Unidentified Mustang at Clifton airfield.
On the 5th June 1942 this 4 Squadron aircraft was landing at Clifton when the pilot overran the runway damaging the aircraft slightly but the pilot was uninjured. The pilot was undertaking a training flight while the squadron converted from Lysanders to Mustangs. The identity of the aircraft was not known at the time of creating this webpage. This pilot undertook a number of flights with 4 Squadron in Mustangs on this date; one was in AG361, one was in AG499,
Pilot - P/O John Edward Anthony Hartill RAFVR (119556).
The photograph of his gravestone was found on "http://lostwolverhampton.co.uk".
John Hartill was born in Brierley Hill in 1921, he was the eldest son of the Rev & Mrs J. Hartill. He was educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School and upon leaving there he
worked for Boulton and Paul before enlisting into the RAFVR in 1941. While training in the USA his aircraft collided with another and he was forced to bale out and broke his leg on landing. He received his commission to P/O on probation (emergency) on 24th January 1942 and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942 and then to F/Lt (war subs) on 14th January 1944. He was sadly killed on 23rd May 1945 flying a 64 Squadron aircraft and is buried in Wolverhampton. He was the pilot of Mustang FB135 practicing attacking another Mustang in a dog-fight when the two aircraft collided. His aircraft crashed near Cantley, Norfolk and he was unable to get clear and lost his life. The pilot of the other aircraft was able to bale out and landed safely. F/Lt Hartill was twenty three years old.
