Halifax HR748 near North Dalton.

During the early hours of 13th July 1944 the crew of this 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft were undertaking a training flight. The type of training flight given in Bill Chorley's excellent Bomber Command HCU losses book was a bullseye training exercise. This type of training exercse involved the crew of the aircraft navigating their way to a UK town or city to make a simulated bombing run on a selected "target". This would test the crew as well as giving defensive positions on the ground a chance to practice their range-finding and other drills on the ground. I have not located where this simulated target was on this night but as another aircraft flying the same Bullseye exercise crashed in Lincolnshire I would punt on the target being in Lincolnshire or Norfolk. By 05.00hrs this aircraft was well on the way to returning home to their airfield of Marston Moor when the starboard outer engine began running rough so was shut down. The aircraft was over-flying the Yorkshire Wolds at the time but the high ground was covered in low cloud at the time which disorientated the crew. Uncertain of their position they began to let down through the cloud, almost certainly believing they were flying over much lower ground. At 05.05hrs the Halifax flew into the ground between North Dalton and Huggate. Sadly two member of the crew died as a result of the accident and a third died in Sheffield's Fulwood head injuries hospital the following day.

Navigator - Sgt David Park RAFVR (1567907), aged 21, of Linlithgow. Buried Linlithgow Cemetery, West Lothian.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Harold Charles Finch RAFVR (1132101), aged 33, of St.Helens. Buried Parr Churchyard, Lancashire.

Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Robert George Ambrose RAFVR (1395993). Died in Fulwood Hosptial, Sheffield on 14/7/1944. Aged 28, buried Kelvedon Congregational Church Cemetery, Essex.

Pilot - Sgt Richard John Philip Barrell RAFVR (1397389). Injured.

? - Sgt John Godfrey Grist RAFVR (907390). Injured.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Harold Osbourn RAF (526297). Injured.

? - Sgt Humphrey Brown Tennant RAFVR (1628710). Injured.

? - Sgt G F Terry RAFVR (1874506?). Injured.

Many of this crew stayed together on completion of their training. They were posted to 76 Squadron but on 27th February 1945 were flying Halifax LL579 on an operational flight to Mainz when the aircraft was badly damaged over Germany. Osbourn and Tennant were two of those killed but Barrell and Terry were able to bale and and survived to become PoWs. Those who died are buried Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Richard Barrell received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 26th December 1944 but appears to have been in the rank of Acting F/Lt by February 1945.

Humphrey Osbourn received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 3rd December 1944.

John Grist received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 16th March 1945.

Halifax HR748 was built to contract ACFT/1688/42 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. On 11th March 1943 it was flown to Linton on Ouse (presumably for familiarization on type) and on 22nd March 1943 it was taken on charge by 76 Squadron at Linton on Ouse. As a result of the very minor damage sustaiend on 3rd April 1943 Cat.A/FA would have been the damage assessment which saw the damage immediately repaired within hours. On 26th April 1943 the aircraft as transferred to 78 Squadron, also based at Linton on Ouse. On 18th May 1943 Handley Page Ltd begun work on unspecified damage to the aircraft on site at Linton. On 30th June 1943 it was returned to 78 Squadron but they had moved to Breighton while it was being repaired. On 24th September 1943 Handley Page Ltd again began repair on unspecified Cat.Ac damage on site at Breighton. On 16th October 1943 it was returned to 78 Squadron at Breighton. On 4th January 1944 the aircraft was transferred to 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit at Marston Moor where it carried the unit code "JA-J". On 13th July 1944 it crashed near North Dalton on the Yorkshire Wolds. Cat.E1/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 24th July 1944 having clocked up a total of 619 hours flying time.

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