Halifax DT622 near Bilbrough.
On 9th January 1943 this 158 Squadron aircraft took off from Rufforth airfield at 16.12hrs with the crew tasked with a mine laying operational flight, as the aircraft left the ground the crew accidently lowered the bomb doors instead of raising the undercarriage. Both levers were very close to each other in the cockpit and this error resulted in the aircraft being unable to climb. The pilot was initially unaware of the situation and as the aircraft was continuing to loose height he force landed the aircraft near the Buckles Inn, Bilbrough and and it came to rest either on or next to the A64 road between York and Tadcaster at 16.17hrs. The incident is also mentioned in Marston Moor's station orb and that quotes on the same road but just north of Copmanthorpe with a map reference that plots to near where the modern roundabout / flyover for the northern ring road joins the A64.
Pilot - Acting F/Lt Arthur Sydney Woolnough RAFVR (109158).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Sidney Henry Charles Watts RAF (52700).
Navigator - P/O Leslie Kerr RAFVR (120551).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt George Henry Ward RAFVR (1319989).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Albert Sydney Gosling RAFVR (1194404).
Air Gunner - Sgt William Russel Binnington RAFVR (1210444).
Air Gunner - Sgt William Edmond RAFVR (978622).
On the night of 13th / 14th July 1943 P/O Watts, P/O Gosling, P/O Binnington and P/O Edmond were flying in Halifax JD116 on Ops to Aachen when the aircraft crashed in Germany. Watts, Binnington and Edmond died and are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery while P/O Gosling was made a PoW.
Halifax DT622 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was received by 12 MU on 13th November 1942. It was taken on charge by 158 Squadron at Rufforth on 21st December 1942. As a result of the mishap on 9th January 1943 the damage was provisionally assessed as being Cat.B/FB. Once recovered to a works factory the damage was re-assessed on 28th January 1943 which deemed it beyond repair. It was struck off charge on that date.
Sidney Watts received a commission on 7th June 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency).
Albert Gosling, William Binnington and William Edmond all received commissions on 3rd May 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency).
Leslie Kerr received a commission on 19th January 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). He was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942 and F/Lt on 19th Janury 1944. As Acting F/Lt he was awarded the DFC for service with 158 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th October 1943.
Arthur Woolnough was probably born in Ipswich in 1918. He was granted a commission on 7th October 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation (war subs) and was later promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942. As Acting F/Lt he was awarded the DFC for service with 158 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th June 1943. On 7th October 1943 he was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) and he survived the War. He was appointed to a permanent commission in the RAF on 24th November 1952 to the rank of F/Lt before he finally retired from the RAF on 2nd December 1962 as F/Lt but retaining the rank of S/Ldr. He probably died in Sussex in 1993.