Wellington R1454 at Driffield airfield.
On 30th November 1941 the crew of this 25 Operational Training Unit aircraft was to undertake an air firing exercise that was probably to be carried on the range off Bridlington. Prior to taking off from Finningley the front turret perspex was not cleaned so, as the front gunner was unable to see from the turret, the aircraft landed at Driffield to enable the windows to be cleaned. At 15.00hrs whilst taxying at Driffield the tail wheel ran into an unmarked depression on the airfield causing the aircraft to bounce and the tail wheel assembly to break. The unit record book states this aircraft was "1434" but R"1434" never existed as a Wellington. R1454 did, it served with 25 OTU and the AM Form 1180 records it to be R1454.
Pilot - Sgt Kenneth Winton Dunlop DFM RAF (754819).
Crew - Names unknown.
Sgt Dunlop had only just had his DFM notification printed in the London Gazette on 21st November 1941 for service with 144 Squadron.