Halifax off Scarborough.

This Halifax took off from Dishforth at 14.20hrs for an air to air firing exercise with a drogue towing over the North Sea of the Yorkshire Coast. Forty minutes later the pilot matched the airspeed of the towing aircraft, of 145 knots, this speed however was too low to avoid a stall. The pilot lost control when banking at a altitude of 1500 feet. He was unable to recover and the aircraft crashed into sea half a mile off Scarborough. Dishforth O.R.B. has a simple entry: "7. 8.44. DH-U in sea of Scarborough, 7 killed." All seven airmen were killed in the incident with only one ever being found. Following this accident the airspeed for this type of exercise was increased to 160 knots for future sorties.

The crew were:

Pilot - F/O Leslie A Green RCAF, aged 26, of Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Runnymede Memorial. He had only eight hours flying time on the Halifax type.

? - Sgt Gwynfryn Morgan RCAF, aged ? Of Carstairs, Alta, Canada. Commemerated on the Runnymede Memorial. Possibly of Welsh extraction.

Nav - F/O Archibald S McTavish RCAF, aged 27, of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. (B.A., B.Ed.) Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery.

? - F/O Alexander T Gorman RCAF, aged 29, of Toronto, Canada. Runnymede Memorial. Husband of Lorna Gorman.

? - Sgt. John W Ellis RCAF, aged 20, of Elrose, Saskatchewan, Canada. Runnymede Memorial.

? - F/S Vernon E Clark RCAF, aged 23, of Grandview, Manitoba, Canada. Runnymede Memorial.

? - Sgt. William L Southwick RCAF, aged 22, , of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada. Runnymede Memorial.

Sgt Morgan RCAF