Halifax L9496 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On 23rd March 1941 the crew of this 35 Squadron aircraft had carried out an air firing exercise over Filey Bay and on landing at Linton on Ouse airfield on completion of the flight the tail wheel collapsed slightly damaging the aircraft.
Pilot - Acting W/Co Walter Stanley Hillary DFC DFM RAF (45122).
Second Pilot - Sgt Clarence Arthur Godwin RAFVR (745859).
Five other crew. Names unknown.
On 29th December 1942 he was involved in a minor flying accident in Oxford "8920" when the aircraft suffered an engine failure while he was attempting
to overshoot and take off again. The location of this is not yet known. He was posted to 1652 at Marston Moor to serve as an instructor in January 1942
and flew in the third "Thousand Bomber" raid on 25th June 1942 in Halifax R9424.
He was promoted to F/O on an unknown date, to F/Lt (war subs) on 15th December 1941 and to S/Ldr (war subs) on 3rd August 1942. He resigned from the RAF
as S/Ldr, retaining his rank of W/Co, on 11th August 1946 having served in North Africa for much of the second half of the War. Post-war he became a civilian
pilot first flying around the Scottish Islands before taking up positions with Aer Lingus, East African Airways and in 1952 he joined Sabena flying in the Congo.
He worked for Air Congo and returned to Sabena flying Dakotas around in the Libyan oilfields. He died in December 1995 in Denmark and is buried in Hundested,
Denmark. His family also have a French Croix d'honneur but the background behind the award of this is not yet known though it could relate to some flying fighter
aircraft in North Africa. I thank Mr Nigel Hillary for his contact.
I thank Walter Hillary's son for contacting me in March 2014 and for adding to an earlier biog I have created surrounding his father and for
kindly supplying a copy of the his logbook entry for this incident. Walter Hillary was born in Lambeth, London in 1917 and had served with 10
Squadron in the early months of the War. By the time this incident near Marston Moor occurred he had already survived a number of flying accidents
in Yorkshire, these included the crashes of Whitley K9020 at Dishforth on 5th January 1940 and Whitley K9022 also at Dishforth on 3rd March 1940
and Halifax L9496 at Linton on Ouse on 23rd March 1941. For his service with 10 Squadron he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 30th July 1940. He was
later posted to 35 Squadron and then to 76 Squadron. Having received his commission on 2nd January 1941 (with seniority of 4th October 1940) to the
rank of P/O on probation and while in the rank of Acting S/Ldr he was awarded the DFC for service with 76 Squadron, Gazetted on 30th January 1942,
the citation reads.. "Acting S/Ldr Hillary is a captain of aircraft and a flight commander of outstanding courage and ability. He has been operating continuously
since war began, and has never shown signs of tiredness or waning enthusiasm. He is always eager for any job he undertakes, and never leaves it
until it is successfully completed. When returning from Hanover on one occasion, the port inner engine of S/Ldr Hillary's aircraft failed completely
when over the Dutch coast. He remained unperturbed, set course for the Norfolk coast, and landed safely on three engines."
Sgt Godwin was posted from 77 Squadron to 35 Squadron on 25th February 1941. F/Sgt Godwin was killed on 24th July 1941 when 35 Squadron Halifax L9527 crashed near Lucon, France. He is buried in Angles Communal Cemetery, France and was twenty four years old.
Halifax L9496 was one of the first Halifaxes built. It was built to contract 692649/39 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was allotted to 24 MU on 22nd December 1940. On 15th February 1941 it was taken on charge by 35 Squadron at Linton on Ouse where it carried the squadron code "TL-N". It was damaged on 23rd March 1941 when the tail wheel collapsed on landing at Linton on Ouse and the minor damage was repaired on site. On 19th June 1941 it was transferred to 76 Squadron at Middleton St.George. On 12th September 1941 it received Cat.R damage at Linton on Ouse. The AM Form 1180 for this incident states it was with 76 Squadron but this was then crossed out in favour of 1652 Conversion Unit being the unit involved. 1652 C.U. did not exist as early as this. The following day the damage was assessed by No.43 Group D.A. and a repair on site began. The repair took a month; it was back with 76 Squadron on 13th October 1941. On 28th October 1941 it was transferred to 28 Conversion Flight at Linton on Ouse but appears to have sustained minor damage on delivery, sustaining Cat.Ac/FA damage. It was repaired on site and returned to 28 C.F. on 22nd January 1942 which worked within and was later absorbed by 1652 Conversion Unit at Marston Moor. On 12th February 1942 it sustained unspecified Cat.Ac/FA damage and once again was repaired on site. On return to service it was officially transferred to the books of 1652 Conversion Unit at Marston Moor but that date is not given on the aircraft's AM Form 78. As a result of a landing incident at Burn airfield on 16th August 1942 the damage was again assessed and this time the more serious Cat.E/FA damage was the result. It was struck off charge on 16th August 1942 having clocked up a total of 229 flying hours.