Wellington LN426 at Brough airfield.
At 15.30hrs on 27th January 1943 this Wellington was having its engines run up at Brough airfield prior to a ferry flight by a No.7 Ferry Pilot Pool ATA pilot when stones were blown around and into one of the propellers. The propeller blades sustained damage. The aircraft was a new aircraft and why it was at Brough airfield is not yet known. It appears to have been en-route from Vickers at Chester to 45 M.U. at the time with perhaps an overnight or re-fuelling stop being made at Sherburn in Elmet when, for whatever reason, it landed at Brough.
Pilot - Second Officer Edgar Bernard Harold Hall ATA (M.369).
This ATA ferry pilot was at the controls of Beaufort L9884 when it would crash land near Little Fenton on 9th March 1943.
Wellington LN426 was built to contract B.123462/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden and was awaiting collection in January 1943. On 26th January 1943 it was taken on charge by 45 MU and the I suspect on that date it was collected by a pilot of No.7 Ferry Pilot Poool (based at Sherburn in Elmet). Why it had landed at Brough is not yet known. On 27th January 1943 it sustained minor Cat.A/FA at Brough as stated above. It was repaired on site and on completion of repair it was flown to 45 MU. On 20th May 1943 it was taken on charge by O.A.D.U. on 20th May 1943, it was then passed to 310 Ferry Training Unit at Harwell on on 5th June 1943 and then went to No.3 O.A.D.U. at Hurn on 13th June 1943 in preparation for flight to North Africa. The aircraft was then flown out to North Africa. It served with 425 Squadron in Tunisia. In October 1943 425 Squadron left North Africa for the UK and the aircraft was transferred to 40 Squadron also in Tunisia. In December 1943 40 Squadron moved to Italy. On 31st August 1944 the aircraft was reported as being struck off charge but no details of whether this was as a result of a flying accident are yet known.