Hurricane V6643 at Driffield airfield.
On 1st February 1941 this 213 Squadron aircraft received repairable damage following a heavy landing at base of Driffield airfield. The flights this pilot made are recorded in the squadron orb but not the aircraft he flew. He undertook a Sector Recce between 15.45hrs and 16.25hrs then a dusk landing flying exercise between 17.50hrs and 18.40hrs. Presumably the mishap occurred during one of the two entries.
Pilot - Sgt Robert Joseph Wallace RAF (526954).
On 3rd August 1942 P/O Wallace was killed when his 213 Squadron Hurricane BP331 was shot down in an engagement with enemy aircraft and crashed near El Alamein. He had no known grave and is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.
Hurricane V6643 was built to contract 85730/40/23a by Gloster Aircraft Ltd. at their Hucclecote factory and on 31st August 1940 was flown to 5 MU at Kemble as new. On 2nd September 1940 it was taken on charge by 310 Squadron at Dyce. On 7th September 1941 it sustained Cat.R damage but what happened is not known. On 19th September 1940 it was taken to Rolls Royce Ltd. at Hucknall for a repair in works and once servicable it was flown to 20 MU at Aston Down on 26th October 1940. It was then taken on charge by 213 Squadron at Tangmere on 1st November 1940. This unit then moved to Leconfield on 29th November 1940. As a result of the mishap at Driffield on 1st February 1941 Cat.R/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. It appears to have been returned to 213 Squadron used and then moved with them to Castletown later in the year. On 11th May 1941 it was allotted to HMS Furious but does not appear to have been ever taken up by them. On 17th May 1941 it went to Turnhouse. On 7th February 1942 the aircraft was taken on charge by 59 OTU at Milfield and on 13th September 1942 was belly landed near Milfield after engine failure. Cat.Ac/FA damage was the initial damage assessment but on 23rd September 1942 it was reassessed and upgraded to Re-Cat.B/FA. It was then taken to De Havilland Ltd, at Hatfield for a repair in works. Once servicable on 29th December 1942 it was flown to 10 MU at Hullavington. On 15th February 1943 it went to 47 MU at Sealand (packing depot), then on 2nd May 1943 it began sailing on the S.S. India Prince for the Middle East but after this nothing more is known other than it was struck off charge on 28th August 1944.