Wellington HZ303 at Huntington, York.
This photograph is claimed to show Wellington HZ303 on other websites however this cannot be correct as the coding letters "KW" means the aircraft was a 425 Squadron aircraft and HZ303 was never on charge with 425 Squadron.
On Wednesday, 14th April 1943 the crew of 429 Squadron Wellington HZ303 took off from East Moor airfield at 15.10hrs to give it an air test, they headed north from base for a time before turning over Kilburn to fly south. The aircraft then headed back south over their base and to the outskirts of York. While over Huntington the aircraft entered into a spin before it lost power in both engines while flying at 1000 feet. The aircraft was probably too low for the crew to bale out and it crashed into the centre of the village of Huntington at 16.10hrs, it ploughed into two houses not far from the village church and the wreckage caught fire with the being crew were killed in the crash. Three civilians who were in the houses that were struck also lost their lives as a result of this accident. The aircraft was so badly destroyed that the cause of the loss of control was impossible to determine, although a sudden engine failure or mechanical failure was not ruled out which resulted in the pilot loosing control. All the named airmen listed below had reported to 429 Squadron from Lossiemouth (20 O.T.U.) on 15th March 1943.
Wellington HZ303 had completed only two operational flights when this incident at Huntington occurred. It was built to contract 92439/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd at Blackpool and was delivered to 38 MU at Llandow on 3rd March 1943. After acceptance there it was taken on charge by 429 Squadron at East Moor on 1st April 1943. On 9th April 1943 this aircraft had suffered very minor flak damage to it's port side on Ops but it was repaired and back on Ops the following evening, the damage was not logged on it' AM Form 78 card as the repair was completed by ground crew at East Moor. Whether this repair was later worked upon and the airtest on 14th April 1943 was then to test this repair at the time of the crash it is not known. Cat.E2/FA(Burnt) damage was the damage assessment following the crash at Huntington. It was struck off charge on 19th April 1943.
Pilot - F/O Charles William Gilbert Gray RAFVR (124868), aged 26, of Edinburgh. Cremated Edinburgh Warriston Crematorium.
Navigator - F/O Leslie Alexander Walker RAFVR (129766), aged 21, of Aberdeen. Buried Aberdeen Springbank Cemetery.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Cyril Marr RAFVR (1095055), aged 22, of Heaton, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Buried Byker and Heaton Cemetery, Newcastle.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Willie Jackson Whittaker RAFVR (1219858), aged 21, of Cottingley Bridge, Bingley, Yorkshire. Buried Bingley Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Rear Gunner - F/Sgt Robert Ernest Clark RCAF (R/50428), aged 21, of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Buried Sutton on the Forest Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Civilian - Miss Jane Raby Freer, aged 90, of "The Roost", Huntington, York. Buried Huntington Churchyard, York.
Civilian - Mrs Henrietta Morley, aged 73, of "Ryedale", Huntington, York. Buried Huntington Churchyard, York.
Civilian - Miss Clara Jane Pickard, aged 71, of "Ryedale", Huntington, York. Buried Huntington Churchyard, York.
The houses were re-built on the crash site in the years after the War and one was given the name "Phoenix Cottage". More modern houses have also been built on the land between the crash site and the church.
Jane Freer (grave top) was the daughter of the late Lydia Creaser. She was living in a house belonging to Mr and Mrs Matthew Dixon
and at the time of the crash Mrs Dixon was in York; Mr Dixon had a lucky escape as he had left the house to walk around the village.
Henrietta Morley (grave bottom) was the widow of Thomas Morley (who died in March 1937), she was living with her sister Clara Pickard in the same house next door to the Dixon's/Jane Freer. I have yet to locate Miss Pickard's grave which could now be in an un-marked plot. A third house was also badly damaged and the occupant, Mr R J Wolstenholme, appears to have escaped without injury.
Robert Clark was born on 10th September 1921 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and was the son of Ernest and Clara (nee Black) Clark. As a young man he worked as a labourer for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. He enlisted for RCAF service in Moncton, New Brunswick on 22nd March 1940 for general duties but later remustered as aircrew. After basic air gunnery training he was awarded his Air Gunner's badge on 25th September 1942. On arrival in the UK he was posted to train at 20 OTU on 16th November 1942 and was posted to 429 Squadron on 15th March 1943. Some of his service documents list his first Christian name as being Judson. After his death in the incident at Huntington he was interred on 17th April 1943 locally to East Moor, at Sutton on the Forest Cemetery. F/Lt Lowry was assisted by Rev. Canon Coombs, the village rector, an escort from the RAF Regiment was provided and Sgt Clark's body was carried to his grave by fellow 429 Squadron Air Gunners. F/Sgt Clark was one of three RCAF service personnel buried in this small cemetery, not long after these deaths the RCAF begun to use the larger Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery.
Robert Clark's grave on the left at Sutton on the Forest Cemetery.
F/O Gray had a total of 233 hours flying time to his name when this accident occurred with 83 hours being on the Wellington type. He received a commission on an unknown date but almost certainly in 1942, and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 3rd January 1943.
Leslie Walker received a commission to P/O on probation (emergency) on 28th August 1942 and rose to F/O (war subs) on 28th February 1943.
Willie Whittaker was born on 12th March 1922 at Bradford and enlisted for RAF service on 12th Februay 1941.
Cyril Marr was born on 7th June 1921 at Newcastle and enlisted for RAF service on 3rd March 1941.
Cyril Marr.
