Oxford P9040 at Church Fenton airfield.
On 7th July 1941 the trainee pilot of this 54 OTU aircraft was being given instruction by an experienced pilot. The trainee was landing at
Church Fenton when the aircraft began to swing off the runway, he braked too hard to try and correct the swing but the aircraft stopped
suddenly, overturned and was badly damaged.
Instructor - F/Lt Vivian Reginald Moon AFC RAF (27231).
Trainee Pilot - P/O Vernon Harold Hunt RAAF (402357).
As F/Lt he was awarded the AFC on 1st April 1941. He rose from F/Lt to temporary S/Ldr on 9th September 1941. As S/Ldr he served
with 219 Squadron from January 1942 to March 1943. He was later promoted to temporary W/C in January 1944 and to W/C (war Subs) on
22nd September 1944. In June 1944 he was awarded the Bar to the AFC in the Kings Birthday Honours list (Flight Magazine quote his
rank to have been G/C, although the London Gazette makes no mention of him rising to this rank). He continued his RAF service in
the Post-War years. He transferred to the Reserve of Air Force Officers and extended his service for five years in June 1947 and
was granted the rank of S/Ldr, relinquishing his wartime rank of W/C. Five years later he extended his service again for a further five years and again in 1957 for a further five years.
Vivian Moon was born in Southsea, Hampshire in 1907 but had spent much of his early life in Canada and his father had
served in WW1 with the Canadian Forces. He returned to the UK in 1928 and joined the RAF, he was granted a Short Service
Commission in the RAF on 22nd February 1929 as P/O on Probation and was posted to 1 FTS at Netheravon on 10th March 1929.
After completing this training he was later posted to 9 Squadron on 12th February 1930. He was made F/O and posted to 3 FTS
at Grantham on 5th August 1931 but transferred to the RAF Reserve on 22nd February 1934 having completed his period of five
years active service and joined the instructing staff at Hatfield Flying Club, London in the following month. He was also on
the instructing staff of the De Havilland School of Flying at the same time. As a reservist he was called up on an unknown date,
but possibly on outbreak of War.
Vernon Hunt was born on 18th September 1920 in Melbourne, Victoria and enlisted in Sydney. He completed his training and was
later posted 22 Squadron. F/O Hunt was awarded the DFC for service with 22 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th August 1943 for "courage of
highest order on operational sorties" against the Japanese. He was presented with the award by the Governor General at Admiralty
House, Sydney in June 1944. On 16th November 1944 he was the pilot of Boston A28-18, flying with 15 A.R.D. and upon landing at an
unknown airfield the aircraft suffered brake failure, he ground looped the aircraft to prevent it from running down an incline
on the airfield and onto a beach. When this incident occured he had flown a total of 991 hours flying time. He survived the War.
His DFC medal was sold in 1996.
Oxford P9040 was built to contract 777546/38 by Airspeed Ltd., at Portsmouth and was awaiting collection in July 1940. After a
lengthy period of MU storage it was taken on charge by 54 OTU at Church Fenton on 17th April 1941. As a result of the mishap detailed
above in early July Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off.