Halifax W1185 at Burn airfield.
During the morning of the 29th January 1943 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft were giving it an air test when it suffered an engine failure in the air, the weather was poor and the pilot was attempting a hurried landing at Burn when the aircraft swung and ran off the runway at 11.20hrs, it then struck a railway plate-layers hut at the side of the railway line between Temple Hurst and Henwick Hall (now on the East Coast Main Line). Unfortunately there were four plate-layers in the hut sheltering from rain and sadly one of these men were killed and the three others were injured. The aircraft wreckage caught fire but the crew scrambled clear without serious injuries.
Pilot - P/O William Allen Oliver Whitworth RAFVR (139572).
? - Sgt A G S Corrs.
Navigator - F/O Geoffrey Bond RAFVR (113918).
Wireless Operator - P/O Leslie Gordon McCoy RAFVR (136722).
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Wilfred Featherstone RCAF (R/70890).
Air Gunner - Sgt John Edward Pyall RAFVR (1335630).
Platelayer - Mr Thomas Edward Potton. Aged 56. Buried Selby Cemetery.
Platelayer - Mr C Cotton. Injured.
Platelayer - Mr J Young. Injured.
Platelayer - Mr C H Richardson. Injured.
The civilian fatality must have been Mr Thomas Edward Potton, of 38 Powell Street, Selby who was the only civilian casualty on this date in the right area of the country.
He was the son of the late Robert and Betsy Ann Potton, and husband of Ruth Potton. He was probably born in Rawcliffe Bridge in 1887. His burial is listed in Selby Abbey burial records but he must be buried at Selby Cemetery.
Leslie McCoy received a commission on 22nd November 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). P/O McCoy was involved in a previous accident only two weeks before this one at Burn when Halifax DT506 crashed at Pocklington airfield. He was later promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 22nd May 1943 and was transferred to the Admin and Special Duties Branch on 28th November 1944. He should have been promoted to F/Lt around this date is his promotions followed the usual pattern of RAFVR promotions but no record of this has been found.
William Whitworth received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 6th December 1942. His rank is listed as being F/Sgt when the incident occurred but on paper he had already received a commission though it was not printed in the London Gazette until 23rd March 1943. He was later promoted to F/O on probation (emergency) on 6th June 1943 and F/Lt (war subs) on 6th December 1944. He was awarded the DFC for service with 571 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th October 1944. He remained in the RAFVR post-war and later relinquished his commission of F/Lt on 6th December 1949 on appointment to a commission in the R.Aux.A.F in the Secretarial Branch. He then transferred to the Reserve on 4th July 1954 and finally relinquished his commission on 6th December 1959.
F/Sgt Robert Featherstone, of Lemburg, Saskatchewan, Canada was made a PoW on the night of 11th / 12th June 1943 while flying Ops to Dusseldorf in Halifax HR852. The aircraft was shot down by flak.
Geoffrey Bond received the DFC for service with 51 Squadron, Gazetted in July 1943.
Halifax W1185 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd., at Samlesbury and was initially taken on charge by 460 Squadron on 8th July 1942 when they began converting to fly the Halifax type. The aircraft was transferred to 103 Squadron at Elsham Wold on 11th October 1942 when 460 Squadron converted to Lancasters. 103 Squadron then ceased operating the Halifax type in November 1942 so the aircraft was passed on to 51 Squadron at Snaith on 1st November 1942. It flew it's one and only operational flight with 51 Squadron on 15th January 1943. As a result of the crash on 29th January 1943 Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 29th January 1943.