Halifax B.6 RG561 near Deighton.

During the last year of the Second World War Elvington airfield was home to two Free French bomber squadrons, 346 and 347 Squadron. After the end of hostilities the squadrons were allowed to return to France with their Halifaxes to then form the 21st E.B.L. (21 Heavy Bombing Squadron) so on 20th October 1945 346 Squadron were waved off and flew to land at Bordeaux in a liberated France. On 29th October 1945 347 Squadron undertook their move. Some of their twenty aircraft were either unservicable or not ready so the sixteen that were began taking off just before midday in poor weather for the flights south. Halifax RG561 was one of these sixteen aircraft. Soon after becoming airborne a vibration affected the aircraft followed by an engine fire in the starboard outer engine. The vibration was probably caused by the low flying speed which would effect stalling conditions. The fire could not be brought under control and spread eventually causing the pilot to loose control. He partly regained control but it then crashed soon after near Sheep Walk Farm, Deighton, three miles from the airfield at Elvington. Sadly two of the crew died as a result of the crash and a total of eight crew and passengers were injured. Two appear to have escaped injury. Unfortunately the 347 Squadron ORB ended on 6th October 1945 and simply states that "Squadron ceased flying at 23.59hrs" so we cannot learn anything by reading this about their final month at Elvington.

Whether the aircraft had been further away from Elvington than the Escrick area and the pilot had turned around once the fire broke out and was attempting to fly back to land when it stalled, or the aircraft caught fire as it left the ground, had a low flying speed and stalled immediately after taking off to then crash at Escrick is unclear. Those who died were almost certainly buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. All Free French war dead were exhumed, where possible were returned to France and those who were not were buried in a more concentrated nationalised plot at Brookwood, Surrey. In this case one who died was returned to France and one was buried at Brookwood.

Pilot - S/C Paul Roque FAFL (37127).

Navigator - S/Lt Jacques Victor Wellard FAFL (4437), aged 27. Initially buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. Now buried at Brookwood Cemetery (29.B.11)

Bomb Aimer - Sgt Henri Jacques Andre Prades FAFL (36925), aged 23. Initially buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. Burial location unknown, France. Commemorated in the UK on the Maidenhead Register.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Jean Galea FAFL (1404).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - S/C Marcel Baud FAFL (36899).

Air Gunner - Sgt Henry Bourgund FAFL (407).

Air Gunner - Sgt Jean? Boissavie FAFL (1356).

I thank Jacques Wellard's relatives for emailing me in the early days of this website and supplying the photograph of his gravestone at Brookwood Cemetery.