Halifax NA582 near Stillington.
On the night of 14th / 15th October 1944 this 415 Squadron aircraft undertook an operational flight to bomb Duisburg, known as "Operation Hurricane", 1005 aircraft took part in the raid. This aircraft took off from East Moor at 22.20hrs. At 01.58hrs while flying at 13,000 feet and on the homeward leg an enemy aircraft was seen flying on the port side at a range of about 800 yards. The mid upper gunner contacted the pilot to make a corkscrew to port and then opened fire on the enemy aircraft. The rear gunner also opened fire but no hits were seen on the enemy aircraft. The enemy aircraft did not return fire but did close to within 200 yards before breaking away. On their return to Yorkshire the Halifax crew brought their aircraft back into the circuit of East Moor airfield but before they could land at base the aircraft came down on rising ground two miles north east of Stillington on the approach to land. The aircraft flew into slightly rising ground near Marton South Farm while flying in thick fog. The air gunners' combat report has been used in compiling this webpage having made a claim in damaging the enemy aircraft.
Pilot - Sgt C W Kroeker RCAF (R/134675).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Leslie Tongue RAFVR (2221300).
Navigator - Sgt Robert James Nicolls RCAF (R/167275).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Russell Edmund Chatfield RCAF (R/167424).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Gordon James Doyle RCAF (R/175448).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt B D Walker RCAF (R/170538).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Morley A Orbach RCAF (R/260163).
Air Gunner - W/O C K Rowe RCAF (R/92187).
Robert Nicolls was born on 22nd January 1917 in Toronto, Ontario and was the son of Robert James and Hazel (nee McQuigge) Nicolls. His father had died in May 1937 while a Captain in the Toronto Fire Department. At the time of enlisting he was working for the Canada Cycle and Motor Company and manufacturing ice hockey skates for them at their Weston factory. He enlisted for RCAF service on 27th May 1942 in Toronto and after training was awarded his air navigator's flying badge on 3rd September 1943. He married Annie Keates in Toronto October 1942 while on leave from training in the RCAF. Having sailed from New York to the UK in October 1943 he would train at 3 (O)AFU, 10 OTU and 1666 HCU before posting to 415 Squadron on 30th September 1944. As with the other three members of his crew at 415 Squadron, he was posted to 1659 HCU in November 1944 and then on to 424 Squadron on 30th December 1944. At the time of his death at the age of twenty eight his brother William was serving overseas with the RCAF. Robert probably received a back-dated commission after his death, dated to 27th January 1945.
Russell Chatfield was born on 6th March 1914 to Edward and Rosina (nee Harrison) Chatfield in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After leaving school he worked as a bank clerk. He enlisted for RCAF service on Toronto on 2nd June 1942 and after training in Canada he was awarded his air bombers' flying badge on 26th November 1943. He then married Evelyn Hipkiss in Toronto in December 1943 during a perido of leave. On arrival in the UK around Easter 1944 he would train at 6 (O)AFU, 24 OTU and 1666 HCU before posting to 415 Squadron on 30th September 1944. Like the other members of his 415 Squadron crew they were posted to 1659 HCU on 14th November 1944 and then on to 424 Squadron on 30th December 1944. He probably received a back-dated commission after his death, on 27th January 1945.
Gordon Doyle was born on 15th May 1921 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was the son of James Thomas and Gwendoline Maud (nee Horswill) Doyle. After leaving technical college he worked for his father's as a salesman at their service station. He enlisted for RCAF service on 30th June 1942 in Toronto and after training was awarded his air gunner's flying badge on 31st May 1943 but then undertook wireless operator training. He arrived in the UK in early 1944 and over the coming months trained at 6 (O)AFU, 24 OTU and 1666 HCU before posting to 415 Squadron 30th September 1944. He was then posted to 424 Squadron on 30th December 1944 following a brief spell at 1659 HCU.
Morley Orbach had trained at No.3 B&G School, 24 OTU and 1666 HCU before posting to 415 Squadron. He later joined F/O Stewart's 415 Squadron crew after this crew's original mid upper gunner became sick and returned to Canada.
F/Sgt Walker trained at No.9 B&G School, 32 OTU and 1659 HCU before being posted to 415 Squadron.
Sgt C.K.Rowe had earlier served with 158 Squadron in 1943.
I met with Stillington resident Mr John Sparrow in July 2011 who kindly took me to the crash site of NA582 which is now at one edge of a large arable field near South Farm. Mr Sparrow was alive at the time of the incident but did not see the aircraft in the field, he did however later own the land and recalled finding pieces of the aircraft while working the field.
Halifax NA582 was built to contract ACFT/891 by Fairey Aviation Ltd at Stockport and was initially taken on charge as new by 420 Squadron at Tholthorpe on 14th July 1944. The date it was taken on charge by 415 Squadron at East Moor is not given on the aircraft's AM Form 78. It sustained flak damage on 5th August 1944 and Cat.A/FB damage would probably have been the damage assessment. A repair on site would have been made with it completed by 7th August 1944. It was again damaged by flak on 11th September 1944, Cat.A/FB would have been the damage assessment that then saw a repair on site at East Moor. On 15th October 1944 the aircraft was returning from Ops to Duisburg and was flying in the circuit of East Moor airfield when it crashed near Stillington. The crash saw the aircraft badly damaged, Cat.E2/FB damage was the damage assessment and the aircraft was struck off charge on 26th October 1944.
Of those named above Tongue, Nicolls, Chatfield and Doyle were transferred to 424 Squadron in December 1944. On 28th January 1945 they were in Halifax LW164 which was taking off for Ops to Stuttgart when it exploded at Skipton on Swale airfield. Sgt Tongue was twenty six years old and married. P/O Robert Nicolls was twenty eight, P/O Gordon Doyle was twenty three years old and P/O Russell Chatfield was thirty two years old. All four were buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire and the three Canadians were awarded commissions after their deaths.
The remaining four airmen on board Halifax NA582 when it crashed at Stillington are all believed to have survived the War.
