Halifax MZ814 at Skipton on Swale airfield.
On the night of 17th / 18th July 1944 this 424 Squadron aircraft was used on an operational flight to lay mines and took off from Skipton on Swale airfield at 23.17hrs. The crew released their mines at 01.15hrs from 15,000 feet. On landing at Skipton on Swale at either 02.52hrs or 04.52hrs the brakes failed, the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft from overshooting the airfield. It came to rest 200 yards beyond the end of the runway but off the line of approach. Minor damage to the aircraft resulted, stated in one reference to have been tail wheel assembly damage.
Pilot - F/O Patrick Edmund Cronin RCAF (J/25978).
Navigator - F/O Donald Gerald Stevenson RCAF (J/26657).
Air Bomber - F/O William Rudolph Heuchert RCAF (J/28950).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - WO Cyril Bertie Sutton RCAF (R/107551).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Edwin Rodgers RAFVR (1896391).
Air Gunner - Sgt Samuel Leonard Peters RCAF (R/201896).
Air Gunner - Sgt Vernon Chester Gerrie RCAF (R/163420).
All but Sgt Rodgers were killed on 4th August 1944 when Halifax LV959 failed to return from Ops to bomb a flying bomb site at Bois de Cassan. Sgt Rodgers became a PoW.