Halifax R9376 at Skipton on Swale landing ground.
On 29th June 1942 this 10 Conversion Flight aircraft was used on a dual control training exercise. At 16.00hrs one of the trainee pilots made an approach to land at Skipton on Swale landing ground but the approach was made at too low height and it struck concrete slab hidden in long grass next to the perimeter track. This caused a tyre to burst and on landing immediately after at 16.00hrs the undercarriage leg collapsed before the aircaft could be brought to a halt. This incident pre-dates the airfield at Skipton on Swale.
Pilot - F/Lt Thomas William George Godfrey RAF (68176).
Pilot - Sgt Kenneth Warren Jones RAFVR (1379933).
Pilot - Sgt Stanley James Pearce RAFVR (1194740).
F/Lt Kenneth Jones DFC killed himself on 10th July 1945 while serviing with 358 Squadron. He is buried at Chittagong War Cemetery, Bangladesh.
Stanley Pearce was later awarded the DFM. His medal was stolen in recent years and searching the internet Folkstone Police Station, Kent are to be contacted should the medal surface.
Halifax R9376 is pictured above. It was built to contract B.692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was allotted to 10 Squadron on 21st November 1941. The aircraft was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming on 25th November 1941. As a result of an accident at Skipton on Swale on 13th December 1941 Cat.A/FA damage was the assessment and it was repaired on site. The repair was begun on 17th December 1941 and it was complete by 4th January 1942. On 4th January 1942 on paper the aircraft was allocated to 138 Squadron at Stradishall but this move cannot have taken place as 138 Squadron never operated Halifax MkII's. It's AM Form 78 states that it was transferred back to 10 Squadron on 3rd April 1942 though also states that it was transferred to 10 Conversion Flight on the same date and may have been entered twice to reflect that it was still with 10 Squadron on that date. On 29th June 1942 it suffered Cat.A/FA damage at Skipton on Swale when it ran into a concrete slab hidden by long grass while landing. Again it was repaired on site with the repair being started on 30th June 1942. It was returned to 10 Conversion Flight on 4th August 1942 and on 26th August 1942 10 Squadron Conversion Flight moved from Leeming to Melbourne. On 7th October 1942 all of 10 Conversion Flight aircraft were absorbed into the newly formed 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit but this aircraft continued to operate from Melbourne specifically training 10 Squadron crews. On 14th November 1942 Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded when it crashed near Melbourne. It was struck off charge when the paperwork went through on 21st November 1942.