Halifax V9981 at Leeming airfield.
At 15.10hrs on 29th December 1941 this 10 Squadron aircraft was in the process of taking off from Leeming airfield for the crew to carry out a training flight. As the aircraft picked up speed it crossed the intersection of another runway and collided with Halifax L9614 that was taking off along another runway. Both aircraft were badly damaged and neither was repaired. Two airmen were sadly killed and a number of others sustained injuries. A subsequent investigation found that the ground control system at Leeming was inadequate.
Halifax V9981 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Company Ltd. at the Samlesbury factory and was delivered to 24 M.U. at Ternhill on 10th October 1941. It was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming on 28th October 1941. As a result of the damage sustained on 29th December 1941 Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded after assessment. It was struck off charge in early February 1942. It had only been flown for eleven hours prior to the mishap.
Pilot - W/C John Anthony Hustler Tuck DFC RAF (33101). Injured.
Second Pilot - Sgt William Wallace Watt RAFVR (1058657). Injured.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt T J Beare RCAF (R/50837). Injured.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Sidney Thomas Arthur Rouse RAFVR (902694). Injured.
Pilot (Passenger) - Acting S/Ldr John Alexander Crockett RAF (37730). Injured. 19 OTU.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt William Cleary Green RAFVR (932940), aged 21, of Brighton, Sussex. Buried Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Franklin J Falkoski RCAF (R/70610). Uninjured.
Pilot (Passenger) - P/O Richard Pryce Hughes RCAF (J/4825). Uninjured.
William Watt received a commission in July 1943 and rose to F/O in January 1944. He was killed on 23rd February 1945 serving with 101 Squadron when Lancaster
PA237 crashed on an operational flight to bomb a target at Pforzheim. He is buried in Durnbach War Cemetery.
Richard Hughes was killed on 15th April 1942 serving with 10 Squadron when Halifax R9492 crashed while he was attempting to force land in Surrey on return from Ops to Dortmund. He is buried at Wybinbury Churchyard, Cheshire
John Tuck was born in India in 1913. He joined the RAF and completed his training at Cranwell in December 1933, he served in India for a number of years in the 1930s. In the early part of the War he flew with 58 Squadron and was awarded the DFC with 58 Squadron (Gazetted on 11th February 1941). He was posted to
10 Squadron on an unknown date and later served with 35 Squadron in 1942. He survived the War and left the RAF on the grounds of
medical unfitness in September 1948.
Sidney Rouse was one of the 10 Squadron men who was posted to join 10/227 Squadron and also later to 462 Squadron in North Africa. Sidney Rouse received a commission on 5th April 1943 (145481) and was awarded the DFC for service with 77 Squadron as Acting F/Lt on 30th June 1944.
Franklin Falkoski also served with 462 Squadron in North Africa in late 1942 receiving a commission with effect of 17th September 1942 but after December 1942 nothing more is known of him.
John Crockett M.B., B.Ch. was initially granted a commission of F/O in 1934 in the Medical Branch and posted to 5 FTS at Sealand in June 1934. In September 1934 he was posted to 3 Armament Training Camp at Sutton Bridge. He later resigned this commission on 1st December 1934 and left the Medical Branch. He reverted to an Acting P/O but climbed again to P/O on 3rd February 1937 and had been posted to 9 Squadron (based at Scampton) on 10th January 1937, before postings to 61 Squadron (based at Hemswell) on 20th March 1937 and then to 77 Squadron on 28th June 1937 (based at Honington). He was made F/O on 3rd September 1938 and then to acting F/Lt on 6th March 1939 but he relinquished this on 1st June 1939 and reverted to F/O. He was serving with 77 Squadron on 4th June 1940 when Whitley B1474 crashed at Driffield on return from an operational flight. In his casualty file relating to minor injuries sustained when V9981 crashed in December 1941 his unit is recorded as being 19 O.T.U. not with 10 Squadron (who's aircraft he was in). After this some of his rises in rank are not known but he was made S/Ldr on 3rd February 1942 and later to W/C (War substantive rank). He survived the War and in January 1946 extended his service for a further five years but reverting to S/Ldr. He transferred to the Secretarial Branch in August 1947 and was later made G/C on 1st July 1955.