Whitley T4231 at Dishforth airfield.
On the evening of 23rd February 1941 the crew of this 10 squadron aircraft was tasked with an operational flight to Calais and the aircraft set out at 19.11hrs from Dishforth, outbound
the port generator failed and the pilot elected to return to base rather than complete the operational task, on landing at Dishforth at 22.10hrs the aircraft overshot and the undercarriage collapsed.
Pilot - Sgt Kenneth Davall Hayward RAF (754424).
Second Pilot - P/O Maurice Littlewood RAFVR (87649), of Saanichton, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Observer - Sgt H R Wemyss RAF (755677).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Donald Boyd-Stevenson RAFVR (621788).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Ernest Reginald Mounsey RAFVR (641115).
His brother Peter Littlewood served in the RAFVR and he too was sadly killed in the War. He was serving with 410 Squadron when he died on 30th July 1943
at the same age of twenty two and is buried at Scopwick Church Burial Ground, Lincolnshire. He was a navigator flying Mosquitos at the time of his death but
his death occured during a navigation exercise in the squadron Oxford which crashed near Honiley, Warwickshire, he would be Mentioned in Despatches after
his death for the work he had done previously.
Maurice Littlewood was born in Canada but travelled to England to join the RAF. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on 16th November 1940 (with
seniority of 7th November 1940). On 8th August 1941 he was the pilot of Whitley Z6815 on Ops to Kiel with 10 Squadron when the aircraft was shot down over
the target. He was killed and is buried in Kiel War Cemetery, he was twenty two years old.
Donald Boyd-Stevenson received his commission on 17th May 1941 (45948) to the rank of P/O on probation. He was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 17th
May 1942 and had been posted to 104 Squadron where he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 23rd July 1943. He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 17th May
1943. He left the RAF on 22nd October 1945.
Kenneth Hayward received his commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 3rd February 1944 (170562) in the Admin and Special Duties Branch of the RAF.
He was graded as P/O on probation on 30th March 1944 and promoted to F/O (War subs) on 30th September 1944.
Notification was printed in the London Gazette on 7th September 1945 that Warrant Officer Wemyss had received a King's Commendation for valuable
service in the air for service with 271 Squadron.
Sgt Mouncey survived the ditching of Whitley N1483 on return from Ops to Berlin on 1st October 1940, the crew overshot England totally and after
running out of fuel ditched the aircraft in the Irish Sea. They were all rescued and taken to Holyhead.
As Warrant Officer he was awarded the DFC for service with 626 Squadron, Gazetted on 30th June 1944. He had just received his commission when this
notification came through having been granted the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 1st April 1944. He later received promotions to F/O (war subs)
on 1st October 1944 and F/Lt (war subs) on 1st April 1946. Post-war he remained in the RAF and was granted the rank of F/Lt (substantive) on 1st October 1947.
Whitley T4231 was built to contract 38599/39 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 28th September 1940 and after a
short period of MU storage it was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming in November 1940 as a replacement for Whitley P4959 "ZA-A". P4959 had burnt
out on the ground at Leeming on 27th October 1940. T4231 suffered very minor Cat.A(c)/FB damage as a result of the incident recorded above and was
repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 26th July 1941 it was lost on Ops to Bremen with Cat.E(m) damage being recorded. It was found to have
crashed at Koersel, Belgium with the loss of the then crew.