Halifax EB146 crash April 1944

Don Mackie’s daughter Mary-Jean Paterson, who has been helping me piece together his Air Force story, wants to thank everyone who has helped so far on this research project. I have just finished scanning Don’s wartime photos taken in NZ, Canada, the UK and Africa, and these will eventually be added to his webpage on my site, along with a much more detailed account of his service than what is there now. I’ll let you know when the page is updated. Thanks everyone.

OK, here is the postings and movements list for Don Mackie as best as I can make out. I have expanded on the abbreviations on the sheet where I know the full names, and I’ve added in aircraft types trained on/ flown operationally in where known

Enlistment, sent to:
– Ground Training School, RNZAF Station Levin – 27 Oct 1940
– Final Leave began – 19 Nov 1941
– Embarked for Canada – 6 Jan 1941
– Disembarked at Canada – 24 Jan 1941
– Posted No. 1 Wireless School, RCAF Montreal, Quebec – 23 Jan 1941
– Posted to K.T.S., RCAF Trenton – 19 Aug 1941
– Posted to No. 6 Bombing and Gunnery School, RCAF Mountain View – 30 Aug 1941 (This school had Anson, Battle, Lysander, Bolingbroke, and Nomad)
– Posted to 1Y Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia 29 Sep 1941
– Posted to RAF Transport Pool – 6 Oct 1941
– Embarked from Halifax for UK – 7 Oct 1941
– Arrived No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, RAF, Bournemouth – 19 Oct 1941
– To No. 60 Operational Training Unit, RAF Leconfield – 4 Jan 1942 (Blenheim and Defiants)
– Posted to No. 264 Squadron, RAF Colerne – 31 Mar 1942 (Defiant, Mosquito?)
– Posted to No. 288 Squadron, RAF Digby – 25 June 1942 (??)
– Posted to No. 5 Personnel Despatch Centre, Blackpool – 4 May 1943
– Posted to West Africa, embarking on – 18 May 1943
– Posted to No. 1 Personnel Despatch Centre – 16 Dec 1943
– Posted to 11 Base – 26 Feb 1944
– Posted to No. 12 Personnel Despatch and Reception Centre – 19 Jan 1945
– Repatriated for Duty – 10 Feb 1945
– Overseas No. 2 Personnel Despatch (Transport) – 21 Mar 1945
– To Central Non Effective Pool – 23 Mar 1945
– To Station No. 1 (??) – 19 May 1945
– To Northern Non Effective Pool Category 11 – 16 July 1945
– To Northern Non Effective Pool Category 8
– Reserved 11 Oct 1945

So, there is the list. I don’t know what KTS at Trenton stood for. I’m also unaware of what Station No. 1 was (it’s in the sheet as Stn No. 1 so assume it’s Station)

As for the West Africa period another record sheet says:
– No. 2 PDC to West Africa – 15 May 1943
– To No. 200 Squadron – 1 June 1943 (Liberator and Hudson)
– To No. 1 PDC 16 Dec 1943
– To 11 Base – 26 Feb 1944
– To No. 12 (NZ) PDRC – 19 Jan 1945…..

Dave.

I may be wrong but that’s what I gather. Perhaps those on RAF Commands might be able to fill you in better. Look forward to seeing the rest of his postings when you get chance. I’ll order the loss cards on Tuesday when DoRIS reopens.

Have a nice trip.

kev35

Thanks Kev, I don’t think that system operated here in NZ, I’ve never come across any aircrew going back to OTU, although some did a tour and then went to the School of GR, but that was pretty much to expand their navigation skills before becoming a captain, and the gunners and Wireless Ops never went there.

I am abot to shoot off to Auckland to a wedding but will indeed post his postigs and movements later on. He was on a couple of squadrons before No. 200 Sqn by the way.

Dave.

