Whitley EB346 on Towthorpe Wold.
On the night of 13th / 14th April 1943 the crew of this No.81 Operational Training Unit aircraft were detailed to undertake a cross country night navigation exercise and took off from Whitchurch Heath (Tilstock)
airfield at 21.39hrs. While flying part of the training flight over Yorkshire the port engine failed, the pilot feathered the propeller on this engine but later lost control. The aircraft then crashed at 23.44hrs
on Towthorpe Wold, the Yorkshire Wolds. Sadly all on board were killed. It was thought that the crew may have been lost just prior to the crash and may have been
attempting to locate an airfield to land though not distress signal was made or a confirmed "Darky" request made by them for navigational assistance to locate an airfield. This Whitley accident was one of the last Whitley mishaps to occur in Yorkshire.
Whitley EB346 was built to contract B.106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection in October 1942. The aircraft was taken on charge by 81 O.T.U. almost certainly as a new
aircraft but when it arrived is not yet known. As a result of the crash on 13th April 1943 the aircraft was written off with Cat.E2/FA damage being the damage assessment.
Pilot (Instructor) - F/O Lawrence Higgin Page RAF (47738), aged 24. Buried Wavertree Churchyard, Liverpool.
Pilot (Pupil) - Sgt Henry Basil Harrison RAFVR (1333052), aged 22. Buried Hexham Cemetery, Northumberland.
Bomb Aimer (Pupil) - Sgt Edward George Siberry RAFVR (129618), aged 27. Buried Bexhill Cemetery, Sussex.
Observer (Pupil) - Sgt Arthur Wesley Frapwell RAFVR (1316158), aged 22. Buried Frome Churchyard, Somerset.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (Pupil) - Sgt Alan Edward Martin RAFVR (1210368), aged 21. Buried Watchet Churchyard, Somerset.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (Instructor) - Sgt Daniel Blake McCartney RAFVR (1190922), aged 20. Buried Dudley (Holly Hall) Churchyard, Worcestershire.
Air Gunner (Pupil) - Sgt Sydney Levitus RAFVR (658924), aged 24. Buried Garnethill Hebrew Burial Ground, Glasgow.
Henry Harrison's grave in Hexham Cemetery.
Arthur Frapwell was born on 2nd February 1921 in Frome, Somerset, he was the son of Wesley and Lavinia Frapwell and was one of eight children. I thank Laurence Manton for kindly supplying the photograph of his gravestone for inclusion.
Alan Martin was born on 4th November 1921 and enlisted for RAF service on 15th November 1940.
Daniel McCartney was born on 21st August 1922 and enlisted for RAF service on 5th September 1940.
Sydney Levitus was born on 18th January 1919 and enlisted for RAF service on 2nd January 1940.
Edward Siberry was born on 5th December 1915.
Lawrence Page was probably born in the West Derby district of Lancashire in 1918. He received a commission on 6th December 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 1st October 1942. He had served in the Middle East with 104 Squadron and on 23rd October 1942 while based at Kabrit he was the pilot of Wellington W5359 which crashed on take off following a burst tyre. One member of his then crew was injured and the aircraft was later written off but he escaped injury. He was probably instructing at 81 OTU when this incident occurred.
