Just prior to 21st October 1944 this aircraft had had two new engines fitted at Sherburn in Elmet airfield while being used by the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment (AFEE). During the afternoon on this date it was to be test flown to test the operation of the new engines, after taking off the starboard engine immediately became to show problems and shortly afterwards the port engine then failed. The aircraft had managed to climb to 600 feet above the ground but had low forward speed, the pilot appears to have turned the aircraft around and while making an emergency approach to land the aircraft stalled. At 14.14hrs it then crashed into a field some 300 yards short of the airfield on the north west side. Sadly two of those flying in the aircraft were killed while the pilot somehow survived. The photograph above shows the crash site, I find it amazing that anyone could survive this. In more recent years more information came to light as to what might have happened, another WAAF engine fitter who had been responsible for the engine change stated that her team had not passed the aircraft as ready for flight but that this was then over-ruled by a high ranking officer who passed it as servicable. It then crashed shortly after leaving the ground.
Pilot - W/O William J Edwards RAFVR (1131156). Seriously injured.
Flight Engineer - P/O James George Swain RAFVR (182548), aged 37, of Cleveleys. Buried Poulton le Fylde New Cemetery, Lancashire.
Passenger (engine fitter) - LACW Nellie Griffiths WAAF (2058307), aged 35, of Nantwich. Buried Nantwich Cemetery, Cheshire.
James Swain received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 15th July 1944.
With permission from the landowner in September 2001 air historians Eric Barton (left), Ken Reast (right) and Albert Pritchard visited the scene of the accident with the pilot, Mr Bill Edwards (centre), and helped him locate small remains of the Albemarle to confirm the location.
The items shown above were retained by Eric following the visit and after cleaning a part number was found on one of the items.
