 37 he is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial. He appears to have been flying as a navigator at that time which would suggest he was taken off pilot training at an early stage, possible as a result of this minor collision at Brough eighteen months earlier.
Tiger Moth N9244 was built to contract 778402/38 by The De Havilland Aircraft Co. Ltd. at Hatfield and was awaiting collection in September 1939. After a period of MU storage
it was taken on charge by 4 EFTS at Brough in 1940. It sustained Cat.R damage as a result of damage on 12th December 1940 and after inspection by 60 MU it was sent away for repair in works passing into MU storage on completion of the repair. The rest of it's RAF history is very vague. It was
taken on charge by 613 Squadron as a 'hack' aircraft on and unknown date, it was later recorded as being on charge with Ibsley Station Flight. It was then placed into
long term MU storage and put up for sale in 1946. It was purchased by Cambridge Aero Club and registered as G-AHXN on 22nd July 1946 and was then based at Cambridge airport.
This civilian registration was cancelled on 18th December 1947. On 5th January 1948 it was registered to Marshall's Flying School Ltd at Cambridge but the registration was
again cancelled 1st April 1952. A week later it was registered to Marshall's Flying Services Ltd., at Cambridge on 9th April 1952. On 22nd April 1962 it crashed near Caxton,
Cambridge and was deemed beyond economic repair and written off.