Halifax W1158 at North Otterington.
On 19th June 1942 this 10 Squadron aircraft took off from Leeming at 23.25hrs for an operational flight to bomb Emden but suffered from hydraulic failure soon after leaving the runway. This failure prevented the undercarriage from being raised, the flaps from also being raised and the radiator shutters from being opened. The pilot had almost certainly turned the aircraft around and was making for base after the engines had overheated and then one engine then caught fire with hydralic fluid being sprayed onto it. He force landed the aircraft in a small field at North Otterington, south of Northallerton at 23.55hrs. A later investigation believed the cause of the hydraulic failure was probably down to a hydraulic pipe bursting. The
pilot was not an experienced Halifax pilot, he had only twenty hours flying the Halifax with nine of these hours being at night but was credited in doing a good job given the
circumstances. Research carried out locally by air historian Mr Ken Reast some years ago tracked down the crash site and witnesses who added that six of the seven crew escaped the burning aircraft and ran towards the River Wiske, the seventh member; the flight engineer, a Scotsman, headed the other way heading for the church wall. He was caught in the blast when the bombload exploded and woke up in the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton. The exploding bomb load caused damage to the church and five houses close by. A stained glass window
in the church makes reference to its windows being damaged in the War, this damage occurred as a result of this aircraft crash. The location given on the RAF's AM Form 1180 Crash Card quotes Maunby but this is some miles away from where a location a police report and the squadron ORB gives.
Pilot - Sgt Philip Gordon Bell RAFVR (1259480).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Gerard James Yewlett RAFVR (1380269). Possibly slightly injured.
Navigator - Sgt Kenneth Hughes Whitmore RAFVR (999518).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William Albert Yendell RAFVR (1155696).
Wireless Operator - Sgt Taylor. Possibly Sgt W L Taylor.
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt Arthur Henry Pepper RCAF (R/82619).
Rear Gunner - Sgt J T Williams.
William Yendell received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 16th November 1942 and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 16th May 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th October 1943 though no citation for his award has been found. He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 16th November 1944.
Halifax W1158 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was delivered to 8 MU at Little Rissington on 7th June 1942. The next day it was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming as a replacement for W1042 lost on 31st May 1942. As a result of the crash on 19th June 1942 Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the assessment of the damage and it was struck off charge the next day. It had a very brief existance.
Philip Bell had already survived the crash of Halifax L9614 at Leeming on 19th December 1941. In July 1942 he was posted to 1484 (Bomber) Gunnery Flight at Driffield and was the pilot of Lysander T1679 that crash landed there on 31st July 1942.
Sgt's Taylor, Williams, Yendall and Whitmore were all posted to 10 Squadron in May 1942.
A number of 10 Squadron's aircrew were posted to the Middle East theatre later in 1942 to be attached to 10/227 Squadron and later to 462 Squadron, this included Williams, Whitmore, Pepper. Both F/Sgt Whitmore and F/Sgt Pepper were later posted to 462 Squadron and on 12th October 1942 both were in Halifax W7717 detailed to bomb Tobruk docks, the aircraft was hit
by heavy flak as it released its bombs, damage was sustained to the fuselage, wings and engine nacelles and a propeller was hit. As they returned to base the starboard inner engine
failed. The aircraft landed at Fayid safely. Both had also been in Halifax W7702 on 19th October 1942 to Ops to attack shipping at Tobruk, leaving Fayid at 21.15hrs the starboard outer
engine failed and they bombed Sullon Harbour instead but only one bomb would release. The landed at Fayid on three engines at 02.50hrs. On 23rd/24th October 1942 F/Sgt Whitmore and F/Sgt Pepper were on board Halifax W7659 on Ops to Maleme when the aircraft ran into a heavy snow storm and iced up. Suffering engine trouble it was ditched off Crete but sadly the
dinghy failed to inflate and all but one of the crew sadly drowned before help could arrive. Both Pepper and Whitmore are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial. F/Sgt Pepper was
twenty years old, F/Sgt Whitmore's age is not recorded on the CWGC database.
Sgt J T Williams was with the numbers who went to 10/227 Squadron in July 1943 and later to 462 Squadron.
Sgt Yewlett was still serving with 10 Squadron in October 1942 when he survived an accident to Halifax W1276 at Pocklington. He received a commission on 29th August 1944 (183780) to the rank of P/O on probation and was promoted to F/O on 1st March 1945.