Halifax HX321 at Snaith airfield.
During the early hours of 19th July 1944 this 51 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational flight to bomb a target at Caen (possibly a V1 launch site) and took off from Snaith airfield at 03.53hrs. The crew released the bomb load from 9,000 feet at 06.05hrs. Unbeknown to the crew the port tyre valve had worked loose causing the tyre to deflate so, on landing at Snaith at 07.46hrs the port tyre was flat. A swing developed and the pilot could not bring the aircraft back under control. The aircraft came to rest with both undercarriage legs collapsed. The damage was initially assessed as repairable Cat.Ac but the aircraft was never repaired and was struck off charge a couple of weeks later. Two days after this incident the whole crew were lost on Ops and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Pilot - F/Sgt Royston Percy Hampson RAFVR (1431603).
Navigator - F/O William Alexander Bell RCAF (J/21808).
Air Bomber - WO2 John Joseph Ollinger RCAF (R/170661).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Donald Vann RAFVR (1578665).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Eric Sydney Beare RAFVR (1609756).
Air Gunner - Sgt Douglas Livingstone Watson RAFVR (1567286).
Air Gunner - Sgt Clifford Toft RAFVR (1677810).