Middleton St George AFB

The aircraft was on a flight from Middleton St. George to Birmingham, and the crew of one pilot and one photographer planned to complete several photographic survey jobs en route. Shortly after sunset, when flying at 2,000 ft. a.m.s.l. at an estimated position five miles west of Sheffield and near high ground rising to 2,000 ft. a.m.s.l., the pilot decided that the fuel remaining was insufficient to reach Birmingham with the existing headwind of 40 knots. He established contact with Manchester Approach Control and was given permission to divert to Manchester Airport on a special VFR clearance "not above 3,500 ft. a.m.s.l. on a QNH of 1013 mbs., clear of all cloud, and in sight of the surface". Shortly after this, when on a north-westerly heading to intercept a QDM of 270°M to the 'ME' (Manchester) beacon, the pilot saw hill tops about four miles ahead and commenced climbing from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. The pilot states that the aircraft entered cloud at 2,500 ft. and that, on reaching 2,700 ft., he noticed that the vertical speed indicator was showing a descent of 2,000 ft./min. He states that he applied full power and eased the nose up but, after this, he remembers nothing further until he regained consciousness lying on the ground, alongside the photographer in front of the wrecked aircraft.

The aircraft left RAF Middleton Saint George at 1845LT on a night navigation exercice. At 2137LT, the crew informed ground that the mission was uneventful until this time. Twenty-three minutes later, the aircraft went into a dive. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, it partially disintegrated and eventually crashed in a pasture. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
S. J. Murdoch, pilot,
F/Lt W. A. Ryde, navigator,
F/Lt H. Seiman, navigator,
Sig A. E. Bazen.

During an airshow in RAF Middleton Saint George, the crew was involved in a demonstration mission consisting of para-dropping a low height. On final approach, during the last segment, the airplane nosed down and crashed at runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

While cruising in VFR mode over the region of Coventry at an altitude of 4,500 feet, the Anson collided with a BEA C-47 registered G-AHCW and carrying four crew members and six passengers from Northolt to Glasgow. Following the collision, both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in Exhall, north of Coventry. All 14 occupants in both aircraft were killed.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2310LT on July 29 on an operation to Saarbrücken. While returning to base the following night and flying off the Belgian coast, it was badly damaged by a German fighter. The pilot was eventually forced to ditch the airplane into the sea off Calais. All seven crew members were picked up 14 hours later by an air sea rescue.
Crew:
F/Sgt Charles George Dennis, pilot,
Sgt Griffiths, flight engineer,
Sgt P. P. Smith, navigator,
Sgt Newman, bomb aimer,
Sgt Keikibelt, wireless operator,
Sgt R. Grey, air gunner,
F/Sgt W. Dewhurst, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2303LT on July 26 on an operation to Hamburg. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Pippensen. Three crew members were killed and four others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Peter Barr, flight engineer, †
P/O Arthur Stuart Hawkins, observer, †
Sgt Douglas Lester Osborne, wireless operator, †
Sgt Eric James Butt,
Sgt Charles Morris Muir,
Sgt Reginald George William Woollard,
Sgt E. C. Sudbury.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2253LT on July 26 on an operation to Hamburg. It failed to return to base and is believed to have been shot down by a German fighter and to have crashed somewhere into the North Sea. Lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt Guy Andre Rene Bissonnette,
Sgt Wili Iam Kenneth Daniel,
Sgt Lionel George Dowling,
Sgt David Horgan,
F/O Charles Mitchener,
Sgt Walter John Taylor,
Sgt Ernest Arthur Tweedale.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George on an operation to Vegesack. En route to Germany, it suffered engine trouble so the crew decided to return to base. While approaching the base, one of the engine caught fire. The captain ordered his crew to bail out so five crewmen parachuted to safety. The pilot and the flight engineer attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crashed in Yarm, east of RAF Middleton St George, bursting into flames. Both crewmen were killed.
Crew:
W/O Wesley Leonard Belous, pilot, †
Sgt Fred Hebron, flight engineer, †
P/O Wilfred George Michael Rothschild, observer,
P/O Atkinson, bomb aimer,
Sgt William Charles Bacon, wireless operator,
Sgt Jacobus Petrus Van Lelyveld, air gunner,
Sgt Jack Davey, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2345LT on June 29 on an operation to Bremen. At 0240LT, while flying 25 km north of Schiermonnikoog Island in the Netherlands, it was badly shot about by a German fighter. The crew was able to return to England but the airplane crashed on landing at RAF Docking and was destroyed by a post crash fire. All crew member were injured and a wireless operator later died from injuries sustained.
Crew:
F/Lt Woodroffe,
Sgt David,
F/Lt L. Geddes,
P/O LeBeau,
F/Sgt V. Fulton,
Sgt Edwin Clifford Summerfield, wireless operator. †

The crew was completing a local training exercise at RAF Middleton St Geroge. The airplane crashed while attempting to land on three engines, the port outer being feathered. The airplane was destroyed and all five crew members were injured. The following day, the pilot died from injuries sustained.
Crew:
F/Sgt Sidney Tackley, pilot, †
Sgt H. W. Owen,
Sgt Wilson,
Sgt Morgan,
Ac1 Robertson.