Whitley P5105 at Dishforth airfield.
On the night of 21st September 1940 this 51 Squadron aircraft was used for night flying practice. On landing on approach to land at Dishforth the pilot of the aircraft thought that he had lowered the flaps but infact hadn't. On landing the aircraft overshot the airfield and crashed into the boundary hedge sustaining minor damage when it struck a tree.
Pilot - Sgt Victor Walter Bruce RAF (748497).
Pilot - Sgt Harold James Fitz RAF (564624).
Crew - Names unknown.
On 1st March 1941 Sgt Bruce was still flying with 51 Squadron. On this date he was the pilot of Whitley P5108 on Ops to Cologne and all survived a crash landing
on a sandbank near Pilsum, in Germany. The crew were later rescued by a German float plane but this crashed on landing at Borkum killing three of the Whitley crew. Sgt
Bruce and the rear gunner, Sgt Mather, survived despite being injured and became PoW's. Post-War Victor Bruce remained in the forces and received his commission, he was
appointed to the re-constituted RAFVR on 18th May 1948. He relinquished his commission on 18th May 1960 but retained the rank of P/O. No postings are known.
Harold Fitz would received a commission later in the war. He remained in the RAF post-ww2 and rose through the ranks. As S/Ldr he commanded No.3 Squadron based at Leconfield. On 12th March 1953 he was killed when Lincoln RF531 was shot down by a Soviet MiG over the Societ Zone of East Germany. His body was returned to Leconfield where he was buried.
Whitley P5105 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 14th July 1940. It was taken on
charge by 51 Squadron at Dishforth later the same month. On 21st September 1940 it sustained damage at Dishforth. Following the repair on site by a team from Armstrong Whitworth Ltd it was transferred to 78 Squadron also at Dishforth in late 1940. It then transferred to 19 OTU at Kinloss in 1941. On 16th November 1942 it sustained Cat.E2/FA damage when suffered a double engine
failure whilst on a cross country training flight. Its then pilot attempted to ditch the aircraft in the River Dee near Ballater, Aberdeenshire but crashed
into a bridge. Sadly two of the crew were killed with the others surviving with injuries.