Handley Page Halifax Mk.III LK878 of No.1659 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF, crashed at Felixkirk on the 15th January 1945

 

Frank William Mooney Flying Officer, RCAF Pilot (u/t) Killed
Geoffrey Walton Flight Sergeant Pilot Killed
James Alexander McCrea Flying Officer, RCAF Navigator Killed
Duncan Pearson  McGregor Flying Officer, RCAF Bomb aimer Killed
Albert Russel Robson Sergeant, RCAF Flight Engineer (u/t) Killed
Micheal Richard O’Sullivan Sergeant Flight Engineer Killed
Joseph Aloysius Savy Sergeant, RCAF Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Killed
Angus John MacDonnell Sergeant, RCAF Air Gunner Killed
Leonard Charles Stavenow Sergeant, RCAF Air Gunner Died of Injuries

 

On the 15th January 1945 Flying Officer Mooney and his crew were briefed to carry out local flying with circuits and landing practice from RAF Topcliffe to the southwest of Thirsk. They initially boarded Halifax LK871 but when taking off that aircraft swung to starboard receiving serious damage, which resulted in it being written off. Rather than being removed from flying for the rest of the day they instead were assigned to a second aircraft, which they took off in shortly before 21:00 to carry out their assigned practice.

Memorial at the crash site of Handley Page Halifax Mk.III LK878 at Felixkirk, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
At the crash site in woodland is a large stone with a memorial plaque attached to it. Some small pieces of the aircraft have been gathered around the memorial.

Only a few minutes into the flight the aircraft flew into a low hill to the east of the village of Felixkirk, itself a short way to the east of Thirsk. The crash was quickly reported and the Medical Officer along with Orderlies and the crash ambulance set out from Topcliffe. They soon arrived at the crash site and found that eight of the nine occupants were dead. The tail gunner, Sgt Stavenow, was found alive but gravely injured. He was taken to the RAF Hospital in Northallerton but died on the way to hospital.

Memorial at the crash site of Handley Page Halifax Mk.III LK878 at Felixkirk, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
A close up of the plaque.

The following day the Mountain Rescue Team from Topcliffe recovered the bodies of the eight who had died in the crash and brought them back to Topcliffe, they had postponed the recovery work overnight owing to snow fall making access to the site difficult. Sgt Stavenow was also returned to Topcliffe the same day. This was the second Halifax crash the team had dealt with in as many days in the same area, the snow cover in the area had also caused problems the previous day.

Memorial at the crash site of Handley Page Halifax Mk.III LK878 at Felixkirk, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
The pathway leading up to the crash site.

A memorial service was held at Topcliffe on the 18th and the Canadian crew members were buried at Harrogate on the 20th January.