Halifax near Sheriff Hutton.
On the 19th of July 1944, this Halifax took off from Riccall at 15.49hrs for a fighter affiliation exercise
and also to carry out air to sea firing over the North Sea. Outbound, just after 16.00hrs whilst flying in cloud, both
starboard engines failed. A forced landing was made west of Sheriff Hutton between Mill Hill Farm and Mount Pleasant Farm
flying a roughly south to north course. One crew member was injured in the crash. I have yet to learn the names of who
were on the aircraft at the time of the crash.
In December 2004, I received an email from a local historian, Mr Tony Wright, inviting me to attend a search for where
this aircraft had crashed, sadly I was unable to attend. I am pleased to been sent have the results and eye witnesses
recollections of this visit. Mr E Weightman was a schoolboy at the time of the crash, his father farmed Mill Hill Farm at the
time, recalled his memories of the crash to the group. Without these I doubt I would have ever have learned the full
story. I quote from the email..
""The plane hit the ground about half way up the field to the south of the road and clipped a tree with one wing, which
seems to have straightened it up and it slid straight up, over the road, finishing about 20 feet into the field on the
north side. One propeller ended up in the hedge on the west side of the field, where it was found some time later and
incorporated into a farm fence (it has subsequently been buried). Two engines detached and remained on the road, one a
little to the west and the other to the east. All but one of the crew scrambled out. The local policeman
was helping with the harvest at Mill Hill and ran up to the plane, with a group of council workmen who were repairing
the road after a tank convoy had damaged it and the others working on the farms. The crew seemed to have a pact to rescue
each other in case of an accident and, against the advice of the policeman, they re-entered the aircraft and freed their
comrade, although it was by now on fire and ammunition was exploding. They carried him to the entrance of Mill Hill Farm,
took a gate off and used that as a stretcher to carry him to the Farm. By then bullets were flying.""
The farmer at Mount Pleasant Farm, Mr Lockwood, rescued a propeller and an axe from the site, he later took them to the
Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington where it is hoped they still remain.
At 16.20 hrs the East Moor Fire Section were informed that a Halifax (this one) had crashed and was burning rapidly.
The East Moor crash tender attended but was back on station by 18.30hrs.
The aircraft was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by E.E.C. Ltd at Salmesbury and delivered to 78 Sqdn at Linton on Ouse in March 1943.
On an as yet unspecified date in 1943 the aircraft transferred to 102 Sqdn at Pocklington from where it carried out Ops until being
transferred to 1663 HCU at Rufforth in early 1944. It's final move, again on an unspecified date, was to 1658 HCU at Riccall. Following the
incident detailed above the aircraft was written off with Cat E2/FA damage being sustained.
Pilot - P/O A F Forrest, ok. He had only 13 hours flying time on the Halifax at the time of the crash.
5 more ok, ok.
One airman broke a leg, presumbly the one who was rescued by the other airmen.
I visited the site in January 2004 with a local history group from Sheriff Hutton, having gained permission to
access the field where it crashed, we were able to do a search of the field where it touched down and slithered across. A number
of peices of the aircraft were found.
My thanks to Mr Tony Wright of Sheriff Hutton for much of the information on this page. Without whom this account would
not be as full.