On 12th August 1944 the crew in this 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft left Tilstock airfield to undertake a day-time training flight. While over North Yorkshire the aircraft’s port outer engine failed and was feathered, being many miles from their home base they were instructed to make a landing at Tholthorpe airfield. With only three good engines the crew tried to land at Tholthorpe but missed their approach and were forced to overshoot and try to go around for another approach. The aircraft would not gain height and eventually it struck the south bridge close to Alne railway station at 11.24hrs. The accident report is very hard to read but appears to say the crash was inevitable after the pilot turned the aircraft into the side of the failed engine. Had he turned the other way the aircraft would have possibly been alright but turning into the failed engine caused the crash of a number of four-engined aircraft in the War with the aircraft not having the forward speed or height to recover. The wreckage caught fire on crashing and three of the six crew were killed; one died soon after of his injuries and other was seriously injured, taken to Fulford Military Hospital where he also died three days later. The pilot was also badly injured but he recovered to some extent and later left hospital though his injuries appear to have cut short his flying days. Given the ranks of the officers in this crew it would seem likely that many had flown operationally before posting to 1665 HCU. Telegraph lines were cut beside the railway track and trains had to be diverted via Starbeck until the crashed aircraft was checked for unexploded bombs and the line / wires replaced.
Navigator - F/O David Nairn Blyth RAFVR (152432), aged 22, of Edinburgh. Buried Rosebank Cemetery, Edinburgh. Died of injuries on 15th August 1944.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Leslie Sanderson RAFVR (1660460), aged 23, of Shirley. Buried Shirley Churchyard, Solihull, Warwickshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Lt Vernon Terence Joseph Hand RAFVR (116100), aged 22, of West Dulwich, London. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (E/A/20).
Air Gunner (Instructor?) - F/Lt Robert Edwards Harvey MiD RAFVR (119204), aged 31, of Edinburgh. Died of injuries. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (E/A/18).
Air Gunner - F/O Godfrey William Arnold RAFVR (158245), aged 27. Buried Orpington Churchyard, Kent.
Pilot - F/O Edward John Pope RAFVR (152275). Injured.
Robert Harvey received a commission on 2nd May 1942 to P/O (emergency), rising to F/O (war subs) on 2nd November 1942 and F/Lt (war subs) on 2nd May 1944. He had previously served with 142 Squadron in 1942 flying in Wellingtons and was Mentioned in Despatches on 14th January 1944 with a huge number of airmen. I thank his granddaughter Diane Anderson for allowing this photograph of him to appear in this account and for the information she was able to provide.
Leslie Sanderson. My thanks to Mr David Charlesworth for this photograph.
Vernon Hand received a commission 28th February 1942 to P/O on probation (emergency) rising to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942. On 28th February 1944 he was promoted to F/Lt (war subs). F/Lt Hand’s brother Ignatius Hand died on active service in WW2 with the Royal Artillery in India on 9th April 1944, he was thirty years old and is buried in Calcutta.
Godfrey Arnold received a commission on 12th September 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency), rising to F/O (war subs) on 12th March 1944.
David Blyth received a commission on 11th June 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency), rising to F/O on probation (war subs) on 11th December 1943.
Edward Pope received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 28th May 1943 rising to F/O on probation (war subs) on 28th November 1943. He survived the War and was made F/Lt (war subs) on 28th May 1945 but may well have still been recovering from his injuries sustained at Alne at the time. He relinquished his commission on the grounds of medical unfitness on 9th November 1946.
Stirling EF210 was delivered as new to 196 Squadron on 21st October 1943 and passed to 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit on 2nd February 1944. It may have been slightly damaged in June 1944 when it swung on landing and overshot during a landing at Tilstock and came to rest astride the Whitchurch Road but the incident is not recorded on it's AM Form 78 so probably was only at Cat.A/FA damage assessment. As a result of the crash on 12th August 1944 Cat.E (Burnt) damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 18th August 1944.