Took off from Croft on a night cross-country training exercise which they completed successfully. They made several passes over the airfield and with the runway lit made a sharp banked turn to starboard. In the turn the outer port engine failed (the lowest engine) and the pilot was un- able to right the aircraft against the drag before it hit the ground at Church House Farm, Atley Hill, south of Cowton, Yorkshire.
Irvin, Kenneth (Sergeant)
Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-22
Birth Date: 1922
Born:
Parents:
Spouse:
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RAF
Unit
1664 HCU- Heavy Conversion Unit
Base
RAF Croft
Rank
Sergeant
Position
W/Op-Ag
Service Numbers
1546937
Unit Desciption
1664 HCU (1664 Heavy Conversion Unit)
The Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) trained bomber crews who had finished an Operational Training Unit to fly the four-engined heavy bombers (Stirling, Halifax and Lancaster) before they joined a squadron.From the unit's own diary (Operations Record Book): the unit was at RCAF Station Croft until 6 December 1943; the main movement to Dishforth took place on 7 December 1943 and the unit became part of RCAF Station Dishforth. The diary file ends in December 1943.
No. 1664 Conversion Unit, Operations Record Book (Form 540), Bomber Command Museum of Canada Archives, https://bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/6group_hcus/6group_hcu_1664.pdf (pages 52-54)The Croft station diary has the unit at Croft from June to December 1943; in 1944 it names the unit only as receiving personnel and aircraft from the Croft squadrons (aircraft transferred from 434 Squadron), never as resident.
RCAF Station Croft, Operations Record Book, Bomber Command Museum of Canada Archives, https://bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/6group_airfields_orbs/airfield_orb_croft.pdf (pages 17-59 for 1943; pages 109, 148 and 272-273 for 1944)The Dishforth station diary records the arrival of No. 1664 Conversion Unit from Croft in December 1943.
RCAF Station Dishforth, Operations Record Book, Bomber Command Museum of Canada Archives, https://bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/6group_airfields_orbs/airfield_orb_dishforth.pdf (pages 44-45)The unit's diary at Dishforth records two losses on training flights in 1944: on 14 October 1944 Halifax II HR802 failed to return from a cross-country 'bullseye' exercise (six aircraft searched the sea on the 15th without result and it was posted missing), and on 15 November 1944 a Halifax lost on a night cross-country at 18,000 feet collided with an aircraft of the Wombleton unit (F/L Garvie and crew).
No. 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit, Operations Record Book (Form 540), bound with the Dishforth station diary, Bomber Command Museum of Canada Archives, https://bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/6group_airfields_orbs/airfield_orb_dishforth.pdf (pages 178 and 190)