On the 4th of January 1943 this Halifax was approaching East Moor Airfield with the intention of landing as part of the crews training excerise. It had taken off from Pocklington two hours twenty minutes previously. Whilst flying at 500 feet the port inner engine failed (due to a fracturing of a bolt in the port outer propeller). The pilot did not known which engine was at fault at the time so feathered the port inner engine first, with the intension of restarting it if the port outer needed to be stopped. At the height they were flying he did not have enough time to restart it, height was lost so he made the decision to force-land, wheels up near Huby at 14.10hrs. It was later written off due to the damage it had sustained. It was later considered that the pilot had made the right choice in making a force landing when he did. He was a relatively experienced pilot on the Halifax, with 200 hours to his name on the type. The database at YAM list the aircraft as being on an airtest which could well be an error - the AM Form 1180 does not state this.
The aircraft was built to contract B73328/40 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. It was delivered directly to 102 Sqdn at Pocklington in October 1942 and was written off with Cat. E2/FA damage in the incident detailed above on 4th January 1943.
Pilot - WO2 John F W Towse RCAF (R72402/J17133), of Oakville, Toronto, Canada. Ok.
BA - F/Sgt William A Gardiner RCAF (J17445), of Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. Ok.
? - F/Sgt E Lee, ok.
? - Sgt K H Kirkpatrick, ok.
? - Sgt A T Raine, ok.
? - Sgt A T Tuck, ok.
? - Sgt D W Muggleston, ok.
I have yet to locate where this aircraft crash landed.
P/O John F W Towse RCAF was awarded the DFC, gazetted 15th June 1943 whilst serving with 102 Sqdn. He was born in 1917 in Toronto and lived in "Orillia or Oakville" as a writer before being enlisted in Toronto on 24th September 1940>. He completed his training at 2 ITS (graduated 16th November 1940), 6 EFTS (graduated 29th March 1941), and 7 SFTS (graduated 20th June 1941). He arrived in the Uk on an unknown date. He was invested with his DFC by King George VI on 21st March 1944. He survived the War and later returned home where he died in Ottawa on 20th October 1988. His DFC citation read....
"Warrant Officer Towse has a long operational record of attacks against a wide variety of targets and has been conspicuous for sustained courage, determination and endurance. He has been successful in attaining the primary objective on most occasions. A very capable and reliable captain of aircrew, this airman has earned the confidence of his crew by whom he has been a source of inspiration".
F/Lt William A Gardiner RCAF was awarded the DFC, gazetted 17th July 1945 for his high number of operational fights flown during the War. He was born in 1919 in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia and lived there home there as a miner and former member of the Royal Canadian Artillery. He enlisted in Halifax on 6th January 1941 and trained at 1 ITS (graduated 14th July 1941), 1 AOS (graduated 12th October 1941), 1 BGS (graduated 22nd November 1941) and ANS (graduated 22nd December 1941). He was commissioned in 1943. There was no citation other than "in recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations against the enemy". He was recommended for the Award by W/C V F Ganderton on 19th March 1945 when he had flown 42 sorties (281 hours, 25 minutes). His first tour dates from 11th August 1942 with 102 Squadron (Ops to Le Havre) to 13th May 1943, this included 3 trips to Turin (on 18th and 20th November 1942 and 11th December 1942). His second tour began on 27th December 1944 with 427 Sqdn (Ops to St. Vith). A further article on his DFC states...
""This Bomb Aimer has completed forty-two operational bombing attacks against the enemy, fifteen of these on his second tour. On all his sorties Flight Lieutenant Gardiner has proved himself to be an outstanding Bomb Aimer, bringing back photographs of an excellent calibre. He possesses coolness and displays exceptional fearlessness in the face of danger, and by his courage, skill and determination in action has been an inspiration to his crew. At all times Flight Lieutenant Gardiner has been an example of cheerful courage, unselfishness and sacrifice and in view of his splendid record I most highly recommend that he be awarded a non-immediate Distinguished Flying Cross"".
CWGC have the following listed who could well be the same airmen listed above. The following may well have been killed later in the War;
W Eric Lee RAF 49 Sqdn - 22/3/1944.
Arthur Raine RAFVR 635 Sqdn, of Darlington - 19/8/1944.
Albert Tuck RAAF DFC - 28/9/1943.