On the 22nd of August 1941 the crew of this aircraft set out from Leeming at 22.02hrs to bomb Le Havre, on their return they became lost whilst flying in cloud and whilst descending to try and locate their position, flew into high ground north-east of Dent at 01.41hrs on the 23rd August, the two pilots being killed. The aircraft was written off but the engines appear to have been removed from the site and given Cat R damage, suggesting they could well have either been used for spares or reconditioned and refitted to other aircraft.
Pilot - P/O Kenneth W Liebeck RCAF, aged 23, of Chesley, Ontario, Canada. Buried Leeming Churchyard, North Yorkshire.
Pilot - Sgt Gordon Fletcher RAFVR, aged 22, of Wallasey, Cheshire. Buried Gawber Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Sgt R Silver RAF, injured.
Sgt M McLaughlin RAF, injured.
Sgt R Speer RAF, injured.
Ken Liebeck and his headstone at Leeming Churchyard. The Liebeck family would loose another son just over a year later, F/O Millard Liebeck RCAF was lost off Malta, he was 31 years old and is commerated on the Malta Memorial. He trained as a navigator in December 1942 in Canada.
The site as it was in 1975 when Graham Sharpe visited the site (Photo Mr G Sharpe).
A photo showing the exact same area 30 years later on my visit to the site.
I visited the site in May 2006 with my wife and Mr Alan Clark (on one of his "Away Days" from the Peak District).
