On 18th August 1942 this 2 (C)OTU aircraft stalled on take off from Catfoss airfield and struck the ground, the trainee pilot allowed the aircraft to leave the ground before it had reached full flying speed. No further action was taken on the pilot as he was very much a trainee and inexperienced in solo flying.
Beaufighter T5147 was built to contract B.41906/39 by Fairey Aviation Ltd., at Heaton Chapel and was awaiting collection in May 1942. It was allocated to 248 Squadron at Sumburgh in May 1942 but may not have ever been that far north as the following month it was on charge with 2 (C)OTU at Catfoss. As a result of damage sustained at Driffield on 10th July 1942 in a taxiing accident minor Cat.A/FA damage was the assessment and it was returned to the unit following repair. It was destroyed in this crash at Catfoss on 18th August 1942 with the more serious Cat.E/FA damage being recorded on the paperwork.
Pilot - Sgt David Whitfield Munson RAFVR (1151772).
David Munson was born in Harrow, Middlesex on 8th June 1917 and was educated at Harrow Grammar School. He joined the RAF at the very bottom in March 1940 and initially took ground postings including with barrage balloon defences of Scapa Flow in Orkney. He later volunteered / remustered as aircrew and was eventually put forward for pilot training. After this mishap he received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 18th October 1942 and then rose to F/O (war subs) six months later. He was posted to 236 Squadron and as Acting F/Lt he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 5th May 1944 though no citation for his DFC has been located. He was also Mentioned in Despatches on 8th June 1944. 236 Squadron was part of the RAF’s first Beaufighter strike wing based at North Coates, in Lincolnshire. Munson took part in six strikes on shipping and eight anti-submarine patrols: off the French coast in the Channel, the Friesian Islands and the Norwegian fjords. In a ten-month period the North Coates Wing accounted for 27,000 tons of enemy shipping. After being rested from operations he was posted as an instructor to the Central Gunnery School at Catfoss. He rose to F/Lt (war subs) on 18th October 1944 and survived the War. Post-War he returned to civilian life he worked in engineering in Ealing, West London, he later bought and ran his own company. He died on 7th July 2006.