Wellington Z8441 near Pocklington.
In early March 1942 158 Squadron were temporarily using Pocklington airfield while their home base of Driffield was being repaired after suffering bomb damage. On 3rd March 1942 this 158 Squadron aircraft suffered engine trouble soon after taking off for an operational flight to attack Billancourt. The port propeller went into a fine pitch without any input from the pilot and the propeller control then had no effect in changing the propeller setting. The pilot then attempted to land at Pocklington but after attempting one landing he succesfully made an overshoot and opted to go and jettison a 4000lb bomb first. He did not attempt to feather the port propeller with the large bomb on board or after jettison because of the poor weather that was also present. With the bomb released the aircraft returned to the circuit of Pocklington but the port engine suddenly stopped. Loosing height rapidly the pilot attempted to force land around a mile north of the airfield. A number of the crew were injured. The propeller and port engine were inspected and a fault in the oil system was deemed to blame.
Wellington Z8441 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was received by 12 MU on 30th October 1941. The aircraft was taken on charge by 75 Squadron at Mildenhall on 18th November 1941 who soon converted to Wellington Mk.III's so the aircraft was transferred to 104 Squadron at Driffield on 28th December 1941. On 14th February 1942 it was transferred to the newly formed 158 Squadron at Driffield, which formed out of "C-Flight", 104 Squadron. As a result of the crash near Pocklington on 3rd March 1942 the damage was assessed and Cat.E/FB damage was recorded. The aircraft was written off. It was struck off charge on 9th March 1942.
Pilot - Sgt Denis Buckley Webb RAFVR (1377675). Injured.
Second Pilot - Sgt Leonard Victor William Dickison RNZAF (NZ.402627). Injured.
Observer - Sgt John Peter Dixon Clarke RAFVR (918096).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Michael Francis Mulvey RAFVR (1252150).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Jack Tavener RAFVR (964024).
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Forgie RAF (653037). Injured.
Denis Webb flew at least twelve operational flights with 158 Squadron between February and June 1942, he was then posted to 29 OTU. He received a commission to the rank of P/O
on probation (emergency) on 17th November 1942 and was promoted on 17th May 1943 to F/O on probation (war subs) and to F/Lt (war subs) on 17th November 1944. He was Mentioned in Despatches
on 14th January 1944. For service with 161 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 14th September 1945. He remained in the RAF after the War. On 1st October 1951 he was appointed to a permanent commission in the RAF as F/Lt and was promoted to S/Ldr on 1st July 1953 before retiring on 30th May 1963.
Robert Forgie was in Halifax W1162 on 20th July 1942 on Ops to bomb the U-Boat yard Vegasack, the aircraft is believed to have gone down in the sea and he has no known grave, he
is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Tavener and Mulvey both saw the end of the War out as PoW's. Mulvey was in Wellington W5358 on 12th April 1943 on Ops to Essen, the aircraft was hit by flak and he and his crew
were all captured. On 30th / 31st May 1942 Sgt Tavener had either been posted for instructional duties to 1652 HCU or was flying in one of their aircraft to make up a crew for the
1000 Bomber Raid on that night. He was flying in Halifax L9605 on Ops to Cologne when the aircraft was shot down over Holland by a night-fighter and he saw out the War as a PoW.
Errol Martin and the late Eddie Fell both researched Leonard Dickison's life. He was born in February 1917 and enlisted into the RNZAF in July 1940. The accident detailed above was his second of two operational flights he flew with 158 Squadron. He received a commission in May 1943 and survived the War.
John Clarke reveived a commission on 1st May 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (121537). He was killed on 9th May 1942 when Wellington W5562 which crashed in the Batlic on Ops to Warnemunde. He was initially buried locally to the crash site at Rostock but is now buried in Berlin War Cemetery.