Halifax JD372 and nose art "Easy Does It" when it was serving with 429 Squadron.
At 21.45hrs on Monday, 23rd July 1944 this 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit Halifax took off from Wombleton airfield so that the crew could carry out a training flight consisting of a bombing exercise and a "Command Bullseye" exercise and also, should weather permit it on their return to the Wombleton area, a fighter affiliation exercise was then to be carried out. With the bombing and Bullseye part of the exercise completed the crew returned to the skies over Yorkshire at 03.30hrs and sought permission to carry out the fighter affiliation part of the exercise while over Dalton (where the fighter was based). They received permission for this and crew of the Halifax then made contact with the pilot of the Hurricane fighter that had taken off from Dalton airfield. Five minutes after this contact was made and while flying with the fighter at around 7,000 feet the fighter pilot, F/Sgt B A Gaukroger, reported that the Halifax made a violent corkscrew turn but after straightening out the starboard outer engine of the Halifax was on fire. The Hurricane pilot attempted to make radio contact with the Halifax but received no reply. Before a landing could be made the fire spread rapidly to the aircraft and it resulted in control being lost. No one abandoned the aircraft and it spun out of control into the ground at 03.55hrs close to what is known as the Sheep Walk, near Slingsby. East Moor airfield's emergency crew were dispatched at 04.00hrs but it took them some time to find the site as it was initially described as being near Sheriff Hutton. They eventaully found the site at 07.30hrs but the aircraft had been totally destroyed by the explosion and post-crash fire. Sadly all on board had died in the accident.
Halifax JD372 was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was delivered to 408 Squadron at Leeming during the last week of July 1943. In August 1943 408 Squadron started to convert to Lancaster MkII's and moved to Linton on Ouse. JD372 was left behind at Leeming awaiting the arrival of a new unit. 429 Squadron took the aircraft on charge in September 1943 where it carried the nose art "Easy Does It" but it's stay with them was short lived. 429 Squadron converted to Halifax MkV's in November 1943 so it was passed to the care of 419 Squadron at Middleton St.George. 419 Squadron then converted to Lancaster MkX's in March 1944 and JD372 was transferred to 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit at Wombleton for used in the training role. It was destroyed in the incident near Slingsby detailed above with Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage being the damage assessment in July 1944.
Pilot - P/O Archibald Douglas Moffat RCAF (J/88479), aged 21, of East Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (B/K/7).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Iain Livingstone RAFVR (1895678), aged 33, of Glenlonan, Oban, Argyll & Bute, Scotland. Buried Pennyfuir Cemetery, Oban.
Navigator - F/O George Alexander Lewthwaite RCAF (J/37164), aged 30, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (B/K/9).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O Frank Harold Green RCAF (J/89296), aged 23, of Calgary, Canada. Buried St Pancras Cemetery, London.
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Donald Franklin Dittmer RCAF (R/179976), aged 24, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (B/K/5).
Air Gunner - Sgt Albert Chalmers Reynolds RCAF (R/203113), aged 20, of Tweed, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (B/K/8).
Air Gunner - Sgt John Murray Ludlow RCAF (R/209460), aged 19, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (B/K/6).
Archibald Moffat was born on 15th January 1923 at Grace Hospital, Winnipeg, to Archibald and Jessie Johnston (nee Douglas) Moffatt. His parents were born in the UK and married in Dumfries, Scotland in 1920 before emigrating to Canada and setting up home in the East Kildonan district of Winnipeg. He appears to have been known to his family by his second name of Douglas. As a young he worked as an instrument mechanic for a company in Winnipeg. He enlisted for RCAF service in Winnipeg on 19th August 1942 and after training in Canada he was awarded his pilot's flying badge on 1st October 1943. He was immediately posted to the UK and trained at 18 (P)AFU and 24 OTU before posting to 1666 HCU on 21st June 1944. Archibald Moffat had flown a total of 241 hours as a pilot at the time of the crash with thirty seven hours being on the Halifax type. He received a commission after his death, backdated to 22nd July 1944. In October 2012 I was contacted by Nic Dormer who's mother was Douglas' cousin and I thank the family for kindly supplying the photograph of Douglas shown above.
