On 3rd December 1942 this 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft was to be used on a training flight. The aircraft briefly left the ground but the pilot believed that the aircraft was nose heavy so throttled back. There was then not enough space left on the runway to stop the aircraft and it over-ran the airfield. The aircraft was badly damaged.
Pilot - Sgt Patrick Kelly Chambers RCAF (R/96292).
Pilot - Sgt Robert Angus Hugh Bell RCAF (R/102088).
Halifax W1052 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. It was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming on 2nd April 1942. On 29th April 1942 it was slightly damaged on Ops that injured two of the crew though they landed safely at Lossiemouth. Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was swiftly repaired. As a result of minor battle damage on 9th May 1942 Cat.A/FB damage was the result that saw it repaired on site. On 28th June 1942 it was transferred to 102 Squadron. On 24th July 1942 it was slightly damaged at Topcliffe when the tail wheel broke off after landing due to a faulty part. Cat.Ac/FA damage may have been the damage assessment though it is not listed on the aircraft's AM Form 78 suggesting it may have been only Cat.A. A repair on site would have been made. In the 102 Squadron record books they were still flying it operationally in November 1942 but they also list it as being lost on Ops on 8th December 1942 (which is an error). It passed to the newly formed 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit at Leeming on 17th November 1942. On 3rd December 1942 it sustained this more serious mishap at Leeming and Cat.B/FA damage was an initial assessment but it was then Re-Cat.E/FA and was struck off charge on 8th December 1942.
Patrick Chambers was born on 19th October 1918 in Chesterville, Ontario, Canada and was the son of George Thomas and Mary Ellen (nee Kelly) Chambers. Both his parents died when he was young and after leaving school he was working at a family farm in Chesterville. He enlisted for RCAF service in Ottawa on 27th May 1941 and after initial training he was awarded his Pilot's flying badge on 27th February 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 12 (P)AFU and 22 OTU. He was posted to 419 Squadron on 24th September 1942. He was undertaking Halifax conversion training with 1659 H.C.U. in early December 1942 when the mishap at Leeming occurred but this posting is not listed in his service file. He was then posted to 427 Squadron on 16th December 1942 who were still flying Wellingtons not Halifaxes. He was again posted to 1659 HCU briefly in April 1943 but I assume that his Halifax conversion cannot have gone well because he was then posted to 432 Squadron on 1st May 1943 who were also still flying Wellingtons. On the night of 3rd / 4th July 1943 WO2 Chambers was flying in Wellington HZ481 on Ops to Cologne when the aircraft failed to return. The aircraft was found to have crashed near Zoutleeuw, Belgium and he was initially buried locally but is now buried in Heverlee War Cemetery. A memorial was erected on the crash site in 2010. My thanks to Mr Ade Harris for the photograph of his gravestone.
Angus Bell was born on 28th May 1922 at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. He enlisted for RCAF service at Regina on 2nd May 1941 and after training was awarded his pilot's wings on 19th December 1941. He was posted to 419 Squadron from 22 OTU on 23rd June 1942. 419 Squadron posted their aircrew to 1659 HCU towards the end of 1942 to convert to fly Halifaxes. He then returned to 419 Squadron and was killed on 4th July 1943 when Halifax JD159 crashed in Belgium.