Bedford, Edward Rowland (Aircraftman Second Class)

Survived 1941-December-29

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Birth Date: unkown date

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Service

RAFVR

Unit

10 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Rem Acu Tangere To hit the mark

Base

RAF Leeming

Rank

Aircraftman Second Class

Position

Instrument Repairer

Service Numbers

1003207

#10 Squadron RAF (Rem Acu Tangere) RAF Leeming. Halifax aircraft L 9614 and Halifax V 9981collided in the course of taking off from the aerodrome at Leeming, Yorkshire for a training flight

AC2 ER Bedford (RAFVR) a ground crew passenger, survived uninjured

Mission

Halifax B.Mk.II L9614

Operational 1941-December-29 to 1941-December-29

10 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Leeming

#10 Squadron RAF (Rem Acu Tangere) RAF Leeming. Halifax aircraft L 9614 and Halifax V 9981collided in the course of taking off from the aerodrome at Leeming, Yorkshire for a training flight

FS WW Tripp (RCAF) was killed in this flying accident

Crew casualties: Flight Engineer - Sergeant Thomas Frederick Mooney (RAF) and Second Pilot - Squadron Leader (then F/O) John Henry Nassau Molesworth DFC (RAFVR) survived injured in the collision. Third Pilot - Sergeant Philip Gordon Bell (RAFVR), Wireless Operator/Air Gunner - Sergeant Victor Charles Howick RAFVR

Ground Crew passenger casualties: AC1 L Geldard (RAFVR) (F/M-Airframe), AC2 Harry Spencer (RAFVR) (F/M-Engine) and AC2 Edward Rowland Bedford (RAFVR) (Instrument Repairer) all survived, uninjured

Sergeant WC Green (RAFVR) was killed on Halifax V 9981 and seven other aircrew survived

Both Halifax aircraft were written off as unrepairable

FS Tripp was BROTHER of brother Flying Officer Charles Leroy Tripp, a serving officer in the RCAF in Canada and was sadly killed on 23rd March 1943 when in RCAF #113 Squadron Hudson III aircraft #BW 620 crashed just after take-off

Unvetted Source Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire

Unvetted Source [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Unit Desciption

10 (B) Sqn Rem Acu Tangere (Blackburn's Own)

No 10 Squadron RFC was originally formed at Farnborough, Hampshire on January 1, 1915. It served on the Western Front in WWI, transferring to the RAF when the latter was formed in 1918. The squadron returned to England in February 1919 and was disbanded on December 31.

The squadron was re-formed as a heavy bomber unit in January 1928. A heavy-bomber unit, it flew Handley-Page Hyderabads, followed by Hinaidis and then Heyfords through the 1930s. By the time that WWII started, the squadron was equipped with Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley aircraft. Operating from Dishforth, Yorkshire, it took part in a number of leaflet raids over Germany, including being the first RAF aircraft to drop leaflets over Berlin on 1/2 October 1939. Detachments of the Squadron were based in France (Villeneuve) and Scotland (Kinloss), between October 1939 and March 1940, the latter being with Coastal Command. The squadron's first bombing raid was on the night of 19/20 March, 1940, attacking the German mining seaplane base at Hornum, on the island of Sylt. When Italy entered the war in June 1940, the squadron flew from Guernsey in the Channel Islands to attack targets in Italy.

In July 1940 the squadron moved to the nearby base of Leeming, Yorkshire, where it remained until August 1942. From December 1942 the squadron was re-equipped with Halifax aircraft. In the first quarter of 1942, There were detachments to Lossiemouth, Scotland, for operations against the battleship Tirpitz, which at that time was based near Trondheim, Norway. It was on one of these operations, on the night of 27/28 April that the squadron commander. W/C D.C.T. Bennett, was shot down, but he and his crew escaped to Sweden and were interned and subsequently returned to England. W/C (later Air Vice Marshal) Bennet subsequently was appointed to form and lead the Pathfinder Force, which became No. 8 Group of Bomber Command. From June 1942 a detachment of the squadron (16 aircraft and crews) moved to Palestine and then to Egypt, operating against Tobruk. This detachment then combined with No. 6/462 squadron to form No.462 (RAAF) Squadron in September 1942. The main No. 10 Squadron continued to operate with No. 4 Group, Bomber Command from Leeming at this time, but then moved to Melbourne, Yorkshire in August 1942, where it remained until May 1945. It was transferred to Transport Command on May 7, 1945 and disbanded on December 20 1947. It later was re-formed and flew Canberras and Victors.