Unidentified Meteor F.4 at Finningley airfield.

On 23rd June 1949 a party of 257 Squadron Meteors moved from Horsham St.Faith to Finningley to be based there while a large scale training exercise with other aircraft took place. The exercise would begin on 25th June 1949 and was known as "Operational Foil". The exercise was a huge one and newspapers stated that around five hundred aircraft took part in total. On 28th June 1949 the 257 Squadron Meteors undertook interception of three USAF Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. While returning from the B-29 interception and while flying in formation in cloud two of the Meteors (VT148 and NW783 collided over the Finningley area when one pilot attempted to change his place in the formation. VT148 crashed onto Hatfield Moors and was destroyed. VW783 crashed in the Serlby Park area just outside Yorkshire (so doesn't have a webpage on this website). A third 257 Squadron Meteor was damaged, this was the formation leader's aircraft. On landing at Finningley the port undercarriage leg collapsed and it slid along the ground on it's wing, I have yet to identify this third aircraft. The scanning skills of staff at the National Archives in respect of the copy of the squadron records of 257 Squadron leaves a lot to be desired. The resolution is so poor that reading the pages is nearly impossible. His name appears to be Baker, Hawes, Hamer....

Pilot - F/O M J Baker / Hawes / Hamer.