At 13.45hrs on 13th March 1942 the pilot of this No.6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit aircraft lost control on take-off from Thornaby airfield, he could not prevent the aircraft swinging off runway and onto a road some way below the height of the runway on the west side of the airfield. Three of the four crew sustained minor injuries.
Hudson T9395 was purchased direct from the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation at Burbank, California, USA by the British Purchasing Corporation without contract. It was initially built as a Mk.I variant but was completed as a Mk.III. It was then shipped to the U.K. arriving at Liverpool in May 1941 and after assembly by Lockheed Assembly Division UK Ltd. at Speke it went to 10 MU on 25th June 1941. It was then taken on charge by No.6 (C)O.T.U at Thornaby on 28th July 1941. As a result of a crash at Thornaby on 13th March 1942 Cat.E/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 18th March 1942.
Pilot - P/O Alan Morgan Rhodes RAFVR (115142). Injured.
Pupil Pilot - P/O Campbell Devere Barnett RCAF (J/5289). Uninjured.
Observer - Sgt Wilburt McLarty Crane RCAF (R/79675). Slightly injured.
Observer - Sgt W E Loucks RCAF (R/70763). Slightly injured.
Alan Rhodes received a commission on 16th January 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). Where he served in 1942 and 1943 is not yet known though he may have been with 269 Squadron at some stage as this unit is given in error in his casualty file for Hudson T9395. He was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942 and later to F/Lt (war subs) on 16th January 1944. He had been posted to 59 Squadron when he was reported missing on 24th February 1944 piloting Liberator FL980. He was twenty nine years old and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. He was probably born in Croyden, Surrey in 1915.
Wilburt Crane was born on 28th August 1916 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of John Allison and Belvie Jeanette (nee McLarty) Crane. As a young man he worked on his father's farm in Weyburn. He enlisted for RCAF service on 6th November 1940 in Regina and trained as an air observer in Canada receiving his air observer badge on 29th September 1941. He was then posted to the UK, arriving in February 1942 and was posted to 6 (C)OTU on 10th March 1942. With his training complete at 6 (O)OTU he was first posted to 53 Squadron on 14th April 1942 but was then posted to 407 Squadron on 3rd May 1942. He was killed flying in Hudson AM614 on 15th May 1942 on an operational flight but his body and the others flying with him on this date were never found and they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt W E Loucks also flew with 407 Squadron in Summer 1942.
Campbell Barnett served with 53 Squadron following training at 6 (C)O.T.U. and completed a Tour with this unit. He later flew with 107 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 2nd October 1945. He served in the RCAF well into the 1950s rising to the rank of Wing Commander.
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