Yorkshire B 17 crash 1941

Follett William Bradley Jn

Hello Gents,

Thanks for your welcome. Yes it was a long time ago, 70 years this 22nd June to be precise. But my 92 year old mother still talks about it and yes they both knew how lucky he was, they married shortly afterwards.

The report you mention is perhaps this one;

http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/an522.html

— it can be found under references on my father’s Wikipedia site — William Kilpatrick Stewart.

What isn’t mentioned is that the young American 2nd pilot Follett Bradley was the first US casualty of WWII — they had to keep that quiet at the time. Also my father’s friend, John Humpherson was a fighter ace, Gladiators in the Battle of France and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain. My father never knew who was at the controls when the trouble started brcause he had disconnected the intercom in order to move around the aircraft. They were testing oxygen equipment for side and tail gunners at the request of Bomber Command…

Hi

Regarding the crash of the B17, and your fathers miraculous survival, i have recently acquired a group of pics & glass negatives. 2 are of a pilot in what appears to be a reconnaissance spitfire. I think it is Follett William Bradley Jn. Also some other images. I wonder if you may have info on pilots in 90 squadron, who received the first Flying Fortess in the UK.

My email is [email]pzhorizons@gmail.com[/email]

Regards

Alan Smith

I am sure that there has been a writeup of this incident in either Flypast or AM in the last 2 or 3 years. Probably during a ‘Fortress’ themed issue

This aircraft was operating on a test flight to examine the oxygen systems. The 90 squadron crew was joined by Flt Lt JBW Humpherson as third pilot and Flt Lt (Dr) W K Stewart of the RAF Physiology Laboratory from RAE Farnborough.

The pilot was Flg Off JCM Harley.

The ORB for 90 squadron makes no mention of Flt Lt Humpherson being part of the crew.

There are brief details of the loss of the aircraft in Aces High and Aces High Vol 2 under the entry for Humpherson, John Bernard William.

Benyboy,

My uncle Tommy Wills was a wireless operator/gunner on the B-17C AN522(Fortress I ) that crashed in Yorkshire on June 22, 1941. The crash was near Catterick Bridge which is where Tommy is buried. I haven’t read anything concerning the location of the wreakage or what happened to it. All I know is that the plane was doing a high altitude test when it entered a cloud, went out of control, and broke apart. There was one survivor – a medical officer who bailed out at 9,000 feet.

Tommy Wills was an American who joined the RCAF.

Have you learned anything else about the crash site?

Thanks

Casualty reports talk of the wreckage being spread over a very wide area of Moorland ten miles north of Catterick. If you want to find out EXACTLY where then the cemetery burial register should show the place where death occurred. This ought to be more precise. If not, then tracking down his Death Certificate should give you the exact place.

http://www.rafcommands.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=printer_format&om=4661&forum=DCForumID6

Hi smitty. Not much to add I`m afraid. The above link has some information.

My Great Uncle was on the plane

Benyboy,

My uncle Tommy Wills was a wireless operator/gunner on the B-17C AN522(Fortress I ) that crashed in Yorkshire on June 22, 1941. The crash was near Catterick Bridge which is where Tommy is buried. I haven’t read anything concerning the location of the wreakage or what happened to it. All I know is that the plane was doing a high altitude test when it entered a cloud, went out of control, and broke apart. There was one survivor – a medical officer who bailed out at 9,000 feet.

Tommy Wills was an American who joined the RCAF.

Have you learned anything else about the crash site?

Thanks