Hampden X2982 near Catterick Bridge.
During the evening of 12th May 1941 the crew of this 44 Squadron aircraft had taken off from Waddington at 22.00hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Mannheim, on their return they were diverted north to land. The crew later abandoned their aircraft which crashed close to Catterick Bridge at 06.52hrs on 13th May 1941 after
running out of fuel. The location given in a police report puts the crash site to be close to "Chapman's Farm" near the racecourse where as a further reference to it being in an ajoining field to Catterick airfield has also been found. The field ajoining the racecourse is probably correct as the AM Form 1180 states the crew attempted to land on ajoining ield which was blocked by anti-invasion poles.
Pilot - Sgt Eric Douglas Tyler RAFVR (745186).
Second Pilot - Sgt Charles Forrest Greig RAFVR (908385).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Kenneth George Betts RAF (641035).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Campbell.
Charles Greig was born on 2nd December 1911 to Mr and Mrs J R Greig, of Karong Vale, Victoria. He attended Brighton Grammar School in Victoria
and had then joined the Royal Australian Navy in December 1929 as a wireless mechanic but soon after joining was discharged due to being medically
un-fit. On 12th May 1931 he joined the Australian Militia Forces also as a wireless mechanic and at that time was living in Brighton, Victoria. He
joined the 46th Infantry Battalion but after only 192 days service he was then discharged from this service. What he did in the years up to the start
of the War is not yet known. He had tried to join the RAAF in 1940 but was rejected so travelled to England on his own accord and joined the RAF. Sgt
Greig was killed on 19th June 1941 while ferrying Hampden AD904 from Ternhill to Waddington and was following another aircraft which had taken off
ahead of him, this earlier aircraft suffered an engine failure and crashed, it was thought that he had taken off but was watching the earlier
aircraft crash and subsequent fire on the ground and lost control of his own aircraft, AD904 then stalled and crashed and sadly he and the two other
airmen on board died. He was twenty nine years old and is buried at Newport cemetery in Lincoln. He had married in England around April 1941 in Cambridge, England.
F/Sgt Betts and F/Sgt Tyler were killed on 8th July 1941, flying in Hampden AE153 on Ops to Hamm. Tyler was aged 24 and Betts was 21. Their
bodies were never found and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt Campbell was also probably on Hampden P4285 which struck trees near Coningsby on 9th September 1941. His full details are not yet known.
Hampden X2982 was built to contract B.994449/39 by English Electric Co. Ltd. at Samlesbury and was awaiting collection in September 1940. It was allotted to 20 MU on 5th September 1940 and was then received by them on 21st September 1940. The aircraft was taken on charge by 44 Squadron at Waddington on 27th September 1940. It appears to have had an uneventful life until 13th May 1941 when it crashed at Catterick and Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded on the paperwork.