Lancaster W4777 near Thorganby.
This aircraft was being flown on a night cross country training flight with 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit on the night of 11th / 12th July 1943 and had taken off from Lindholme airfield at 21.45hrs. The precise cause of the subsequent crash is not known although the weather was poor at the time the aircraft crashed near Common Farm, Thorganby at 02.30hrs. Sadly five of the seven crew were killed and the wreckage caught fire. The two survivors sustained serious injuries and were taken to York Military Hospital but recovered.
Pilot - Sgt Maurice Gillman Eastlake RAFVR (1381717), aged 28, of Bristol. Cremated Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol, Gloucestershire
Flight Engineer - Sgt Henry Alexander Lloyd RAFVR (1716240), aged 20, of Poplar, London. Buried East London Cemetery, Plaistow, Essex.
Navigator - F/O James Hedley Tremear RAFVR (121339), aged 36, of Hazlemere, Buckinghshire. Buried Selby Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William Edmund Leslie Harrison RAFVR (943302), aged 22, of Filey. Buried Filey Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Gordon Harry Peck RAFVR (1807584), aged 19, of Wallington, Surrey. Died of injuries. Buried Selby Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Peter David Probert RAFVR (1134184). Injured.
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert MacLaughlan RCAF (R/119008). Seriously injured.
Three of the crew's gravestones.
William Harrison was the eldest son of Mr and Mrs W Harrison of Rutland Street, Filey and after leaving school he worked with his father as a painter and decorator. He played football to a reasonable standard for Filey Town (where his father was honorary secretary) as well as Bradford Park Avenue before joining the RAF in December 1939. He was married shortly before he died.
James Tremear received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 27th May 1942 and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 27th November 1942.
Peter Probert was later posted to 550 Squadron from No.1 LFS on 19th June 1944 with WO G H Town's crew. He completed a Tour with 550 Squadron in October 1944.
Historians Eric Barton, Ken Reast and Albert Pritchard sought permission from the landowner and located small fragments of this aircraft in September 2007 that confirmed the location but also a long trail of wreckage either side of the ditch shown in the photograph above.
Eric retained a number of fragments that were located, probably to clean up and look for identification markings.