It’s my understanding that a second tour aircrew member would still go through OTU and if necessary HCU. Particularly so if the type they were flying in was different to that experienced on a previous tour. Mackie would have flown in Hudsons and/or Liberators with 200 Squadron. The purpose of OTU and HCU was to produce crews which with the minimum of familiarisation at Squadron level could could operate effectively within that Squadron.

You mention that you have seen his service record, it might be helpful if you could post a list of his postings as shown on his service record. Would you like to me request the accident/loss cards for each of the aircraft known to be involved? It usually takes a month and might throw some more light on the proceedings.

Regards,

kev35

Thanks Kev. So, and forgive my ignorance because I’ve not actually thought about this before, but did experienced gunner crew members like Mackie and Jack and King get sent after a rest period to a Heavy Conversion unit to crew up with new pilots and nav’s, etc? I’d always assumed that aircrew only went through such schools at the beginning of their operational career, and only returned to become instructors. I thought that an experienced guy would come off leave and be posted direct to either his old or a new squadron, and once there be directed toward which crew to join as a replacement or whatever by the CO. But now I’m wondering if I should doubt that assumption.

Dave.

Mackie was definitely NOT involved in the Nov ’43 incident. Jack obviously was, as was a Sgt. King. The other crew members are listed but dont tie in at all with the April ’44 crew other than Jack and King if he is the same man.

Regards,

kev35

Thanks.

Hi Dave
Yes you can use the picture.
G.

Thanks for changing the title Peter. Thanks also Wellington 285 for the extra info that the engine dropped off. that adds more to the reason of why it went into an uncontrollable spin and they had to jump from the aircraft. Would you mind if I used that photo of F/O McIvor’s headstone on my webpage on Don Mackie when I update it please?

Just a bit more to add.
The damaged engine dropped off before the Halifax crashed near Marshfield, cant remember where, dont know if it was N or S of the village.
G.

on the subject of EB146.

Ive known the site since i was a boy, but never ever seen a photo of the aircraft…. being so many halifax types were built i am doubting that one exists. but you never know ??.. where would be the best place to find a photograph of a perticular aircraft ?

it would be nice to send to the family, and if i can find a couple of pieces from many moons ago, i would gladly send them to the Don’s:) family .

Title of thread suitably altered to correct serial number.

Thank you very much everyone, I am pleased that lots of information is flooding in on this matter, both here and on the RAF Commands and 12 O’Clock High Forums.

Cees, I cannot alter the title, can you do it please?

The serial number problem arose because all I had was a photocopy of an original Minute sheet which has a few smudged letters and it looked like a K. Sorry. Also, despite Mackie himself saying in the 1980’s article that four had jumped out that Minute sheet had only listed three survivors. It is nice to know the name of the missing man. So does anyone here know the full names of Sgt J.A. Tarrant (the Navigator), Sgt A.H. King, (the Reargunner) or Sgt G.A.F. Hearn (the Flight Engineer)?

It’s amazing that people here not only know about this crash but have visited the site.

Thanks for the info on the previous crashes Kevin. I’d say it’s likely that Don was in the one with McIvor, but I’m not convinced he was connected with Sgt Jack’s November 1943 accident. From his movement sheet it looks like he didn’t arrive back in the UK till December 1943.

Perhaps the other accident he was in was while flying with another crew, or in transit to the base, or may even have been a motor accident or whatever.

Thanks again.

What a interesting thread,

EB146 was my first ever dig, as a 15 year old boy,
with the south west aircraft recovery group, in the 80s, a cold misty day in november i remember pulling bits a bobs from the field next to the wall, there was small fragments everywhere, us kids (me and Kev Butler) were totally enthralled with aviation history ,myself especially from that moment on, we also felt quite humbled.. it was a experience to say the least, incidentally a a P38 Lightning flown by “Jack tuggle Jameson ” crashed on the same farm in dec 44 , the Severnside Aviation Society had a big dig there, and recovered engines etc, I am sure if i look into one of my boxes i still have a couple of bits of both aircraft.

also i remember , getting home exhausted, and washing my hands , which were frozen, and they stung me like hell fire, without realising i had laserated my hands to ribbons tugging on jagged small bits of metal in the small shovel sized hole in the ground on the site of EB146 … Ive worn good Garden gloves ever since 😉

Better chance the serial in the topic header, it’s misleading.

