During the afternoon of 18th August 1942 the crew of this 76 Squadron aircraft had undertaken an air-firing exercise over Filey Bay. The crew were based at Middleton St.George and by 18.25hrs they were heading back there when a problem with the port outer engine caused the crew to shut it down and feather then propeller. They were seen flying normally at around a thousand feet and flying on three engines when the aircraft suddenly went into a spin to port and before the pilot could regain control it crashed Sowerby, Thirsk with the loss of all seven airmen on board. It was never fully understood what caused the pilot to loose control though a suggestion that the speed of the aircraft reduced and a stall may have occurred. The aircraft crashed less than a mile from where Halifax L9609 had crashed just over a day previously and also a few hundred yards from where Spitfire AE345 had crashed a few weeks previously. Historians Albert Pritchard, Eric Barton and Ken Reast located small fragments on the surface at the crash site in February 2007 with permission from the landowner, confirming the crash location.
Pilot - F/Sgt John Gillies RAFVR (741756), aged 24. Buried Holytown Cemetery, Lanarkshire.
Observer - Sgt Arthur Collins RAFVR (1381237), aged 30. Buried Darlington West Cemetery, Durham.
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Adrian Rolt Triscott RAFVR (1151434), aged 30. Buried Darlington West Cemetery, Durham.
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt John Henry Ffolliott Sydes RAFVR (744908), aged 27. Buried Darlington West Cemetery, Durham.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Stanley Downing RAFVR (1270327), aged 32. Buried Alperton Burial Ground, Wembley, London.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt William Charles Bacon RAFVR (1375837), aged 28. Buried City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, London.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Charles Campbell Lee RCAF (R/79839), aged 23. Buried Darlington West Cemetery, Durham.
Halifax V9992 was built by English Electric Company Ltd. at Samlesbury to contract B982938/39 and was delivered to 24 MU on 16th December 1941. It was taken on charge by 1427 (Ferry Training) Flight on 10th February 1942 but moved to 8 MU at Little Rissington on 4th March 1942 before returning to 1427 Flight on 20th April 1942. It returned to 8 MU on 5th May 1942 before being transferred to 76 Squadron on 23rd July 1942 at Middleton St.George. Cat.E2 damage was recorded following the accident near Thirsk on 18th August 1942. It was struck off charge on 24th August 1942 with a total of 72.30 hours flying time recorded from new.
Charles Lee was born on 4th May 1919 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Charles William and Edith Aveline (nee Wood) Lee. Both his parents were born in Ottawa but had moved to Regina. He left school in 1937 and had three years working as a distributing leaflets in Regina. He enlisted for RCAF service on 26th November 1940 in Regina and trained as an air gunner in Canada receiving his Air Gunner's badge on 7th November 1941. He arrived in the UK just before the end of 1941 and then trained at 7 AGS and 19 OTU before posting to 76 Squadron on 19th July 1942. His younger brother Howard Osborne Lee was also a serving member of the RCAF and having received a posting to 432 Squadron he was lost on Ops to Aachen on 14th July 1943 flying in Wellington HE353.
Graves of three of the crew who are also buried at Darlington. John Triscott was born on 2nd June 1912 in Essex. Arthur Collins was born on 10th June 1912 and enlisted for RAF service on 28th October 1940. John Sydes was born on 31st July 1915 and enlisted for RAF service on 2nd March 1939.
Stanley Downing was born on 12th June 1910 and enlisted for RAF service on 23rd October 1940.
William Bacon was born on 22nd October 1913 and enlisted for RAF service on 19th August 1940.
John Gilles was born on 14th February 1918 and enlisted for RAF service on 6th July 1938.