Lincoln B.2 SX981 near Driffield.

At 17.40hrs on 5th February 1951 this 101 Squadron aircraft took off from Binbrook with the crew briefed to undertake a cross country training flight followed by a high level bombing exercise on the range at Theddlethorpe. From Binbrook the aircraft climbed away and the crew set course for the exercise, the first turning point of which was St Abbs Head. While flying at around 12,000 feet over the East Riding of Yorkshire and after being in the air for around twenty minutes the aircraft suffered a fire in the port outer engine. The crew feathered the propeller and operated the fire extinguisher system but this had little effect on the fire and it begun to spread rapidly on the wing. Fearing control would be lost the crew abandoned the aircraft. Prior to leaving the aircraft the pilot pointed the aircraft out to sea. It was rather windy at the time and while four landed near Hutton Cranswick, one broke his ankle when he landed in a gravel pit. The fifth, stated to have been an air gunner (rear gunner), landed in a ditch and was found walking to Driffield but where he landed is unclear. Unfortunately after leaving the aircraft to its own devices it turned around and headed toward Driffield and crashed a few miles north of the town near Great Kendale farm. It broke up on impact with a fire then destroying the bulk of the wreckage. Two fire engines, an ambulance and a water tender all became bogged down on a road prior to reaching crash site. This was probably on Long Lane. Had they gone on the more well made Driffield to Foxholes road to Great Kendale farm this would probably have been alleviated. A disagreement between the AIB and the Binbrook's Commanding Officer around the cause of the engine failure would follow. Oil shortage or a mechanical breakage were the arguements put forward. Rolls Royce examined the engine and suggested oil shortage was the issue.

Pilot - F/Sgt Anthony Francis Crosby RAF (907019).

Navigator - P/O Anthony Edward Bale RAF (4032100). Injured.

Navigator - P/O Mervyn Pask RAF (4033030).

Engineer - Sgt Ralph Painting RAF (582064).

Air Gunner - Sgt Kenneth George Little RAF (1899503)

Anthony Crosby died on 26th May 1969 and was still serving in the RAF.
A Mervyn Pask served in the RAAF (426150) during the Second World War. He married in Louth, Lincolnshire in 1944 and served with 625, 617 and 57 Squadrons flying as a wireless operator in Lancasters. He returned to Australia and was de-mobbed. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that he later returned to the UK and joined the RAF. I would welcome information to confirm if they are one and the same person.

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