Whitley P4970 at Spurn Point.
On the night of 5th / 6th August 1940 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to
Wismar to bomb the Dornier aircraft factory. The aircraft is reported to have been damaged by
flak which damaged the fuel tanks. On their return to Yorkshire the crew ran low on fuel and
made a forced landing on farmland in the region of Out Newton / Spurn Point at 05.30hrs, a crash landing rather than a ditching
is recorded so presumably the crew were very lucky to make landfall.
The crew are not thought to have been injured.
Pilot - Sgt John Albert Kearey RAF (517684).
Sgt Dawson
Sgt Houston
Sgt Paterson
P/O Storey
John Kearey was probably born in Farnham, Surrey in 1914. On 11th/12th August 1940 Sgt Kearey was flying Whitley P4983 on Ops to Gelsenkirchen, the aircraft
failed to return and Sgt Kearey was later reported to be a PoW. He remained in the RAF post-War and received his commission on 26th December 1946 (58740) as P/O
in the Equipment Branch. He rose to F/O (permanent on 23rd November 1948 and F/Lt on 26th June 1951.
Whitley P4970 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was
awaiting collection on 1st May 1940. Within days it was delivered to 51 Squadron at Dishforth
who were in the process of converting from Whitley MkIV's to MkV's. It sustained Cat.R(b)/FB
in the incident detailed above and was taken apart and repaired in works. After the completion
of the repairs and a period of storage at an MU it was issued to the Parachute Training Squadron
(PTS) at Ringway in 1941. On 15th February 1942 the PTS re-designated No.1 Parachute Traing School
(1 PTS) but still based at Ringway. In June 1942 it was transferred to 296 Squadron (a glider
training establishment) at Netheravon, on 25th July 1942 it moved with this unit to Hurn. On 25th
October 1942 it moved with unit to Andover and back to Hurn on 19th December 1942. In March 1943
it was passed into MU storage where it remained until being struck off charge and returned to
produce on 27th September 1945.