On 15th November 1942 this 427 Squadron aircraft was being used for a night time circuit and landings exercise and was just leaving Croft airfield for the third of the series of short flights which formed the exercise. As it climbed away it veered off the runway, and as it became airborne it clipped trees on the edge of the runway and crashed in a nearby field at 19.15hrs near Standalone Farm, about a mile south of Croft on Tees.
Wellington BK276 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden, Chester. It was immediately taken on charge by 419 Squadron at Croft on 18th September 1942 but they commenced conversion to Halifax MkII's on 7th November 1942 so the aircraft was transferred to 427 Squadron at Croft on 9th November 1942. As a result of the crash on 15th November 1942 Cat.E2/FA damage was the assessment and it was written off. It was struck off charge on 20th November 1942.
Pilot - Sgt Lyndon George Southwood RAFVR (656200). Slightly injured.
(3?) Crew - Names unknown. Slightly injured.
Lyndon Southwood was born in the Newport area of Monmouthshire of Wales in 1917. He had a number of close shaves in the RAF. On 26th January 1943 Sgt Southwood was flying with 427 Squadron as second pilot in Wellington X3348, the aircraft crashed onto Blackden Edge on Kinder Scout in the Peak District but all on board remarkably survived (further details on Alan Clark's Peak District website). On 28th February 1943 he was flying on Ops to St.Nazaire in Wellington X3563 when the aircraft flew too far west on their return and the crew abandonned the aircraft over Ireland, all were interned for a time but were later released and later posted to 429 Squadron. He was later posted to 429 Squadron and flew his first operational flight on 12th May 1943 to Duisburg but returned early. He flew with 429 Squadron until August 1943, having flown his last Op with 429 Squadron from East Moor on 3rd August 1943 before the squadron left for Leeming a week later. Five aircrews were posted from 429 Squadron to 432 Squadron on 13th September 1943 and his crew was probably one of these. On 23rd September 1943 he was flying Wellington LN394 with 432 Squadron when it crashed at East Moor airfield on return from Ops to Hannover. 432 Squadron converted to Lancasters the following month but his crew did not return to 432 Squadron after this. Nothing more is known of him after this date other than he married inBridgend in 1949 and died there in 1998.
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