Whitley P4947 at Tholthorpe relief landing ground.
On the night of 15th / 16th September 1940 this aircraft was one of a number from 77 Squadron tasked with bombing a number of towns and cities in mainland Europe. On this night 77 Squadron were to put up twelve aircraft, eight aircraft bombed Ostend (and possibly Dunkirk), one bombed Berlin and three bombed Hamburg. The crew of Whitley P4947 were tasked with bombing Hamburg, they left Linton on Ouse at 20.05hrs and bombed from only 3,000 feet with the bombs seen to land around the docks and harbour area. They returned to England and in the squadron ORB it states that they landed at 04.20hrs. What the ORB does not refer to is that the landing was made at 58 Squadron's relief landing ground at Tholthorpe and that the hydraulic system appears to have not been working properly prior to landing. The AM Form 1180 for this incident states that the undercarriage had to be hand pumped down but it failed to lock into place. The automatic warning system in the cockpit failed to alert the pilot of the problem so that when a landing was made the undercarriage then collapsed. Tholthorpe relief landing ground was later developed as Tholthorpe airfield.
Pilot - Sgt E E Fenning RAFVR (740535)
Bomb Aimer? - P/O MacDonald.
Observer - Sgt John Arthur Furlonger RAFVR (747811).
Wireless Operator? - Sgt Ericksen.
Air Gunner - Sgt John Cuthbert Kesson RAFVR (968142).
The correct and full identity of the pilot is not yet known, there were two men born in England and Wales who could fit as being the correct person, Ernest
Edward Fenning was born in Colchester in 1908 (but someone of the same name died there in 1917) and Eric E Fenning who was born in Ipswich in 1913 and possibly
died in the Stocksbridge area of Hampshire in 2006.
John Arthur Furlonger was born in Haslemere, Surrey in 1916 and was the only child of Arthur Frank Furlonger and Mary Matilda Furlonger. His father Cpl Arthur
Furlonger was serving in the Tank Corps in WW1 and was killed on 1st December 1917 at Cambrai when his tank took a direct hit. John Furlonger received his commission
in the RAFVR on 11th June 1942 (127149) to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 11th December 1942. I thank his
grandson Emerson Furlonger for contacting me in 2013 and for updating the biography shown here. His family understand that he served in Rhodesia, possibly as an
instructor at some point during the war. He remained in the RAFVR at least until 1964 when he extended his period of service by a further four years. When he
left the RAF has not been found in the London Gazette. He passed away in Petersfield, Hampshire in 2000.
John Kesson's identity is confirmed. He was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire in 1920, he worked as a road surveyor before joining the RAF in 1939. He was awarded
the DFM for service with 77 Squadron, Gazetted on 18th July 1941. He eventually received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 1st September
1943 (157481) and was later confirmed in his appointment and rose to F/O (war subs) on 1st March 1944. He relinquished his commission on the grounds of being
medically unfit for Air Force service on 31st May 1947.
P/O MacDonald may have been Trevor de Trafford MacDonald (33571) who was born in South Africa in December 1920, he entered the RAF at Cranwell in 1939 and received
his commission on 7th March 1940. He rose through the ranks to W/Co by the time he retired in 1959. He later returned to his native South Africa where he died in
October 1999.
Whitley P4947 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 9th April 1940. After a lengthy period of MU
storage it was taken on charge by 77 Squadron at Driffield during the first week of August 1940 and it survived the bombing of Driffield airfield later in the month.
On 28th August 1940 it moved with the unit to Linton on Ouse and following the mishap at Tholthorpe RLG on 16th September 1940 Cat.M/FB damaged was recorded. It was
repaired on site and returned to the unit. It was destroyed on 4th April 1941, with Cat.W/FB Burnt when returning from ops to Brest and crashed attempting to land
at Waddington with the loss of four of it's five crew.