Halifax L9524 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On 18th September 1941 this 35 Squadron aircraft was being flown on a non-operational flight when the pilot applied the brakes too late at the end of the runway at Linton on Ouse on landing, the aircraft was swung at the end of the airfield and the tail wheel struck a pile of soil.
Pilot - P/O Edmund Keith Creswell RAFVR (107461).
Crew - Names unknown.
"This officer has shown the utmost tenacity and determination in reaching his objectives, which have been most of the well known targets in Germany, including Berlin. He has also bombed Turin successfully On two occasions, by his skilful airmanship he has brought home, and successfully landed, a badly damaged aircraft."
In early 1943 he was posted to 35 Squadron PFF and was Mentioned in Despatches on 2nd June 1943 and later awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 27th July 1943, the citation for the latter reads.. "This officer has a fine record of achievement, having undertaken a large number of sorties, involving attacks on heavily defended areas in the Ruhr, on ports both in enemy and enemy occupied territory, and on far distant targets such as Turin and Spezia in Italy. He has accomplished his tasks with great skill, while his fearlessness and tenacity have inspired his crew with great confidence. His successes have been worthily earned."
He continued his operational flying rising to Master Bomber with the PFF and was awarded the Bar to the DSO for service with 35 Squadron, Gazetted on 29th September 1944 while in the rank of Acting S/Ldr, the citation reads.. "This officer has completed a very large number of sorties against a wide range of targets, many of them far into enemy territory. Recently he has participated in numerous attacks on enemy railways sidings. He has spent protracted periods over the target and his example of skill, courage and determination has won great praise." After his time with 35 Squadron he was possibly posted to one of the training units in Worcestershire as in 1945 he married in the Evesham area which would fit for commanding one of the OTU training units in the area (pure speculation however). Nothing more about him is known other than he was clearly one of the finest bomber pilots to have passed through Yorkshire during the War. It is believed that he died in February 1999.
Edmuund Creswell was born on 12th November 1919 in Plymouth, Devon and was the son of Rear Admiral George Hector Creswell DSO, DSC, ADC Rtd. His father had served in WW1 and in throughout the period between the Wars, he was awarded the DSC in April 1919, the DSO in December 1939, MiD in November 1942 and the CB in January 1943. Edmund Creswell attended the Imperial Service College from 1933 to 1938. He received his commission in the RAF to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 10th July 1941 and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 10th July 1942 and later to F/Lt (war subs) on 31st January 1943. He was awarded the DFC while he was serving with 158 Squadron Conversion Flight, on 1st November 1942 158 Squadron Conversion Flight became 1658 HCU and I strongly believe that he became one of their first instructors. His DFC was Gazetted on 6th November 1942 but his DFC must have been awarded for service with an operational squadron, probably with 158 Squadron. The citation for his DFC reads..
Halifax L9524 was built to contract 692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was awaiting collection on 21st April 1941. The aircraft was all allocated to 35 Squadron five days later but was not taken on charge by them until 26th May 1941 at Linton on Ouse. As a result of battle damage sustained on 24th July 1941 on Ops to La Pallice the crew landed at St.Eval but with various members of the crew having sustained injuries, some fatal. Cat.A(c)/FB damage was the damage assessment there and it was repaired on site at St.Eval by 12th September 1941. On this date it was returned to 35 Squadron at Linton on Ouse. On 18th September 1941 it was slightly damage to Cat.A/FA degree when it overshot on landing at Linton on Ouse. It was repaired on site and returned to 35 Squadron use. On 10th October 1941 the aircraft was being flown on Ops to Essen when it received minor flak damage to the hydaulic system which caused a main wheel to drop and lock down and also the bomb doors to remain open. The pilot was able to fly the aircraft back to Norfolk and made a good wheels-down landing in a field near Long Stratton, Norfolk. Minor Cat.Ac/FB resulted despite the aircraft apparently running through two field boundaries, no obvious damage to the undercarriage legs resulted. The aircraft was made servicable on site and a couple of days later F/Lt Leonard Cheshire and a scratch crew comprising of a flight engineer and a navigator were flown into Coltishall, driven to the site and they then flew the aircraft out. The aircraft had been stripped of all excess weight and lightly fuelled. They flew it back to Linton on Ouse where further repairs were complete by 20th October 1941. Two days later it resumed operational use but sustained a collapsed starboard main undercarriage leg when one of the castings broke on landing. Cat.A(c)/FB damage again resulted after assessment on 23rd October 1941, it was repaired on site and returned to 35 Squadron on 21st January 1942. On 14th February 1942 it was transferred to 10 Squadron at Leeming but appears to have been used by the 10 Squadron Conversion Flight that operated from Leeming. On 1st April 1942 it was inspected for unspecified damaged that required a repair on site to be carried out. Cat.Ac/FA damage was logged on the aircraft's AM Form 78 on 3rd April 1942 that points to the damage being as result of a flying accident. There is also an AM Form 1180 dated 3rd April 1942 but it has been left blank. The squadron records do not mention any mishap to this aircraft. On 23rd April 1942 the aircraft was returned to 10 Conversion Flight at Leeming. The aircraft was flown to Handley Page Ltd. for a major inspection on 4th May 1942 and it was awaiting collection on 19th July 1942. The aircraft was returned to 10 Conversion Flight use at Leeming but the date it arrived back is not known. On 26th August 1942 it moved to Melbourne with the unit. On 12th October 1942 the aircraft was transferred to 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit at Leeming but was operated from 13th October 1942 under the guise of 408 Conversion Flight (which was part of 1659 H.C.U.). The aircraft was converted into Ground Instructional Airframe 3489M by the end of 1942. Nothing more of the aircraft is known after this.