Whitley Z6559 at Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 9th / 10th May 1941 the crew of this 77 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight, they had taken off at 22.08hrs for an operational flight to bomb a chemical factory at Ludwigshaven. Outbound the rear turret had become unservicable and the wireless set had also failed so the crew opted to return to base rather than continue. At 00.15hrs the aircraft landed at Topcliffe but owing to the additional weight of the fuel and the bomb load the aircraft overshot. The pilot swung the aircraft to avoid running through the boundary fence but this resulted in the undercarriage collapsing. The crew of five escaped injury.
Whitley Z6559 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 27th February 1941.
The aircraft initially appears to have been a surplus aircraft though as it first served with 51 Squadron at Dishforth in March 1941 then moved
to 10 Squadron at Leeming shortly after before finally arriving at 77 Squadron at Topcliffe and all in a space of three months. The aircraft
sustained Cat.E/FB damage as a result of the landing accident on 10th May 1941.
Pilot - Sgt Kenneth Perram Mills RAFVR (904485).
Second Pilot - Sgt Jack Richard Thomas Hazelton RAFVR (906210).
Observer (Pilot?) - P/O Geoffrey Vivian Heslop RAFVR (85018).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Gerald Brinley Roberts RAF (651715).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Holman.
Jack Hazelton was born in Lewisham, London on 1st November 1913. He leant to fly at the Horton Kirkby Flying Club, Sussex and gained his Royal Aero Club certificate (Cert.No.19915) on 28th August 1939 and at that time stated his occupation was a radio artist. He, P/O Heslop and Sgt Mills were flying in Whitley Z6411 on 3rd May 1941 when it was attacked and damaged by an enemy aircraft as they were landing at Topcliffe. Sgt Hazelton was awarded the DFM for service with 77 Squadron, Gazetted on 23rd December 1941. He was later posted to 15 (P)AFU to instruct, sadly on 21st March 1943, as Warrant Officer, he was the pilot of Oxford AB725 that crashed in Oxfordshire and both he and his pupil died. He was married to Muriel Hazelton of Harrogate and as a result he was buried in Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire. He was twenty nine years old.
Geoffrey Heslop received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 8th September 1940. P/O Heslop was killed on 13th June 1941 flying in
Whitley T4279 on Ops to Schwerte when his aircraft was shot down by a night fighter. He was twenty and is buried in Bergen op Zoom War Cemetery,
Holland. On the CWGC database he is listed as a pilot.
Sgt Roberts was killed on 28th June 1941, flying in Whitley Z6630 on Ops to Bremen when his aircraft was shot down by a night fighter. He
was twenty four years old and is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Germany. He is commemorated on the Aberystwyth War Memorial, Wales.