Beaufort X8939 at Thornaby airfield.

On 30th August 1941 this 22 Squadron aircraft was one of eleven that were being flown to Thornaby from Thorney Island to prepare to be on standby for an operational flight that was planned to begin at Thornaby. This aircraft had taken off from Thorney Island at 06.25hrs for the transit flight, it landed too fast at Thornaby at 09.00hrs to be able to stop on the airfield and overshot, running into a ditch at the edge of the airfield. Through correspondance with the pilot's son, Mr Michael Poole, his father's log book states that the crash was "due to inefficient brakes on short runway. No one injured."

Beaufort X8939 was built to contract 552915/36 by Bristol at Filton and after acceptance at MU in April 1941 to was taken on charge by 22 Squadron in July 1941. It was written off as a result of damage sustained in this incident detailed above with Cat.E2/FA damage recorded.

Pilot - Sgt Edwin William Poole RAFVR (745192).

2 passengers - Names unknown.

Edwin William Poole was born in Oxford on 4th January 1920, he attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys, on leaving school he took up an apprenticeship at Lucy’s switchgear in Oxford. While an apprentice he joined the RAF volunteer Reserve and was called up on 1st September 1939. After many months of training he was posted to 22 Squadron at North Coates June 28th 1941 which served a Beaufort torpedo bomber squadron. In January 1942 he went to a ferry training unit at Honeybourne in preparation for the Squadrons move to Ceylon where he finally arrived at Ratmalana on May 5th 1942. He received his commission in January 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) (142578). In July 1944 he was posted to the SEAC Communications Flight and flew the "top brass" in India as an air taxi pilot. His last flight was flying a York from Butterworth to Ratmalana on 27th November 1945. After the War he returned to Lucy’s and worked as a toolmaker while still a member of the RAFVR, in 1952 he was recalled as a pilot later transferred to air traffic control by the time he retired in 1970. He eventually passed away in 1979.

Edwin Poole reportedly survived a crash a few days previous to this one when his aircraft was forced to ditch off Essex, one of his fellow airmen drowned before being rescued, he and two others were picked up and taken ashore in small dinghy. He was not flying as first pilot in this earlier incident. Whilst Ross McNeill records this in his Coastal Command Losses 1939-41 book, there is no mention of it in Sgt Poole logbook. His regular crew in August 1941 was Sgt Goldsmith, Sgt Hoskin and Sgt Francis and two of these may well have been on board during the landing accident at Thornaby detailed above. He served with 22 Squadron at Thorney Island from July 19th until October 28th 1941. Whilst training with No.1 TTU at Abbotsinch, Scotland his aircraft crashed into the sea on 21st March 1941. My thanks to Mr Mike Poole for contacting me and for the information he has been able to provide about his father.

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