Halifax DG295 near Flaxton.
At 9.45hrs on 16th March 1944 this 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft took off from Dishforth for the crew to carry out a local flying exercise and for bombing practice on the Strensall Range. Half an hour later the aircraft was near the range and descending through a thin layer of cloud at 400 feet. The aircraft then entered a turn to port and the port wing hit the ground near Flaxton at 10.12hrs. The aircraft crashed and disintergrated. The six French-Canadian and one British airmen were almost certainly killed on impact and all died. The reason for the crash was never fully understood. The crash report is very hard to read as the ink appears to have faded over the years. RAF East Moor's crash crew attended the crash on farmland near Black Averham Farm, Flaxton.
This incident is mentioned in a No.6 Group flying control log book which is also hard to read. This appears to state that the aircraft was seen to make a normal turn over the bombing target but then "ploughed in" to the ground. The location appears to be given as 600 feet and at ninety degrees from the target.
Halifax DG295 was built to contract ACFT/637/C4/C by Rootes Securities Ltd at Speke and was awaiting collection in November 1942. It was delivered into MU storage and remained there until being issued to 1664 HCU on 10th May 1943 when the unit formed at Croft. It moved with this unit to Dishforth on 7th December 1943 and sustained Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage following the incident on 16th March 1944 near Flaxton.
Pilot - P/O Francois Roger Dionne RCAF (J/89044), aged 29, of Riviere du Loup, Quebec, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (F/D/3).
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Archibald Lang RAFVR (1823515), aged 19. Buried Dumbarton Cemetery, Dumbartonshire, Scotland.
Navigator - F/Sgt Romeo Arthur Pelletier RCAF (J/94603), aged 20, of Loretteville, Quebec, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (F/D/4).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Robert Albian Walld RCAF (J/27582), aged 20, of Bluff Creek, Manitoba, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (F/D/6).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - WO1 Alphonse Jean Paul Normandeau RCAF (R/110699), aged 24, of Saint Boniface, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (F/D/5).
Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Louis Phillippe Denis Carrier RCAF (R/176860), aged 27, of Rumford, Maine, USA. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (F/D/1).
Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Jacques Omer Cournoyer RCAF (R/66744), aged 29, of L'Assomption, Lachenaie Co., Quebec, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (F/D/2).
Francois Dionne was born on 24th March 1914 in Riviere du Loup, Province of Quebec, Canada and was the son of Arsene and Eva Dionne. The family lived at St.Ludger and as a young man he worked as a lorry driver, miner and in a mill. He enlisted for RCAF service on 14th February 1939 in Quebec and initially served as ground crew in Canada. He remustered for service as aircrew in Summer 1942 and trained as a pilot, receiving his pilot's wings on 16th April 1943. He arrived in the UK in June 1943 and appears to have served as a staff pilot with 15 (P)AFU until November 1943 when he was posted down the Bomber Command route and to train with 23 OTU. He was later posted to 1664 HCU in February 1944. At his death he had a total of 230 hours flying time, but was inexperienced in flying the Halifax type; only four hours were on the Halifax type. He received a posthumous commission, back dated to 15th March 1944.
Joseph Carrier was born on 11th December 1916 in Kingscroft, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Phillipe and Bertha (nee Couture) Carrier. He appears to have been known by his fourth Christian name "Denis". As a boy his family appears to have moved from Quebec to Rumford, Maine, USA as his service file states that he went to school there. After leaving school he had worked at his father's farm at Rumford from 1930 to 1936 followed by a further six years as a salesman in Maine from 1936 to 1942. He married in Rumford, Maine in 1936 and had a young daughter in 1939 but had divorced his wife by the time he enlisted for RCAF service in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10th September 1942. After basic training in Canada he was awarded his Air Gunner's badge on 17th September 1943. On his arrival in the UK in October 1943 he was posted to 23 OTU at Pershore. While training at 23 OTU he was involved in a flying accident when Wellington BK213 crashed at RNAS Henstridge on 13th December 1943, the crash killed one of his then crew and injured him and four others. He recovered from his injuries and was posted back to 23 OTU and completed the course. He arrived at 1664 HCU on 27th February 1944.
Joseph Cournoyer was born on 21st May 1914 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Emeride and Anna (nee Archambeault) Cournoyer. He married Hermine Forcier in 1935 and had two children. He was living in L'Assomption, Lachenaie County, Province of Quebec and worked as an acetylene welder and truck driver before he enlisted for RCAF service. He enlisted in Montreal on 8th July 1940 and appears to have undertaken ground duties and served in Canada for a couple of years. He then remustered as aircrew in early 1943 and trained as an air gunner, receiving his air gunner's badge on 17th September 1943. He was then posted overseas soon after and trained at 23 OTU before posting to 1664 HCU in February 1944.
Romeo Pelletier was born on 16th August 1917 at St.Prosper, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Denis Samuel and Eva (nee Guay) Pelletier. Both his parents sadly died when he was a young man and he was cared for by his stepmother. After leaving school he worked in a bank and latterly in a post office. He enlisted for RCAF service on 19th May 1942 in Quebec for aircrew duties and after training in Canada he was awarded his navigator's flying badge on 2nd April 1943. Arriving in the UK in Summer 1943 he trained at 6 (O)AFU and 23 OTU before posting to 1664 HCU on 27th March 1944.
Robert Walld was born on 10th December 1923 at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and was the son of Albin Frisk and Delia (nee Hansey) Walld. His father was born in Sweden but had emigrated to Canada. His family farmed at Bluff Creek, Manitoba where young Robert worked in a garage after leaving school. He enlisted for RCAF service on 24th March 1942 for aircrew duties and after training in Canada he was awarded his air bomber's flying badge and also a commission on 25th June 1943. Arriving in the UK the following month he trained at 1 (OAFU) and 23 OTU before posting to 1664 HCU on 17th February 1944.
Alphonse Normandeau was born 16th November 1919 at St.Boniface, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Emery and Alma (nee Rheault) Normandeau. As a young man he worked as a clerk for the Manitoba Power Commission. He enlisted for RCAF service on 20th June 1941 at Winnipeg and after training in Canada he was awarded his air gunner's flying badge on 8th June 1942. He then appears to have remained in Canada, for the next ten months he served with the C.N.S. at Rivers. He was posted to the UK in Autumn 1943 and trained at 24 OTU before posting to 1664 HCU on 27th February 1944 with other members of this crew. His brother Sgt Paul Emery Normandeau (R/205216) was died on RCAF service in the UK on 20th August 1944 and is buried in Brookwood Cemetery, England. His death resulted from an unfortunate accident when he fell through a window of a third floor bedroom of the Knights of Columbus Hotel, London. He was training with 22 OTU at the time of the accident and on leave at the time.
There is a large hole in a field near where a sourced police report map reference puts Halifax DG295 to have crashed, this location is yet to be investigated as the landowner has not yet been traced to seek permission to field walk the site. This location is shown on the photograph above from the roadside. Should anyone local be able to say who the landowner is I would be very interested to walk the site when the field has been harvested. The modern electricity pylons were not present at the time of the accident. The main problem I have is that I do not know where the actual bombing target was on the range.
