On the evening of 15th March 1945 the crew of this 346 Squadron aircraft took off from Elvington airfield at 17.00hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Hagan. Just before midnight the aircraft flew into trees standing on high ground near High Mowthorpe Farm, north of the village of Duggleby, on the Yorkshire Wolds. The aircraft broke up and the wreckage caught fire in the trees. Mr Herbert Underwood, farm manager at High Mowthorpe at the time, heard the crash and, after first contacting the emergency services and the RAF at Driffield gathered together a group of farm workers and they went to try and find survivors. They were successful in locating the seriously injured pilot who had been thrown clear of the initial intense fire but who was still in severe danger from exploding ammunition and also from the fire which was spreading. The farm workers were able to carry the pilot away from the crash site and back to the farm house where help would arrive. He was subsequently taken to the base hospital at Driffield airfield where he sadly died the following day. The other six airmen flying in the aircraft at the time had all died in the crash. Alongside the farm manager in this rescue attempt were three Italian prisoners of war "co-operators" who were originally held at Eden Camp near Malton but who were helping with farm work at High Mowthorpe in 1945. For his actions on this night Herbert Cowper Underwood was initially recommended for the British Empire Medal but this was later downgraded to a Commendation for Brave Conduct, Gazetted on 26th June 1945. The three Italians, named as being Dante Barbieri, Silla Codeluppi and Mansueto Lousetto, in Herbert Underwood's award recommendation file, never received any recognition. This 346 Squadron crew involved in the crash appear to have only flown operationally with 346 Squadron in the week prior to their deaths. All were initially buried at Harrogate Stonefell Cemetery but since the war all the French air graves were exhumed and their remains re-buried in France. I have yet learn of a searchable index for the locations of the former French graves at Harrogate now located in France and as a result this crew list remains incomplete.
An unconfirmed account of the events leading up to the crash has been suggested on the internet which stated on their return to the landing circuit at Elvington the crew attempted to lower the main undercarriage legs and also the smaller tail wheel. The main legs lowered but the tail wheel would not lower so, after informing flying control at Elvington of this they were instructed to go to land at the crash strip at Carnaby. There is also a report that the main undercarriage legs were in the down position at the time of the crash which would suggest that the crew thought they were much nearer Carnaby that they actually were or they had been left down from their time over Elvington.
Pilot - S/C Gabriel A Lacaze FFAF (2661). Aged 31. Died of injuries at Driffield. Burial location unknown.
Flight Engineer - Adj Jean Eugene Gribouva FFAF (466), aged 34. Burial location unknown.
Navigator - Ltn Jacques Philippe Deplus FFAF (003052), aged 28. Burial location unknown.
Bomb Aimer - Asp Francois Louis Marie Dufresnoy FFAF (36718), aged 26. Burial location unknown.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James Robert Charpentier FFAF (36484), aged 22. Burial location unknown.
Air Gunner - Sgt Georges Gabriel Maxime Tartarinn FFAF (1675), aged 22. Burial location unknown.
Air Gunner - Sgt Pierre Louis Leon Touzart FFAF (1677), aged 22. Now buried Longpre-les-Corps Saints. France.