Wellington HE802 caught fire in the air, landed at East Moor airfield.
On 3rd July 1943 this aircraft was flying it's first operational flight with 429 Squadron to Cologne and took off at 22.50hrs, just after the formation set out across the North Sea a fire broke out in the aircraft so an early return and safe landing was made at East Moor at 00.42hrs. The damage was later repaired.
Pilot - Sgt James Edward Pendleton RAFVR (1217783), of Halifax, Yorkshire.
Navigator - P/O Derek Collins RAFVR (158425), originally from Barnsley, parents late of Scarborough, Yorkshire.
Air Bomber - F/O George Jarvis RAFVR (128010), of Windhill, Shipley, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Raymond Christmas White RAFVR (1053456).
Rear Gunner - Sgt R Bland Joseph Pierce RCAF (R/102844).
James Pendleton was born in Halifax in 1921 and had probably married in the Calder district of Yorkshire in 1942. Nothing more is known about him.
Derek Collins was born in the Hemsworth district of Yorkshire in early 1922 to Edward and Gladys (nee Jennings) Collins. His parents later moved the Scarborough but his name is not on the large war memorial at Oliver's Mount in Scarborough, his name however is on the Brierley War Memorial, Barnsley. He received his commission on 20th May 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency). He was killed as a result of failing to return from Ops on 31st August 1943, he was twenty one years old. My thanks to Martyn Critchlow for kindly supplying much of this biog shown here.
George Jarvis was thirty years old. He received a commission on 15th August 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 15th February 1943.
Raymond White receieved a commission on 27th July 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency).
Bland Pierce was born on 28th December 1918 to unknown parents. His next of kin listed when he died was his brother Mr T W Pierce, of Dublin, Ireland.
F/Sgt Pendleton, P/O Jarvis and Sgt's White, Pierce and Collins all arrived at 429 Squadron on 5th March 1943 (probably as a complete crew). Their aircraft was hit by flak on Ops to Duisburg on 12th / 13th May 1943 but they returned safely to England (probably to East Moor). All were later posted to 432 Squadron on 14th August 1943 who were based at Skipton on Swale. Their time with this squadron was sadly only brief as on the night of 30th / 31st August 1943 all were flying Wellington JA118 on Ops to Monchengladbach with F/Sgt Jensky RCAF as a second pilot when they failed to return. They were initially buried locally but are now buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany. My thanks to Graham Sharpe for photographs four of the crew's gravestones, the wrong airman Collins' grave was unfortunately photographed so this airman's gravestone is not shown here.
Wellington HE802 was built to contract B124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's at Chester. It's AM Form 78 states that it was first received directly from the manufacturers to 429 Squadron at East Moor on 27th June 1943. Following this incident detailed above Cat.Ac/FA damage was the damage assessment which saw it being repaired on site and being returned to 429 Squadron on 6th August 1943. The aircraft was then transferred to 20 O.T.U. at Lossiemouth on 17th August 1943. It was later destroyed (with Cat.E2/FA damage) on 26th August 1943 when it broke up in the air and crashed at Corry Down, Aberdeenshire with the loss of it's then crew.