On the night of 25th / 26th November 1943 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft took off from Pocklington airfield at 23.50hrs for an operational flight to bomb Frankfurt. There was thick cloud cover over the target area but the crew released their bomb load onto pathfinding markers that lit up the area they were to bomb. On their return to Yorkshire while awaiting their turn to land at Pocklington the aircraft flew into the ground at 03.55hrs on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, near Warter Priory. The port outer propeller was feathered at the time and it was thought that the pilot had adjusted the rudder trim tabs to be set in the wrong direction. Sadly three members of the crew were killed while the other four survived.
Pilot - Sgt John Westlake Symons RAFVR (1397027), aged 20, of Limpsfield, Surrey. Buried Pocklington Burial Ground, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Roy William John Buckle RAFVR (1865368), aged 19, of Folkestone. Buried Margate Cemetery, Kent.
Air Gunner - Sgt Thomas Jones RAFVR (1515860), aged 23, wife of Warrington. Buried Appleton Thorn Churchyard, Cheshire.
Navigator - Sgt R W Chandler RAFVR (1601104).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt R D Walker.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt G E Bennett.
Air Gunner - Sgt N Meed / Medd.
John Symons' grave in Pocklington cemetery. His brother 2Lt Geoffrey Norman Symons RA (113675) was killed in France on 27th May 1940 and is buried in Merville Communal Cemetery, he was probably killed in the retreat as British forces made their way to Dunkirk to await evacuation.
Sgt Chandler was still flying with 102 Squadron on 10th / 21st January 1944 when Halifax LW227 was attacked and badly damaged by a night-fighter on Ops to Berlin. He and all his then crew baled out and became PoWs. The nights of 20th / 21st and 21st / 22nd January 1944 were exceptionally bad for 102 Squadron, on the first raid they lost five aircraft with 16 deaths and on the second they lost four aircraft with nineteen deaths. In addition thirty 102 Squadron airmen became PoWs in these two nights.
I have not yet been able to fully identify the survivors of the accident near Warter Priory.