Halifax at 'Sheep Walk' near Slingsby.

Halifax JD372 and its nose art "Easy Does It" when it was serving with 429 Sqdn.

At 21.45 on the 23rd of July 1944 a Halifax set out from Wombleton for a "Command Bullseye" exercise and a fighter affiliation exercise. Presumably on its way home and at 7000 feet the starboard outer engine caught fire causing the Halifax to spin out of control into the ground at 03.55 hrs near Slingsby. East Moor's emergency crew were dispastched at 04.00 hours, it was located at 07.30hrs and was found burnt out, they recovered the six (type error in East Moor Book, should read seven) bodies for burial. The crew were:

The aircraft was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by E.E.C. Ltd at Salmesbury and delivered to 408 Sqdn at Leeming during the last week of July 1943. In August 1943 408 Sqdn started to convert to Lancaster MkII's and moved to Linton on Ouse. JD372 was left behind at Leeming, awaiting the arrival of a new unit. 429 Sqdn took the aircraft on charge in September 1943 but it's stay with them was short lived, the unit converting to Halifax MkV's in November 1943 so it now found it's way to 419 Sqdn at Middleton St.George. 419 Sqdn converted to Lancaster MkX's in March 1944 and JD372 was transferred to 1666 HCU at Wombleton for a training role. It was destroyed in the inident near Slingsby detailed above, Cat. E2/FA Burnt damage being recorded.

Pilot - P/O Archibald D Moffat RCAF, aged 21, of East Kildonan, Manitoba, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. He had a total of 241 hours flying time at the time of the crash, 37 of which were on the Halifax.

FEng - Sgt Ian Livingstone RAFVR, aged 33, of Oban, buried Pennyfuir Cemetery, Oban.

Navigator - F/O George A Lewthwaite RCAF, aged 30, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. Husband of Madeleine F. Lewthwaite.

W Op/AG - P/O Frank H Green RCAF, aged 23, of Calgary, Canada. Buried St Pancras Cemetery, London. Husband of Nellie Green, of Parkstone, Dorsetshire.

Air Bomber - F/Sgt Donald F Dittmer RCAF, aged 24, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. Husband of Alice Dittmer.

Air Gunner - Sgt Albert C Reynolds RCAF, aged 20, of Tornoto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery.

Rear Gunner - Sgt John M Ludlow RCAF, aged 19, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery.

The pilots gravestone. He was born on 5th January 1923 at Grace Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba. His father was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and his mother in Milldamhead, Dumphriesshire. Both had emigrated to Canada.

George Lewthwaite and his gravestone at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

I have located the site of the crash, I am told that it came down at the edge of woodland and burnt out, the photograph above shows what I take to be a shallow crater where the Halifax ended up after coming down through the trees.