Lancaster W4863 at Scorton airfield.
On the night of 4th / 5th May 1943 101 Squadron supplied a number of aircraft and crews for a bombing raid on Dortmund, they lost six Lancasters on this night with twenty airmen either being killed or listed as missing. A number of the 101 Squadron aircraft crash landed in Yorkshire on the return to England. Lancaster W4963 was one of these aircraft, it took off from Holme on Spalding Moor airfield and bombed the target area successfully, on the return to England the area around Holme on Spalding Moor was covered by fog and after a couple of aircraft had crashed near base the rest were diverted north to land at other airfields. This aircraft had made one low circuit of Scorton airfield and passed over the control tower, it was then seen to make a much wider, but still low, circuit of the airfield and struck a tree with the port wing damaging both the port engines. The aircraft swung to port, loosing what height it had and crashed onto a dispersal pan at Scorton airfield where it caught fire. Sadly four of this crew were killed and three admitted to hospital with injuries.
Pilot - Sgt James Ronald Browning RNZAF (413376), aged 27, of Cambridge, New Zealand. Buried Catterick Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt James Hornby Stretton RAFVR (949546), aged 23, of Dalbeattie. Buried Dalbeattie, Kirkcudbrightshire.
Observer - Sgt Richard Allison RAFVR (953183). Buried Stranton Cemetery, Hartlepool, Durham.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Martin David Davis RCAF (R/140082), aged 22, of St.Anthony, Idaho, USA. Buried Catterick Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Sidney Laidler Granville RAFVR (1091377). Injured.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leonard Charles Hogben RAFVR (1393187). Injured.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Ronald James Rays RAAF (420270). Injured.
Martin Davis was born on 4th May 1921 at St.Anthony, Idaho, USA and was the son of Martin David and Cora Cumi (nee Cheney) Davis. He was the eldest of four children. It was therefore his birthday when the Lancaster W4863 set out from Holme on Spalding Moor for this final flight. After attending school in St.Anthony until 1940 he undertook a number of jobs in Idaho and Oregon until enlisting for RCAF service. He enlisted on 7th November 1941 and trained as an air gunner in Canada, being awarded his air gunner's badge on 6th July 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 25 OTU from 22nd September 1942, 30 OTU from 11th January 1943, 1656 CU from 10th March 1943 before posting to 101 Squadron on 14th April 1943. Martin Davis' gravestone in Catterick Cemetery is shown above.
James Browning was born in June 1915 in Cambridge, New Zealand and he enlisted into RNZAF in September 1941.
Leonard Hogben was admitted to hospital following this accident near Scorton but recovered and returned to active service. He was later awarded the DFM for service with 50 Squadron, notifcation was printed in the London Gazette dated 15th August 1944.
Sidney Granville received a commission on 25th May 1944 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) (179003). He was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 25th November 1944 and later to F/Lt (war subs) on 25th May 1946. He transferred to the Admin and Special Duties Branch on 28th October 1946. He relinquished the temporary rank of F/Lt (war subs) on 1st November 1947 taking the rank of F/O (substantive) but on 11th September 1948 he resigned his commission of F/O in the Admin and Special Duties Branch of the RAFVR.
James Stretton was married, and prior to enlisting into the RAFVR he appears to have been a postman working in the Annan area of Scotland.
Ronald Rays was born on 14th December 1917 in Byron Bay, New South Wales and enlisted into the RAAF in Sydney. F/Sgt Rays was killed on 23rd September 1943 flying in Lancaster JA977 on Ops to Mannheim. He was twenty five years old and is buried in Choloy War Cemetery, France.
Lancaster W4863 was built to contract B.69275/40 by Metropolitan Vickers Ltd. at Trafford Park. On 18th January 1943 it was transported to A.V. Roe and Co.Ltd. at Woodford for assembly and testing. On 3rd February 1943 it was taken on charge by 101 Squadron at Holme on Spalding Moor. As a result of the crash at Scorton on 5th May 1943 Cat.E2/FB Burnt was the assessment and it was struck off charge on 16th May 1943 having clocked up 165 flying hours from new.