On 15th October 1942 this 78 Squadron aircraft took off from Linton on Ouse airfield at 18.34hrs to undertake an operational flight to attack Cologne but only minutes after taking off the aircraft's hydraulic system failed. The undercarriage would not retract properly so the crew jettisoned their bombs in the North Sea. The pilot and flight engineer, for some reason, appear to have let the propellers on all engines go into fully fine pitch so the engines ran too fast and begun to overheat. The aircraft landed at 19.40hrs at Leconfield but unfortunately crashed while doing so and was badly damaged. The full identities of many of those listed below are not yet confirmed.
Halifax BB239 was built to contract B.124357/40 by the London Passenger Transport Board Ltd. at Leavesden. It was initially allocated to 76 Squadron at Middleton St.George but before delivery it was transferred to 78 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 25th September 1942. As a result of the crash on 15th October 1942 Cat.B/FB damage was the initial damage assessment but this was quickly re-assessed as Re-Cat.E on 23rd October 1942 and it was struck off charge.
Pilot - Sgt Eric Albert Williams RAFVR (1381007).
? - Sgt E C Jones.
? - Sgt Beals.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leonard Albert West Trevors RCAF (R73036).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Lloyd George Masterson RCAF, of St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
? - Sgt R McReynolds.
? - Sgt C Creaney.
Only weeks after this accident on Sgt Masterson survived the more serious crash of Halifax DT525 on the North Yorkshire Moors and detailed on this website. Through contact with Sgt Lloyd Masterson's daughter I learn that the incident on Byland Moor occurred on his next operational flight after the one detailed above, I thank her for the additional information and the photograph of her father she has kindly supplied to this account.
Leonard Trevors was born in October 1917 and enlisted in Moncton, New Brunswick in September 1940. His first posting was in Canada to 118 Squadron involved in Coastal Artillery Co-operation work. He later trained as a wireless operator and passed out as a wireless operator / air gunner in July 1941 leaving Canada in August 1943. Sgt Trevors was involved in a second accident on 8th November 1942 when Halifax DT516 ditched in the North Sea off Newcastle. He received a commission to P/O on 29th June 1943 and was promoted to F/O six months later. He was re-patriated in May 1944 but served with 5 OTU in Canada before leaving the RCAF in June 1945 (research by Mr Hugh Halliday).
Eric Williams received a commission on 8th September 1943. He was later posted to 61 Squadron and awarded the DFC for service with this Unit, Gazetted on 2nd June 1944. Having risen to F/O on 8th March 1944 he was flying Lancaster JA695 on Ops to Aachen on 11th April 1944 when he failed to return. He was twenty three years old and is buried in Schoonselhof Cemetery, Belgium.
It is possible that the Sgt Creaney was one Eric Charles Creaney RAFVR and if so then he was later awarded the DFC for service with 102 Squadron, Gazetted on 16th February 1945 having received a commission earlier in the war.