Wellington W5424 at Driffield airfield.
At 16.00hrs on 26th July 1941 this member of 104 Squadron ground crew was killed at Driffield airfield when he was struck by a rotating propeller blade on a Wellington which was having it's engines run up. The aircraft had had a new coolant pump fitted and was being tested at the time. The aircraft appears to have rolled over the chocks and into the groundcrew member.
Ground crew - AC2 William Alexander Wilson RAFVR (1020491), aged 33. Buried Cathcart Cemetery, Renfrewshire.
In pilot seat - Cpl John Richard Rutland RAFVR (976025).
Wellington W5424 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was awaiting collection in January 1941. It was allotted to 12 MU on 24th January 1941 and was received by them on 22nd February 1941. There appears to be a clerical error on the aircraft's AM Form 78 as after a period of MU storage it states it was taken on charge by 158 Squadron on 10th April 1941 but 158 Squadron did not form until 1942. It was almost certainly taken on charge by 104 Squadron at Driffield on 10th April 1941 when this squadron reformed. The damage on 16th May 1941 was probably so slight that no-one recorded it on the aircraft's
record card; Cat.A/FB would have been the assessment if one was made. On 26th July 1941 it was having it's engine run up after a part change when it moved on the chocks and a propeller struck and killed a member of groundcrew on the head. Again nothing is recorded on the AM Form 78 but it would have been repaired on site. It continued to be used by 104 Squadron until early 1942. On 14th February 1942 158 Squadron formed at Driffield out of 'C' Flight of 104 Squadron and this aircraft was one of the aircraft that transferred across. On 15th March 1942 it's AM Form 78 states that it sustained Cat.Ac/FB damage assessment but the squadron records do not yield any information as to how this occurred. It was repaired on site and returned to 158 Squadron on 11th April 1942. On 4th June 1942 158 Squadron moved to East Moor and started conversion to Halifax MkII's. They then transferred the majority of their Wellington MkII's to 12 Squadron at Binbrook and this aircraft was one of these aircraft that went on 11th June 1942. On 29th July 1942 it suffered an engine failure on take off from Binbrook for an operational flight to Saarbrucken. The aircraft stalled and crashed and the crew of five were sadly killed. Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded on the paperwork. It was struck off charge in early August 1942.