On Sunday, the 1st of June 1941 a Spitfire was on a flight from Catterick when low cloud was encountered, the aircraft flew into high ground near Thimbleby Hall at 21.20 hrs and the pilot died of his injuries afew hours later. The AM1180 Crash Card is missing from RAF records so details regarding this incident are brief until some other information is found.
The aircraft was built to contract B981687/39/CB/23(c) by Vickers Armstrongs Ltd at Castle Bromwich. It was delivered to the RAF in January 1941 and after acceptance it was issued to 41 Sqdn at Catterick on an unspecified date in early 1941. It suffered Cat E2/FA damage in the above incident.
Pilot - Sgt Eric E Croker RNZAF (391826), aged 24, of Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand. Buried Catterick Cemetery, Yorkshire (Row M, Grave 18).
The pilot and his headstone at Catterick Cemetery.
I have yet to locate the crash site.
Former Battle of Britain pilot Eric Croker was born 1st January 1917 and was educated at Mt Albert Grammer and Thames High School. Before becoming a pilot
he was an electrician with the Auckland Habour Board in New Zealand.
He was accepted into the RNZAF Civil Reserve of Pilots in August 1938 and gained his "A" licence on 9 March 1939. He began training
at 1 EFTS on 16 Jan 1940, followed by 1 FTS on 11 March 1940 and gained his pilots badge on 7 May 1940.
He was promoted to Sgt on 28 June the same year and left Rangitane for the UK soon after. He was sent to 1 Depot on 27 August 1940
followed by 6 OTU on 10 Sept to train on Hurricanes, he then was posted to 111 Sqdn on 28 Oct and carried out 14 Ops. On 22 Oct he
was posted to 260 Sqdn at Drem where carried out 23 Ops.
He was posted to 41 Sqdn at Catterick on 12 May 1941 to fly in Spitfires, he completed 4 Ops with this Unit before his accident on 1st
June 1941. He died in hospital the next day with a total of 41 Ops and 235 hours flying to his name.