Halifax JB917 at Wombleton airfield.
On 18th October 1944 the crew on board this 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit aircraft had just landed at Wombleton following a series of daytime circuits and landings, this was a common training exercise for pilots and crews new to flying heavy bombers. At 16.17hrs, on the end of the landing run the pilot selected the wrong lever and raised the undercarriage instead of the flaps and one of the undercarriage legs folded damaging two engines that struck the ground as a result. An investigation found that a safety solenoid should have prevented this accidental raising of the undercarriage and this safety system was faulty on this aircraft.
Pilot - F/Sgt William Zoethout RAFVR (1649934).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William Adamson RAFVR (1338908).
Navigator - F/Sgt John Trevor Newnham RAAF (430465).
Wireless Operator - Sgt P J Ginn RAFVR (1870679).
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt H Crook RAFVR (1853029).
Rear Gunner - Sgt George Henry Cartwright RAFVR (1456626).
Flight Engineer - Sgt J H Carr RAFVR (1596567).
This photograph shows Bill Zoethout's crew and is almost certainly the crew he trained at 1666 HCU with. If this is correct then I have not worked out which air gunner is which in the back row but the others will be..Back Row (L-R) - Carr, x?, Newnham, x?. Front Row (L-R) - Adamson, Zoethout and Ginn. Should anyone be able to confirm or identify any others on this photograph I would appreciate it. I thank the bomb aimer's son Mr John Adamson for contacting me in October 2014 and kindly supplying the crew photograph taken while they were flying Halifaxes.
I understand from Mr Adamson that the main part of this crew completed their training at Wombleton and were posted to 148 (Special Duties) Squadron at Brindisi flying Halifaxes. This posting only lasted a matter of weeks as early in 1945 they were posted back to the UK and the flight engineer appears to have left the crew. The others are believed to have joined 61 Squadron after converting to flying the Lancaster. During the time with 61 Squadron they took part in Operation Exodus among other flights and on one flight the aircraft overshot on landing due to break failure and crashed into the (unknown) airfield boundary hedge.
John Newnham was born on 27th January 1925 to Elsernwick, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and was the son of Arthur Wieford Ellis Newnham. During the Second World War his father worked in ammunition production in Melbourne but later moved to work at "Avalon" Farm, East Burwood, Victoria. His son John begun working as a student teacher after leaving college and joined the RAAF as an ATC Cadet in March 1942. He enlisted for RAAF service in Melbourne on 29th January 1943 and after basic training in Australia he was awarded his navigator's badge on 9th December 1943. On arrival in the UK in March 1944 he trained at 9 (O)AFU from 4th April 1944, 12 OTU from 2nd May 1944, 1651 HCU briefly and was posted to 1666 HCU on 11th October 1944. He and this crew left 1666 HCU on 24th November 1944 and were soon posted to 148 Squadron (Special Duties) on 31st December 1944. He doesn't appear to have have ever flown operationally with 148 Squadron and he and this crew were posted back to the UK in early 1945. He appears to have been posted to the UK and to eventually to 1661 HCU before finishing his flying in the UK at 21 OTU (between 14th August 1945 to 9th October 1945). He was then posted back to Australia and was discharged from the RAAF on 12th February 1946. I thank his daughter for contacting me in September 2019 and for identifying him in the crew photograph shown above.