On 14th August 1942 this 1472 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight aircraft suffered engine failure on take off. The pilot could not prevent the aircraft from coming to rest with it having sustained damage. The unit were based at Dishforth and while their orb does not state it was anywhere else but there I have a note (from somewhere) that it occurred at Catterick airfield.
The unit is given as being 1472 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight in pretty much every modern reference to this number unit that I can find. The 1472 Flight record book gives the unit title as being 1472 (D-B) Flight, or 1472 (Dive-Bombing) Flight. Which is correct is anyone's guess. As the scribe of the orb was there at the time I'm leaning towards 1472 (D-B) Flight being correct.
Pilot - P/O C B Martin.
P/O Martin was posted from 613 Squadron to 1472 Flight on 17th June 1942 and then to 239 Squadron on 22nd August 1942. He appears in their records as flying operationally with them in September 1942 but after this date disappears. The National Archives pdf scans are very poor and do not allow the records to be read properly.
Tomahawk AH918 was built by the Curtiss Wright Corporation, at Buffalo, New York, USA and was purchased to British Purchasing Commission contract A-84. It was crated and shipped to the UK arriving in March 1941 and on arrival was sent to No.1 AAU at Speke for assembly and testing. The history is then unclear but it appears to have then been placed into MU storage until it was on the books of S.F.P.P. at Kemble, the HQ of S.F.P.P. units. This may have been for familiarization of the type for ferry pilots. It next appears being delivered to 1472 A.A.C.Flight, at Dishforth by an ATA pilot on 28th June 1942 not long after the unit had formed. As a result of the mishap on 14th August 1942 Cat.B/FA damage was the result of the damage assessment and it was then almost certainly sent for a repair in works by A.G.S. Ltd. at Renfrew. When the repair was complete it was placed in MU storage until June 1943 when it was taken on charge by 1684 (Bomber) Defence Training ((B)DT) Flight at Little Horwood. It was reported to have been destroyed in a crash on 5th June 1944 but I have not located any information regarding this. After this second incident Cat.E/FA damage was recorded and it was written off.
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