Wellington MF554 near Busby Stoop, Skipton on Swale.
On 13th September 1944 the crew of this 24 Operational Training Unit aircraft took off from Honeybourne at 09.25hrs to undertake a navigation training exercise. Around three hours into the flight the oil level warning light came on for the port engine causing the pilot concern. The crew pumped more oil into the engine but the temperature warning light remained on and then the oil temperature gauge began to rise rapidly. The pilot rightly assumed that the port engine had developed an oil leak so feathered the propeller on the failing engine. The aircraft appears to have been flying around fifty miles off the Yorkshire coast at the trouble started and it began to loose height but being at 15,000 feet at the time the problem started and loosing around 200-300 feet per minute that was no immediate cause for alarm. In poor visibility the first airfield the crew sighted was that of Skipton on Swale airfield while they were flying at around 4,000 feet. They then flew a circuit of the airfield, made two requests to make an emergency landing and also fired two red verey cartridges. They received no reply from Skipton's flying control but someone on the airfield fired a green verey cartridge in reply. Believing the airfield was happy for them to land the crew lowered the undercarriage and made an approach to land on the longest runway. Unfortunately as they were on the approach to land a Halifax then crossed in front of their path causing the pilot of the Wellington to dive below to avoid a collision. The pilot then flew the Wellington further around the airfield circuit and attempted to land on a shorter runway but, in trying to avoid hangers and other airfield buildings they turned in to the approach too soon, this resulted in the aircraft being too far along this shorter runway and at the flying speed an overshoot was inevitable. The pilot realised the aircraft was going to overshoot so attempted to raise the undercarriage, at 12.30hrs the aircraft was put down but the undercarriage had not raised so the aircraft landed on it's wheels. The accident records state the undercarriage did not collapse although the aircraft and both engines received damage, which, after assessment were deemed to be beyond repair. The location of where this occurred not directly stated on the accident report; A.M.Form 765c; it stated all of the above occurred while flying around Skipton on Swale airfield but it does not actually state the aircraft came to earth on or near the runways.
A basic police description and location for what must be this incident states that on this date a Wellington also with seven crew crashed in a field around two hundred metres north of the Busby Stoop Inn with the crew of seven escaping serious injury although the aircraft received severe damage. This must relate to Wellington MF544. Air historian Ken Reast has lived in this area all his life and recalls a crashed Wellington in this general area with it's fuselage broken into three, and this probably also relates to Wellington MF554.
Wellington MF554 was built by vickers at Blackpool and was issued directly to 21 OTU on 14t May 1944. It passed to 24 OTU on 16th May 1944 and as a result of the crash on 13th September 1944 Cat.E damage was the damage assessment. It was struck off charge on 29th September 1944.
Pilot - F/O John George Clothier RCAF (J/15742).
Navigator - F/Lt F A Board RCAF (J/14498).
Air Bomber - P/O T L A Giles RCAF (J/41576).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt G G Matthews RCAF (R/202961).
Air Gunner - Sgt Donald John Bastead RCAF (R/285686).
Air Gunner - Sgt J J Kidston RCAF (R/281192).
Navigator - P/O W S P McAlpine RCAF (J/24189).
His brother Robert Allan Clothier DFC RCAF (J/15680) served with 408 Squadron. He achieved fame after the war for his acting roles, probably most famous for being "Relic" in The Beachcombers.
The first six named above were involved in a more serious incident at Honeybourne two weeks later on 26th September 1944 flying Wellington MF516. These airmen were then posted to 1664 H.C.U. on in December 1944 and then to 432 Squadron on 22nd February 1945. Unfortunately on the night of 5th / 6th March 1945 F/Lt Clothier was flying as a second pilot with another crew for operational experience when the aircraft was shot down by friendly fire over Essex with the loss of the whole crew. As the rest of his crew at 432 Squadron were without a pilot they were posted elsewhere shortly after. The navigator was posted to 428 Squadron on 18th March 1945 while the others were posted to No.76 Base (Topcliffe) on 13th March 1945, I have yet to trace them after this and it is possible that trained with a new pilot at 1659 HCU before posting to another operational squadron.
John Clothier was born on 6th December 1919 at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and was the son of Robert Leroy and Patty Margaret (nee Harding) Clothier. As a young man he worked within the gold mining industry with his father. He enlisted for RCAF service on 4th June 1940 in Vancouver and after training was awarded his air gunners' flying badge on 17th February 1941. On arrival in the UK he trained at 27 OTU before posting to 99 Squadron on 10th August 1941. He was then posted to 15 Squadron on 4th November 1941. He received a commission on 10th July 1942 which was near the end of his tour with 15 Squadron. He was then posted to the Central Gunnery School to instruct but appears to have had no interest in instructing. Early in 1943 he remustered as a pilot and began pilot training. He was repatriated to Canada in June 1943 to undertake pilot training and was awarded his pilots' wings on 11th February 1944. Being posted back to the UK in April 1944 he trained at 6 (P)AFU, 12 OTU, 24 OTU and 1664 HCU before posting to 432 Squadron on 22nd February 1945. He is buried in Monmouth, Wales; where his mother was born. So cruel that he would lose his life just eight weeks before the end of the War having served for so long.