Blenheim L6712 near Church Fenton.
On 1st February 1941 the engine of this 54 OTU aircraft cut out while the pilot was undertaking a training flight, he attempted to force land the
aircraft near his home airfield of Church Fenton but crashed whilst doing so. The aircraft was badly damaged and was not repaired.
Pilot - Sgt Peter Saxton Newhouse RAFVR (748791).
Crew - Names unknown.
Peter Newhouse was employed by the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd before enlisting into the RAFVR and begun working for them in 1937. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 25th November 1941 and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942. He was later posted to 600 Squadron and for service with this squadron both he and his observer were awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 19th November 1943, the citation was a joint one with F/O Gerald Tate and reads.. "As pilot and observer respectively, Flying Officers Newhouse and Tate have undertaken many sorties at night during which they have destroyed five enemy aircraft. They have displayed exceptional skill and keenness, setting an example of a high order." He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 25th November 1943. He remained in the RAFVR after the end of his wartime period of his commission was complete but he was one of numerous that then dropped a rank to F/O. He was then promoted to F/Lt on 1st March 1951 (with seniority of 24th June 1949. He relinquished his commission on 18th October 1953. He returned to his old job after the war and the Aviva.com website states that he worked in the Leicester, Kettering and Northampton branches before retiring in 1980. He was almost certainly born in the North Bierley district of Yorkshire in 1920, and died in the Northampton in 1994. I thank his next-door neighbour Andrew Marks for contacting me in December 2012.
Blenheim L6712 was built to contract 588371/36 by A.V. Roe and Co. Ltd. at Chadderton and was awaiting collection in May 1939 but was placed into
storage at MU. A long period of storage it was finally taken out of storage. On 5th October 1939 222 Squadron reformed at Duxford and received it's
first Blenheim MkIf's soon afterwards with L6712 being one of them. In March 1940 222 Squadron started conversion to Spitfire MkI's and the aircraft
was once again placed in MU storage. On 10th May 1940 it was taken on charge by 29 Squadron at Debden. In June 1940 it moved with the unit to Digby,
then on 8th July 1940 with the unit to Wellingore. It was later transferred to the newly formed 54 OTU on 25th November 1940 and arrived in Yorkshire
shortly afterwards. On 1st February 1941 it sustained Cat.E/FA damage as a result of the accident near Church Fenton as recorded above and was written off.