Halifax near Sowerby, Thirsk.
On the 17th of August 1942 the crew of this aircraft had taken off from Dalton for a night-flying practive flight.
At just after 02.00hrs the pilot was attempting a landing with a problem engine but had to overshoot, whilst attempting to go
round for another landing the aircraft struck a tree and crashed into a field about half a mile from Sowerby near Willow Grange
(and not far from the modern A168 road). It was thought that the vibrating engine and aircraft had caused the throttles to slip and power by lost.
Of the five on the aircraft one died at the scene and two later in Northallerton's Friarage Hospital.
The aircraft was the first production Halifax MkII and had been used by 76 Sqdn in mid 1941.
Pilot - F/O John H Trethewy RAFVR (113359), aged ? Died of injuries. Buried Daventry Churchyard.
Pilot - F/O Basil D G Gibson MID RAFVR (68175), aged 32, of Wimbledon. Died of injuries, buried Wimbledon Churchyard.
FEng - Sgt William A Lawson RAF(AAF) (804306), aged 22, of Edgware. Killed, buried Little Stanmore Churchyard.
WOp - P/O M K Brett RAFVR (118090), of Westmeston, Sussex. Injured.
Sgt S G Kitts RAF, injured.
In June 2007 Ken Reast showed me where aircraft crashed. The aircraft clipped the tree to the left of the photograph
and crashed near the larger of the trees to the centre-right of the photograph.
P/O Brett later completed his training and served with 158 Sqdn but was sadly killed in January 1943 on Ops to Lorient. He was 22 years old.