On the 7th September 1943 the crew of this aircraft were tasked with flying a training flight as part of the training programme at 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit and took off from Rufforth airfield. During the flight while over the Flamborough Head area the starboard inner propeller unit broke loose and fell away from the engine, taking with it the engine cowling. Control was lost and the aircraft entered a flat spin, it struck the ground in a field near the iron-age Danes Dyke, between the villages of Bempton and Flamborough and sadly all on board were killed. This was one of two heavy conversion unit losses on this date caused by a propeller coming away from the engine and numerous in September 1943 where propeller failures caused serious accidents.
Pilot - Sgt Alan Raymond Banks RAFVR (1391087), aged 20, of Barrow. Buried Barrow Cemetery, Suffolk.
Navigator - Sgt Thorold Esmond Rae RAFVR (1319335), aged 21, wife of Ottery St.Mary, Devon. Buried Trull Churchyard, Somerset.
Flight Engineer - Sgt George Slatter RAFVR (1565787), aged 20, of Aberdeen. Cremated Aberdeen.
Bomb Aimer - F/O Ronald Thomas Holloway RAFVR (129609), aged 20, of Enfield. Buried Enfield (Lavender Hill) Cemetery, Middlesex.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Eric Pennington RAFVR (1497495), aged 22, of Airedale, Castleford. Buried Castleford New Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt William Owen Jones RAFVR (1300297), aged 23, of Weston Rhyn. Buried Weston Rhyn Churchyard, Shropshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt George William Midwinter RAFVR (1803243), aged 20, of London. Buried Walthamstow Churchyard, Essex.
I credit Mr Adrian Lee / Bancroft's School for the photograph of Sgt Midwinter's grave.
Ronald Holloway received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 28th August 1942 and rose to F/O (war subs) six months later.