Whitley P5098 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On 23rd December 1940 the crew on this 58 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to Boulogne and took off from Linton on Ouse at 17.25hrs. Due to an equipment failure one
hour into the flight the pilot was forced to make an early return to base and they landed at Linton at 19.30hrs. Unfortunately in the process of landing the Whitley
collided with parked Lysander R9100 and both aircraft burst into flames and were destroyed. Sadly the rear gunner of the Whitley was killed in the accident. The
photograph above shows the remains of the burnt out Whitley. Also on this date a member of 35 Squadron's ground crew died;
one AC2 Albert Edward Goulding RAF (978247), as 35 Squadron were also based at Linton on Ouse at the time I add a possible link his death to this incident in case he was
involved though his death registration has yet to be found which would confirm the district he died in. Goulding is not listed in the AIR81 casualty file with the rest of the crew of Whitley P5098.
Whitley P5098 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 8th July 1940 and taken on charge by
58 Squadron at Linton on Ouse later the same month. On sustained Cat.W/FA(Burnt) damage as a result of the accident recorded above on 23rd December 1940 and
was struck off charge.
Pilot - F/O Cresswell Montagu Clementi RAF (72465). Injured.
Second Pilot - Sgt Walter Thomas William Large RAF (748145). Injured.
Observer - Sgt James Wilfred Henry Brown RAFVR (747774), of Nottingham. Injured.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Herbert Frederick Jennings RAF (509138), of Camberley, Surrey.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Irwin Geoffrey Johnson RAFVR (938783), of Aston. Buried Aston-cum-Aughton Cemetery, Yorkshire.
James Brown was the son of John and Elizabeth Brown of Nottigham. For service with 58 Squadron he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 17th January 1941. He
received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 18th September 1942 and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 18th March 1943.
Having been posted to 138 Squadron on 20th September 1943 he was flying in Halifax DG252 on an SOE operational flight to Holland when the aircraft crashed into
the sea off the Frisian islands. He was thirty five years old and is buried in Harlington General Cemetery, Netherland.
Walter Large was born in Gloucester in 1918 and died in the same registration district in 2006. Nothing more is known about his wartime flying.
Sgt Jennings was killed on 3rd March 1941 flying in Whitley Z6465 which crashed in Shropshire killed the whole crew. He is buried in Frimley Churchyard,
Surrey and was 29 years old.
Cresswell Clementi was born on 30th December 1918 in British Guiana and was the son of a former Governor of Hong Kong, Cecil Clementi. He joined the
RAF in 1938 whilst attending Magdalen College, Oxford. The date of him receiving his commission in the RAF is not known but it was probably in mid-1938.
Known promotions include - to F/O on 18th April 1940, F/Lt (war subs) on 17th April 1941, S/Ldr (temp) on 1st June 1942 and S/Ldr (war subs) on 19th
September 1943. He was Mentioned in Dispatches on 8th June 1944 while in the rank of Acting W/Co. After flying with 58 Squadron he became an armourment
specialist and a role he carried out thoughout the rest of the War. After the War he was appointed to a Permanent Commission in the RAF of F/Lt and commanded 214 Squadron from November 1946 to January 1949. His post-War career
is well documented on the internet. He was awarded the CB on 2nd June 1973, the CBE on 1st Januuary 196 (having first being awarded the OBE on 13th June 1946). He
retired from the RAF in May 1974 having risen to Air Vice Marshal and then took on a number of civilian roles. He died on 26th August 1981. His son Sir David
Clementi was the chairman of the Prudential Plc and also undertakes a number of important business roles.