On the night of 22nd / 23rd November 1943 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft took off from Pocklington airfield at 16.31hrs for an operational flight to bomb Berlin. They appear to have released their bomb load over the target successfully and made for home without incident. On their return to the Pocklington area they made contact with their own airfield's flying control and joined the landing circuit with its landing lights on, they were flying in a clear sky with good visibility. While in the general circuit of the airfield to await their turn to land they were flying at around 2,000 feet and they were seen to fly down the runway in use at Pocklington at that height, soon after crossing the airfield boundary the Halifax was struck on the starboard side by 77 Squadron Halifax LW264 and both aircraft fell to the ground from around 2,500 feet at 23.55hrs. A fairly detailed Court of Inquiry report is to be found in the Canadian air gunner's service file and adds a lot of information. The 77 Squadron aircraft was in the landing circuit of Elvington airfield and was also in contact with their own flying control. It was thought probable that neither saw each other because of blind spots until taking evasive action was too late. Neither airfields or their landing routine was blamed, the 102 Squadron landing circuit at Pocklington had six aircraft in it at the time of the collision, Elvington's was similar and neither were crowded as all aircraft would have flown at differing heights. It was thought that it was just unlucky that both LW333 and LW264 had flown at the same height prior to the collision but that the 77 Squadron aircraft had just received an instruction that it was their turn to land so may have cut across their normal landing circuit as its course was going to take them to the end of the Elvington runway that was in use but that this then took them over the end of the Pocklington landing circuit. Following the collision both aircraft fell on land around Newlands Farm, roughly between Barmby Moor and Wilberfoss and all fourteen airmen died as a result of the collision. Both aircraft crashed 500 yards apart.
Fourteen memorial trees were planted in the general area of the crashes in 1994.
Pilot - P/O Walter Hughes RAFVR (159070), aged 24, of Walton, Liverpool. Buried West Derby Cemetery, Liverpool.
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Boxall RAFVR (1110637), aged 28, of Barrow in Furness. Buried Barrow in Furness (Thorncliffe) Cemetery, Lancashire.
Navigator - P/O William Waterson Cottle RAFVR (160845), aged 28, of Liverpool. Buried Childwall Churchyard, Liverpool.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Frederick Thomas Dunn RAFVR (1319229), aged 22, of Siddington. Buried Siddington Churchyard, Gloucestershire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O Roy Alfred Dabnor RAFVR (162864), aged 21, of Knockholt. Knockholt Churchyard, Kent.
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Barnsley Bainbridge RAFVR (1148681), aged 23, of Harrogate, Yorkshire. Buried South Shields (Harton) Cemetery, Durham.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt David Willington RCAF (R/138346), aged 32, of Port Fraser, British Columbia, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (C.E.11).
David Willington was born on 28th August 1911 at Hosmer, British Columbia, Canada and was the son of Arthur and Lily Mary (nee Elliott) Willington. His parents had married in Chesterfield, England in 1903 and emigrated soon after. The family moved to Fort Fraser when David was ten years old and after leaving school there in 1927 he began working in farming at Fort Fraser. In January 1941 he took a position as an assistant postmaster, possibly working with his father who was a postmaster at the same place. He enlisted for RCAF service on 3rd November 1941 in Vancouver and trained as an air gunner, being awarded his air gunner's flying badge on 30th December 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 24 OTU, 1658 HCU and 1652 HCU before posting to 102 Squadron on 16th July 1943.
Walter Hughes received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 3rd October 1943.
William Cottle received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 20th October 1943.
Roy Dabnor received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 10th November 1943.