Halifax DG404 prior to its crash (photo Mr Jim Rudland).
On the 12th of July 1943 the crew of this aircraft took off from Rufforth near York for a night cross country navigation
exercise. The crew encountered atrocious weather conditions over the Yorkshire Dales and when the aircraft suffered a
loss of power in one engine the pilot
attempted to force land the aircraft (sources say wheels down) on Heathfield Moor, west of Pateley Bridge at 02.00hrs.
The aircraft crashed. It is not yet known how many died at the scene but one of the survivors, the flight engineer,
managed to walk some distance from the site and find his way down to summon help at Highfield Farm. The crew were then taken to this farm
where sadly at least one of the crew died before medical help arrived. Three of the crew died as a result of the crash,
four were injured. The survivors would later return to
flying duties complete their training. Sadly none would see the War out.
Pilot - F/O John Stuart Barber RAFVR (131081), of Notting Hill, London. Injured.
F Eng - Sgt Walter Douglas Hall RAFVR (1254960), of Wimbledon, Surrey. Injured.
Nav - Sgt Thomas Henry Woollard RAFVR (1389559), aged ? Of ? Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery (Sec 21E, grave 7071).
BA - Sgt Thomas Reid RAFVR (1560929), aged ? of Glasgow, buried Eastwood Cemetery, Glasgow (Sec K, grave 631).
W Op / AG - Sgt John Godley RAFVR (1074276), aged 23, of Cumbernauld Station, Scotland. Buried Cumbernauld Cemetery (Sec L, grave 952).
AG - P/O Arthur James Walker RAFVR (140904). Of Rugby. Injured.
Rear Gunner - Sgt Douglas Walter Batten RAAF (30053). Of Launceston, Tasmania. Australia. Injured.
Thomas Woollard's grave in Harrogate's Stonefall Cemetery. He was one of the last to be buried in regular cemetery plot, soon after this accident the large War Grave plot came into being on the eastern side of cemetery. Due to the sun being directly in
front of the grave the photograph is not perfect, I will return later in the year to get a better photograph.
Caroline and I visited the crash site in December 2006, scattered remains are still to be found over a fairly wide area. A number of
water filled holes in the area of the crash are filled with parts of the aircraft.
The largest peice still at the crash site is a section of engine bulkhead.
Nick Roberts at the crash site in 1985.
Sgt Hall was posted missing on 29th December 1943 whilst serving with 10 Sqdn. Halifax JD314 was shot down by a night fighter
near Meppel, Holland. His body was one of three not recovered from the crash site. He was 23 years old.
F/Sgt Batten was born on 9th May 1915 in Launceston, Tasmania. He enlisted in Hobart
on 18th March 1940. He was on his first Tour (I previously incorrectly speculated this may have been his second).
He arrived for training at 10 OTU on 13th April 1943, 1663 HCU on 12th June 1943 before being posted to 158 Sqdn on 30th October 1943
and flew his first opertioanl flight with W/O. R A Gray RCAF to
Mannheim and on 22nd November 1943, he later returned early from a trip to Berlin with P/O. J D Laidlaw on 22nd November 1943.
Following this incident he was posted to 640 Sqdn on 7th January 1944, the Sqdn was still operating from
Lissett when his aircraft was lost, he was posted missing on 22nd January 1944 while serving with 640 Sqdn.
Halifax LW459 is believed to have crashed into the North
Sea 7 (or 40, sources vary widely) miles east of Flamborough Head. He was 28 years old. My thanks to Eddie Fell for this this airmans information.
F/O Arthur Walker DFC was killed on 14th October 1944. He was 24 years old and is buried locally in Whinfield Cemetery, Rugby (Sec A, grave 14).
F/O Barber was killed on 22nd October 1943 while serving with 77 Sqdn when Halifax JB856 crashed at Schönhagen. He is buried in Hanover War Cemetery, he was 22 years old.