This aircraft took off from RAF Riccall near Selby in the afternoon of the 26th of November 1943, the crew were to undertake a training flight over Yorkshire. When flying near Pickering the aircraft was seen to dive twice and recover from the dives. For some reason the starboard elevator broke off the aircraft. The aircraft was soon then to go into a near vertical dive and crash two miles west of Pickering on Aislaby Carr at 19.55 hrs. The crew of seven on board didn't stand a chance, they were all killed. The investigation did not find an actual cause for the crash but it did rule out that the loss of the elevator alone had not caused the aircraft to go into the fatal dive. Police reports state that only five of the seven crew were found, if this was the case and I am not doubting it, then the others must have been identified at a later date. The wreckage was concentrated in a small area and it was thought by at least one local man (who i spoke to in 2003) to have been a Mosquito. This is clearly not the case but does perhaps go to show the visable wreckage was perhaps minimal.

The aircraft was built to contract B982938/39 by E.E.C. Ltd at Salmesbury and delivered directly to 76 Sqdn Conversion Flight at Middeton St.George in August 1942. On 16th September 1942 76 Sqdn & 76 Sqdn Con. Flt. left Middleton St.George; 76 Sqdn moving to Linton-on-Ouse and 76 Sqdn Con. Flt. moving to Riccall. Possibly because of the lack of serviceable aircraft on the parent unit, it found itself on charge with 76 Sqdn at Linton on Ouse and remained with them until being transferred to 1658 HCU at Riccall on an as yet unspecified date in 1943. It was destroyed as a result of the incident detailed above, Cat. E2/FA Burnt damage being recorded.

Pilot - Sgt Thomas E Jones RAFVR, aged 22, of Widnes, buried Farnworth, Lancs.

Air Gunner - Sgt John F Megranahan RAFVR, aged 19, of New Malden, buried Battersea. Served as Megran.

Nav / Bomb Aimer - Sgt Robert Fletcher RAFVR, aged 22, of Chessington, buried Chessington, Surrey.

Air Gunner - Sgt Frank S Quine RAFVR, aged 29, of Hull, buried Hull Northern Cemetery.

F Eng - Sgt Leslie Lee RAFVR, aged 20, of Barlby, Yorks, buried Selby Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Nav - Sgt Reuben Ginsberg RAFVR, aged 22, of Golders Green, buried Willesden Jewish Cemetery, Middlesex.

W Op / Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie S Jenkins RAFVR, aged 33, of Burnham on Crouch, buried at Burnham on Crouch Cem. He was a member of the Typographical Association.

Sgt Lee's headstone in Selby Cemetery.

I was showed the area where the aircraft crashed in October 2004 by Mr Reast and Mr Barton, small fragments of the aircraft were found at the site by them a number of years ago when they investigated the site. Since then a barn and a number number of other smaller buildings have been built close to the site if not over the top of the site.