Halifax W7879 near North Dalton.
During the evening of 11th February 1943 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft were to undertake an operational flight to bomb Wilhelmshaven, thirty minutes after taking off the port outer engine failed and was feathered by the crew. The crew made for base but did not jettison the bomb load although the captain was heard by the surviving member of the crew to have instructed this was to be done. The aircraft lost airspeed and height as it neared Pocklington and while over the village of North Dalton the aircraft was put into a turn to port, into the dead engine, and the aircraft lost further height and crashed near North Dalton at 18.39hrs. All but one of the crew were killed. An investigation into the cause of the engine failure found an internal coolant leak was to blame but that the pilot should not have made a turn to the direction of the failed engine. Typically if a Halifax lost an engine in the air and a turn was made into the same direction as the failed engine at low height the aircraft did not have the power in the three good engines to avoid it slipping towards the ground, had this occurred at a greater height there was a chance that the pilot could rescue the situation in pulling it out of a dive but at a low height this was not possible in the height remaining.
Pilot - Sgt Harold Edward Richard Saunders RAFVR (785073), aged 26. Buried Barmby on the Moor Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Trevor Charles Coles RAF (569527), aged 22, of Cyntwell, Glamorgan. Buried Barmby on the Moor Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Navigator - F/O Henry Farquharson-Ley RAFVR (121554), aged 22, of West Norwood, London. Buried Barmby on the Moor Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Alvah Wilkie Flansburgh-Washbourne RNZAF (411796), aged 24, of Herne Bay, Auckland, New Zealand. Buried Barmby on the Moor Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Henry Edwin Amos RAFVR (1320473), aged 22, of Islington, London. Buried Barmby on the Moor Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Michael Norman Reilly RAFVR (1559119), aged 20, of Methil, Fife. Buried Barmby on the Moor Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Cooper RAFVR (1546822), aged 20, of Swinton, Lancashire. Buried Swinton Cemetery, Lancashire.
Second Pilot - Sgt Brian Hill RAFVR (975703). Injured.
Graves of five of the crew at Barmby on the Moor Churchyard.
Henry Farquharson-Ley received his commission on 19th May 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 19th November 1942.
Alvah Wilkie Flansburgh-Washbourne and his grave at Barmby on the Moor.
Halifax W7879 was built to contract B.73328/40 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was taken on charge as new on 14th October 1942 by 76 Squadron at Linton on Ouse. On 31st October 1942 it was transferred to 102 Squadron at Pocklington. As a result of minor battle damage on 21st January 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was the assessment and it was repaired on site. On 11th February 1943 it crashed near North Dalton soon after taking off for an operational flight. Six members of the seven crew were killed. Cat.E/FB damage was recorded. It was struck off charge on the same date.
Despite the obvious carnage at the crash site somehow Sgt Brian Hill escaped with his life and actually with remarkably less serious injuries than would perhaps be expected. He was admitted to the Sick Quarters at Driffield airfield reportedly have sustained severe concussion. He later recovered and returned to active service and received his commission on 28th January 1944 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) (163701). He was later promoted to F/O (war subs) on 28th July 1944. On 2nd May 1945 he was flying with 355 Squadron from Salbani, India when he died flying in Liberator KH210 which crashed in the Bay of Bengal. He was twenty eight years old and is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial. Also flying in Liberator KH210 on this date was W/Co James Brindley Nicholson VC DFC RAF (39329) and he is also recorded as missing but who is also commemorated on his wife's grave in Kirkby Wharfe Cemetery near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.