On the 11th of December 1942 at 16.56hrs the crew of this Halifax took off from Linton on Ouse with the intension of bombing Turin, Italy. Soon after taking off a fire developed in the port inner engine which was unable to be put out. The bomb load was released with the intension of the crew baling out, these bombs landed on Flixton Carr near to what was RAF Staxton Wold's accommodation site, this was not possible however as the height they were now flying at was too low. The crew were then ordered the crew to crash positions and a forced-landing proposed. The aircraft crossed the coast just south of Filey and the aircraft was ditched successfuly offshore about a mile off Bempton Cliffs (times for this vary, one source quotes 19.00hrs, whilst another quotes 17.10hrs), the crew then alighted to the dinghy and awaited rescue by the Filey Cobles "Jean and Barbara" and "Matthew and Edward". One picked the crew up and the other towed the dinghy into Filey Landing. The aircraft sank. The crew were then taken to Hunmanby Moor's RAF Regiment camp where they spent the night before being taken back to Linton on Ouse. Three days later they were be back in the air on a mine laying trip to the Heligoland area.

Pilot - P/O M P Watson RAF (also refered to as Kenneth Watson, of Clitheroe, Lancs.) He had previously served in the Royal Engineers and had transferred to Bomber Command in 1942. He was awarded the DFC in March 1943 on completion of a Tour of Duty. He survived the War and passed away in the 1980s.

2nd Pilot - Sgt R G Head RCAF. Dickie Pilot, flying for operational experience.

Nav - Sgt G E Coleman

W/Op - Sgt L McKinnon

F Eng - Sgt G P Bailey

BA - Sgt John L Goldby RAF, he was awarded the DFC in July 1944 whist acting as 640 Sqdn's Bombing Leader but saw the final months of the War out as a PoW.

Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt T R Galbraith

Rear Gunner - Sgt W Bamford

Watsons crew trained at 10 OTU, then 1952 HCU before being posted to 78 Sqdn. Their ditching was their forth operational flight in ten days.