On the night of 23rd / 24th August 1943 78 Squadron supplied a number of aircraft for the operational orders to bomb Berlin. Halifax BB373 and Halifax JB874 were two of the 78 Squadron aircraft, both crews had released their bomb load over the target and were in nearing Yorkshire when they received orders to divert to land at Leconfield instead of base of Breighton. Before they could land both BB373 and JB874 were re-diverted to land at Hutton Cranswick but they collided over Hull Bridge at 04.30hrs and crashed around two miles north-east of Beverley. Sadly all eight airmen on board BB373 were killed and six of the seven onboard JB874 died. A memorial close to the site commemorated the incident next to the Crown and Anchor pub. This was a bad night for 78 Squadron; they lost five aircraft and thirty one airmen.
Pilot - Sgt George Goodall Bell RNZAF (NZ42361), aged 21, of Huntly, Auckland, New Zealand. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Second Pilot - F/Sgt Ronald Reid Gilbert RAFVR (156089), aged 21, of Edinburgh. Buried Warriston Cemetery, Edinburgh.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Albert Eric Lester RAFVR (1214074), aged 21, of Derby. Buried Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby.
Navigator - P/O Edward Platt RAFVR (137558), aged 29, of Bury. Buried Bury Cemetery, Lancashire.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William Leslie Clarke RAFVR (1439792), aged 21, of Newton le Willows. Buried Newton le Willows Cemetery, Lancashire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Arthur Lee RAFVR (1134570), aged 22, of Cheetham, Manchester. Buried Salford Cemetery, Lancashire.
Air Gunner - Sgt David Claude Melville Walton RAAF (412043), aged 24, of Cremorne, New South Wales, Australia. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Bernard Fletcher RAFVR (1811231), aged 19, of Morden. Buried Morden Cemetery, Surrey.
Ronald Gilbert.
Graves of three of the crew. David Walton was born on 31st August 1918 in Sydney, New South Wales and enlisted for RAAF service in Sydney. George Bell was born in Scotland but moved to New Zealand as a child where he would enlist for RNZAF service.
Edward Platt received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 3rd March 1943.