Tomahawk AH995 at Catterick airfield.
On 15th February 1943 the pilot of this 1472 Flight aircraft was undertaking his first solo flight in the Tomahawk, it is likely he was carrying out basic circuit flying at Catterick when, and while making his second landing the aircraft crashed.
Pilot - P/O Irwin.
P/O Irwin was posted to 1472 Flight on 7th January 1943. By the end of January 1943 he had spent a week in hospital with influenza. He was one of two aircrew flying in the unit's Miles Master aircraft who located the crashed Tomahawk on Red Gill Moss on 13th February 1943. He was still at 1472 Flight on 1st October 1943 when he crashed a Hurricane "232" on landing at Catterick. The unit disbanded in November 1943 and after this I have not traced him. The 1472 Flight orb does not list his initials so he currently remained an unidentified pilot.
The unit is given as being 1472 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight in pretty much every modern reference to this number unit that I can find. The 1472 Flight record book gives the unit title as being 1472 (D-B) Flight, or 1472 (Dive-Bombing) Flight. Which is correct is anyone's guess. As the scribe of the orb was there at the time I'm leaning towards 1472 (D-B) Flight being correct.
Tomahawk AH995 was built to British Purchasing Commission contract A-84 by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation at Buffalo, New York, USA and was delivered by sea to the UK. It arrived at Liverpool Docks in September 1941 and from there it was taken by road to No.1 A.A.U. at Speke for assembly and testing. This aircraft was then flown to Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton. It was then flown to Scottish Aviation Ltd. at Prestwick. The aircraft would need conversion to RAF specification from French specification so it may have been done at this stage. It was transferred to 4 Ferry Pilot Pool at Prestwick before transfer to 1472 Flight but no dates for these movements are given in the published Air Britain history of the aircraft. The 1472 Flight orb does not list the arrival specifically but it may have been on 7th July 1942 when the ATA delivered one unidentified Tomahawk to them. If it was AH995 then it received the code "RG-F" and was their third Tomahawk to arrive. As a result of the damage sustained on 15th February 1943 repairable Cat.B/FA damage was the assessment and it was transported to Airwork General Trading Ltd. at Renfrew for a repair in works. On completion of repair it was taken on charge by 1682 (B) D.T.Flt. at Stanton Harcourt. It moved with this unit to Enstone on 26th February 1944 and crashed on landing there on 12th May 1944 after which Cat.E2/FA damage was the assessment of the wreck and it was written off.