Wellington W5495 at Pocklington airfield.
On the 13th July 1941 this 405 Squadron aircraft was being used for a series of basic landing practice flights, in taxying back to dispersal at Pocklington airfield a wheel ran off the perimeter track on the edge of the airfield. The aircraft sank into soft ground and the starboard propeller and other minor damage to the aircraft was sustained. The pilot had only one hour flying experience on the Wellington type at the time of this mishap.
Pilot - Sgt John Mervyn Warnock RNZAF (402231), of Woodville, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
Crew - Names unknown.
John Warnock was born on 13th April 1915 in Richmond, New Zealand and was working as an interior decorator when he enlisted into the RNZAF on 27th July 1940. On arriving in England he trained at 22 OTU begining on 26th April 1941, he was posted to 405 Squadron on 10th July 1941 (three days before this incident at Pocklington). He was later posted to 104 Squadron on 9th November 1941 and then to 158 Squadron on 14th February 1942. He was posted back to 22 OTU as an instructor on 8th March 1942 and on 8th April 1942 he was killed flying with 22 OTU when Wellington R1773 crashed near Great Coxwell, Berkshire on a training flight and he and three others were killed. He was twenty six years old and is buried in Black Bourton Churchyard, Oxfordshire.
The photograph of him shown above was found on "http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/22906.detail".
Wellington W5495 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was awaiting collection in April 1941. On 18th April 1941 it was flown to 33 M.U. at Lyneham and was taken on charge by 405 Squadron on 20th June 1941 at Pocklington. As a result of minor damage at Pocklington on 13th July 1941 minor Cat.A(c)/FA damage was the damage assessment made by 43 Group D.A. on 19th July 1941 and it was repaired on site. It was returned to 405 Squadron use on 6th August 1941. On 10th August 1941 it sustained unspecified minor Cat.A(c) damage and was again assessed by 43 Group D.A.. These repairs took much longer and it was only returned to 405 Squadron on 31st December 1941. On 27th May 1942 it was transferred to 12 Squadron at Binbrook. It sustained some form of damage on or just before 14th September 1942 as it was taken for a repair in works by Brooklands Aviation Ltd. at their Doncaster works. By 15th November 1942 it was awaiting collection. On 22nd November 1942 it was flown to 33 M.U. at Lyneham. On 10th March 1943 it was taken on charge by the O.A.P.U. at Kemble. On 28th April 1943 it was transferred to 1446 (Ferry Training) Flight at Moreton in Marsh and on 5th May 1943 it was en-route to join Middle East Command. On 1st June 1943 it was taken on charge by 104 Squadron at Kairouan / Cheria, Algeria who then moved to Hani West, Tunisia on 24th June 1943. On 4th September 1943 it was making an approach to land at Castel Benito on one engine when the second engine lost power and it crash landed short of the runway. Cat.B damage was the initial damage assessment but this was then re-assessed as Re-Cat.E a few days later and it was struck off charge on 10th September 1943.