Hurricane LE136 at Skipton on Swale airfield.

At 10.00hrs on 17th July 1944 this 1695 (Bomber) Defence Training Flight aircraft landed normally at Skipton on Swale airfield but as it turned off the runway at the end of the landing run the starboard undercarriage leg collapsed. The starboard wing tip, aileron and flap were damaged. The unit records sugges the aircraft appears to have been very quickly repaired on site and flown back to Dalton by F/Lt Basil Crew DFC RCAF (J/17170) later the same day, this seems unlikely but I can only go with what the contemporary records state.

Pilot - W/O Douglas Harold Gardner RAAF (420617).

Douglas Gardiner was born on 29th May 1918 at North Sydney, Australia. He enlisted for RAAF service on 8th November 1931 at Sydney and after training was awarded his pilot's Wings in December 1942. On arrival in the UK in early 1943 he trained at 17 (P)AFU and 61 OTU before posting to 1695 Flight on 4th June 1944. Before the end of the war he served with 174 and 175 Squadrons.

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