Halifax R9452 at Thwing.
On the night of 12th / 13th April 1942 the crew of this 76 Squadron aircraft were to undertake an operational flight to attacck Essen. As it was taking off from Middleton St.George at 22.00hrs on 12th April 1942 it swung and struck a set of ground maintainance steps left on a dispersal which broke off part of it's undercarriage. The aircraft must have received quite serious damage as the did not continue with the main bomber force but the crew jettisoned the bomb load at sea and turned inland. After using up some of the fuel they baled out at 00.30hrs in the Hunmanby area. The aircraft crashed onto a roman site close to the village of Thwing, on the Yorkshire Wolds. The second pilot broke his leg in a bad landing.
Pilot - F/Sgt J N Hobbs RCAF (R/62727).
Second Pilot - Sgt Butler. Injured.
Flight Engineer - Sgt R Davidson.
Navigator - F/Sgt Rooney.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt William Hustler Charlesworth RAFVR (987863).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Roberts.
Air Gunner - Sgt H D Jones RAF (567620).
Sgt Charlesworth was killed flying in Halifax W1114 with 76 Squadron on 20th June 1942 on Ops to Emden. He was twenty one years old and is buried in Ulrum General
Cemetery, De Marne, Holland. Also on the aircraft was Sgt Jones who survived to become a PoW. The photograph of Sgt Charlesworth's grave was found on the internet
at "www.bosscher-online.nl".
Hobbs recieved his Wings at 8 S.F.T.S. in April 1941. Unfortunately the Commanding Officer of 76 Squadron removed him from operational duty on 13th May 1942 pending an appointment with a medical board. Currently nothing more is known about him.
Halifax R9452 was built to contract 692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. and was supplied new to 76 Squadron at Middleton St.George on 14th February 1942. It was used a replacement for Halifax R9379 "MP-L" which was damaged on 17th January 1942. As a result of the crash at Thwing on 13th April 1942 Halifax R9452 sustained Cat.E2/FB Burnt damage and was struck off charge four days later on 17th April 1942. With permission of the lanowner, small pieces of the aircraft were found on the surface at the crash site by historians Ken Reast, Eric Barton and Albert Pritchard in July 2005 baring Halifax part numbers to confirm the crash site location. In 2009 I understand that a full-blown dig may have since taken place at this crash site by another party with the aim of recovering one of the engines. Bits have since appeared on Ebay. There appears to have been no MoD licence application made for the dig unfortunately.