Cees

Marshfields is quite close to Colerne,so is Charmy Down.

Dave.

Forgive me if this gets a bit disjointed but I just want to make sure I don’t miss anything I’ve found.

McIvor’s previous crash in April 1944 occurred on the 13th of that month in Halifax V DG351, coded U. Chorley says:

T/o Sandtoft for a general training detail, the crew being nine in total. While in flight the port outer failed and the engine was feathered and on return to base, P/O McIvor had great difficulty in aligning his aircraft with the runway. Consequently, a series of overshoots were made and while going around for a third time, he was unable to maintain height and a forced-landing followed at 1726, straight ahead, without hurt to his crew.

I strongly suspect that the crew of seven listed in my previous post were part of the nine aboard the aircraft for this incident. Sgt. King would be the rear gunner in the previous incident and Hearn and Tarrant would be Flight Engineer and Navigator respectively.

The earlier incident regarding Sgt. Jack on the 24th November 1943 involved Lancaster I W4953 of 1656 HCU from Lindholme. The crew were on night circuits when the aircraft is believed to have stalled and crashed 3 Miles E of the airfield. three of the crew were killed, three were apparently uninjured whilst Sgt. Jack was admitted to station sick quarters. Interestingly, the rear gunner was again a Sgt. King, but I can’t confirm whether it was Sgt. A H King from the crash of EB146.

200 Squadron appear to have flown Liberators and Hudsons.

I can only find reference to the two incidents in April involving McIvor. I suppose your next port of call is to obtain the accident cards for the three aircraft involved and the extracts for the ORB’s of the two HCU’s involved.

Edited to add:

I believe that 11 BORSE was in fact 11 Base. The link provided should explain it all and does list both Lindholme and sandtoft as Stations coming under the control of 11 Base.

http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/bombercommand/bombercmd.htm

Hope this helps.

Regards,

kev35

The only info I can add is that the Halifax crashed crashed on a farm some 3 miles NNW of the airfield approx 1 mile N of Marshfield. I visited the site back in the 80’s before the newspaper article, if my memory serves me well no one knew were the plane crashed, so Mackie didnt visit the farm. The Halifax was flying S to N crash landed in one field and sadly ploughed through a drystone wall ending up in bits the other side and killing the remaining aircrew.
G.

Dave.

The following from Chorley:

T/o 2156 Sandtoft for a night cross-country, While cruising at 20,000 feet, the outer port engine commenced vibrating and as the situation became steadily worse, the order to bale out given. Four did so before the bomber came down, at 0036, near Marshfield, 12 miles E from the centre of Bristol. F/O McIvor, RCAF, who had been in a crash on 13th April, is buried in Bath Cemetery, while Sgt. Jack was taken to Tealing Cemetery and Sgt. Irons to Dundee’s Eastern necropolis, both burial grounds being in Angus, Scotland. Sgt. Jack had but recently returned to flying after a terrible crash on 24 November 1943, at which time he was training with 1656 HCU at Lindholme. Those who survived the accident here summarised, were treated at Colerne’s station sick quarters, though F/Sgt. Mackie RNZAF was later transferred to the Royal Air Force Hospital at Melksham, having sustained multiple abrasions.

Crew:

F/O C D McIvor, RCAF, killed.
Sgt. G A F Hearn, injured.
Sgt. J A Tarrant, injured.
Sgt. R D JAck, killed.
Sgt. J Irons, killed.
F/S D J Mackie RNZAF, injured.
Sgt. A H King, injured.

It seems your Tappa may well have been Tarrant.

The aircraft was a Halifax V, EB146 coded B.

More to follow.

Regards,

kev35