During the day of 18th March 1941 this 10 Squadron aircraft was one of a number flown from their regular base of Leeming to Dishforth airfield where the unit began their operational flights from on this date. This aircraft then took off from Dishforth airfield at 20.21hrs to begin an operational flight to bomb Kiel.
Outbound the crew encountered thick cloud before crossing the German coast, they located Hamburg and turned north towards Kiel releasing their bomb load from 11,500 feet at 00.01hrs and made for home. At 04.50hrs, while flying roughly over the Leeming area and possibly while awaiting their turn to land, the port engine seized up and then caught fire, the fire could not be put out and the flames spread to the fuselage. The pilot instructed his crew to bale out, they landed safely but before the pilot could make good his escape the aircraft crashed and was destroyed by fire. It was thought that he was overcome by smoke in the cockpit. Sadly the pilot lost his life as a result of the crash at 04.55hrs near to Sutton Penn Farm, north of Masham.
Pilot - Sgt Neville Watson RAFVR (754857), aged 21, of Whitley Bay. Cremated Newcastle-upon-Tyne (West Road).
Second Pilot - P/O William McNaughton Spiers RAF (87666), of Leicester.
Observer - Sgt Derek Charles Lovelace Mole RAFVR (754810).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt A J Owen (818146).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James Bole RAF (553790).
Just days earlier on the night of 14th / 15th March 1941 all five airmen listed above were flying together in Whitley P4956 to destroy oil storage tanks at Rotterdam. The Whitley was struck by flak in the starboard engine and the engine caught fire, this fire was put out when the fuel supply was cut to the engine. A second fire developed in the starboard wing near a fuel tank on the return flight to England, the pilot descended to 500 feet above the sea with the intention of ditching the aircraft before the fuel ignited and blew off the wing. Before the crew ditched the aircraft in the North Sea however, P/O Spiers and Sgt Bole were successful in fighting the fire. One big problem was that flames, fumes and smoke travelled along heating ducts into the cockpit, Spiers and Bole managed to block up the heating ducts with paratchute bags. The fires eventually went out and the aircraft managed to make a belly landing at Bircham Newton airfield at 23.58hrs with no hydraulics. All escaped injury. It seems a remarkable coincidence that the events over Masham were very similiar to the events of of three days earlier.
William Spiers received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 16th November 1940 (with seniority of 7th November 1940). P/O Spiers was
killed on 26th July 1941 and was still serving with 10 Squadron at the time, he was flying in Whitley T4231 which crashed in Belgium. He was twenty
four years old and is buried in Koersel Communal Cemetery. He was Mentioned in Despatches after his death on 24th September 1941. Sadly his younger
brother was killed on 21st February 1941, P/O John Reynolds Spiers was on board Anson R3331 which crashed in Wales.
Derek Mole received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 24th November 1941 (112539), he rose to F/O on probation (war subs)
on 1st October 1942 and F/Lt on 24th November 1943. He died in October 1976 in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
Sgt Owen was later posted to 22 OTU and flew the first two Thousand Bomber raids with them in May / June 1942. He later became a PoW but the events surrounding this have not yet been found at the time of creating this webpage.
James Bole was later posted to 429 Squadron and was awarded the DFM for service with them, Gazetted on 10th September 1943.
Whitley T4202 was built to contract 38599/39 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 1st October 1940. The aircraft
must have been placed into MU storage for a time as it was a replacement at 10 Squadron for T4176. It was slightly damaged by flak on 4th March 1941 and would have been repaired on site and returned to 10 Squadron use. It was damaged again by flak on the night of 12th / 13th March 1941 and again repaired on site. At the time of these two flak incident 10 Squadron were technically based at Leeming airfield but used Dishforth to begin some of their operational flights. Cat.E2/FB damage was sustained as a result of the incident near Masham recorded above and the aircraft was struck off charge.