Halifax at Melmerby, Yorkshire.
I have included this crash on my website as it was one of the worst for loss of life in a non-operational flight in the UK for the whole of the war. As it happened close to my area I feel that it should get a mention. Two full crews were killed when the Halifax they were all in crashed just after take-off on the 29th of November 1942.
The aircraft took off at 10.05 hrs from Topcliffe to ferry another crew and equipment to the Squadron's detachment at Beaulieu. Just two minutes into the flight the aircraft crashed in a field just to the East of Melmerby village and burnt out. All 15 Airmen on board lost their lives.
All but two of the crew were buried at Dishforth Cemetery, where they still rest in one long line. They were:
Pilot - Warr Off 1st Stephen F Gannon RCAF, aged ? of Montreal, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire. Married.
F Eng - Sgt Earl L McGillivary RCAF, aged 24, of Central Butte, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Nav - Sgt George R I Taylor RCAF, aged 23, of Miranda, Oriente, Cuba. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Air Bomber - Sgt Allen C Bradley RCAF, aged 29, of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery. Husband of Gladys Bradley.
W Op - Sgt William S Milne RCAF, aged 19, of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Melville J Stanley RCAF, aged ?, of Thibeaudeau, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Air Gunner - Sgt Orlando D C Hamel RCAF, aged ?, of Sault Ste, Marie, Ontario, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
W Op / AG - Sgt Benjamin H Enns RCAF, aged 26, Initially of ? Buried Airth Parish Church Cemetery, Scotland. Husband of Helen Enns of Airth, although there is some mention that one of them came from Pershore in Worcestershire, England.
Pilot - F/Sgt Norman W Ross RCAF, aged 22, of Moncton, Vancouver, Canada, Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Obs - P/O Samuel S Clark RCAF, aged 24, of Radisson, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Air Gunner - Sgt Ralph E Milliken RCAF, aged 22, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery. His mother lived at North Creek, B.C.
F Eng - Sgt Joseph Jones RCAF, aged 26, of Weirdale, Saskatchewan, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt William M Kostenuk RCAF, aged ? of Bashaw, Alta. Buried Dishforth Cemetery.
Air Bomber - Sgt Francis Hooton RAFVR, aged 31, of Ashington, Northumberland. Buried Standish RC, Lancashire.
Gnd Crew ? - LAC Joseph V R Beaudry RCAF, aged 26, of Aylmer, Province of Quebec, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery. Buried as a Cpl.
F/Sgt Norman Ross and his gravestone at Dishforth. He was a Scoutmaster prior to enlisting in Canada.
Photo of him taken from The Moncton School Website, Canada, where he went to school.
Sgt Enns' gravestone and Airth War Memorial. (Photo kindly supplied by Sandy Thomson of Airth) The village of Airth is on the south bank of the River Forth,
near the Kincardine Bridge, about six miles north-east of Falkirk. Enns wife came from here.
I have not located the crash site yet.