On 8th October 1943 the crew of this 431 Squadron aircraft had undertaken a training flight and were in the process of landing back at Tholthorpe airfield when the aircraft overshot, it ran through the boundary hedge and into a ditch, almost certainly coming to rest with the undercarriage collapsed. The damage was later assessed and the aircraft was not repaired.
Pilot - P/O Benjamin Parker Jackson RAFVR (147993).
Pilot - F/O Garnet Oliver Carefoot RCAF (J/10796).
Crew - Names unknown.
Benjamin Jackson was born in Coxhoe, Durham in 1917 and was educated at the Alderman Wraith Grammar School in Spennymoor. He joined the RAF in 1941 and after training began operational flying in February 1943. He was granted a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 23rd May 1943 though it was some weeks before the London Gazette published this promotion and the squadron records still listed him as a F/Sgt at the time of a flak incident in June 1943. For service with 431 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 10th December 1943. The recommendation for his DFC (as located by Hugh Halliday) refers to the flak incident to HE502 on 15th June 1943 and reads.."This officer has completed many operational sorties including attacks on well defended targets in the Ruhr. He has always shown great courage and coolness in emergency. One night in June 1943, he piloted an aircraft to lay mines at Lorient. Whilst running into his mining area, the bomber was engaged by anti-aircraft fire, causing it to deviate from its track. In spite of this, Pilot Officer Jackson pressed home the attack and successfully completed his detail. As captain of aircraft, this officer's leadership has been an inspiration to his crew." He was promoted to F/O on 23rd November 1943 and to F/Lt on 23rd May 1945. Post-ww2 he returned to working as an electrician at Thrislington Colliery. In 2012 he was featured in a "Northern Echo" newspaper article regarding a display on his wartime service in West Cornforth library. He died in February 2014.
Garnet Carefoot was born on 18th July 1916 in Beverley, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of William Alexander and Annie Ethel (nee Galbraith) Carefoot. After leaving school he worked on the family farm at Swift Current, Saskatchewan from 1932 until enlisting for RCAF service on 23rd June 1941 in Regina. After training in Canada he was awarded his pilot's wings on 24th March 1942 and then a commission three days later. He did not then proceed immediately overseas but remained in Canada until February 1943. On arrival in the UK he trained at 14 (P)AFU, 1518 BAT Flight, 22 OTU and 1664 HCU before posting to 431 Squadron 26th September 1943. He was killed flying with 431 Squadron on 19th November 1943 when Halifax LK640 failed to return from an operational flight to Mannheim / or Ludwigshaven?. The aircraft crashed in the English Channel with the loss of the whole crew. Bodies of some of the crew were eventually washed ashore on both the French and English coasts and have graves in both countries. He is buried at Abbeville Communal Cemetery, France.
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