George Lewthwaite and his gravestone at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire. He was born on 5th September 1913 to William David and Mary Gertrude (nee Huxtable ) Lewthwaite, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada. As a young man he obtained a B.A. degree at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario and worked as a teacher at various schools beginning in 1933. He enlisted into the RCAF on 17th September 1942 at Montreal. He married Madeleine Thompson, of Montreal on 24th December 1942. After training he was awarded his air navigation wings on 15th October 1943 and also a commission on the same date. Soon after completing his training in Canada he was posted to the UK and arrived in November 1943. He trained at 6 (O)AFU and 24 OTU before posting to 1666 HCU with the rest of his crew in June 1944.
Donald Dittmer was born on 16th January 1921 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Daniel and Mary Louise (nee Pruter) Dittmer. After leaving school he trained as a machinist at college and then started work as a toolmaker in 1939. He married Alice Sawchuk in January 1942 and they had a baby son born the following year. He was working as a machine toolmaker's supervisor when he enlisted for RCAF service on 17th July 1942 in Toronto, having undertaken basic RCAF training in Canada and was awarded his Air Bomber's badge on 15th October 1943. He arrived in the UK in November 1943 and then trained at 6 (O)AFU and 24 OTU before posting to 1666 HCU in June 1944.
Frank Green was born on 26th May 1921 at Carroll's Landing, British Columbia, Canada and was the son of Harold and Julia Marie (nee Laviolette) Green. After leaving school he undertook a number of different jobs around British Columbia including farming and logging but lastly as a smelterman in Trail. His mother died when he was young and his father was a member of the Royal Canadian Army, stationed at Vancouver Barracks, in Vancouver. Frank enlisted for RCAF service on 23rd May 1942 in Calgary and trained as an air gunner in Canada receiving his air gunner's badge on 6th August 1943. He left Canada soon after and on arrival in the UK trained at 7 (O)AFU and 24 OTU before posting to 1666 HCU on 21st June 1944. While on leave just before arriving at 1666 HCU he married Nellie Ethel Scanlon, in Middlesex, on 18th June 1944 and her address was later listed as being Parkstone, Dorset, England. He received a back dated commission after his death to 23rd July 1944. He was buried under his wife's instructions in London rather than at the regular Harrogate military plot for RCAF casualties in Yorkshire.
Albert Reynolds was born on 30th August 1923 and Tweed, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Albert William and Maggie Pearl (nee Grier) Reynolds. As a young man he worked in a grocery store in Tweed. He enlisted for RCAF service on 5th November 1942 in Toronto for what appears to have been for ground duties but was selected for aircrew training. After training in Canada he was awarded his air gunner's flying badge on 10th December 1943. He arrived in the UK in March 1944 and after training at 24 OTU was posted to 1666 HCU on 21st June 1944.
John Ludlow was born on 7th February 1925 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada and was the son of George Oliver and Sarah Florence (nee Miller) Ludlow. Known as Murray, he moved with the family to Toronto where he, and his brother and sister attended school. After high school in 1941 he started a bookbinding apprenticeship for a company in Toronto but then enlisted into the RCAF on 4th December 1942 in Toronto. Following training in Canada he was awarded his air gunner's badge on 23rd December 1943. On arrival in the UK in March 1944 he trained at 24 Operational Training Unit before posting to 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit at Wombleton on 21st June 1944 with other members of this crew. I thank his neice Tracy Schoales for kindly supplying the photograph of her uncle shown above and for the additional information she has been able to provide.
Sgt Livingstone's found on the internet in Oban Cemetery.
The aircraft crashed into the field and the edge of the woodland shown in the photograph above.
