No.1391087, Sergeant Pilot, Alan Raymond BANKS
Aged 20
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Alan Raymond BANKS was born in 1923 (3rd qtr 1923 Bury St.Edmunds 4a:1618) son of Bertram Alan and Nellie Kate BANKS (née MARKELL).
He had a brother John O. and a sister Sheila M.
In the 1939 register his parents were at Sunnyside, Barrow, father the manager of a butcher's shop. ( 3 closed records) |
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His death was registered in Buckrose, Yorkshire. Thanks to http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/ we know what happened He was the pilot of Handley Page Halifax Mk V ser.no DG 415 which crashed on 7th September, killing all the crew. Based at 1663 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Rufforth, DG415 took off from Rufforth airfield on a training flight. During the flight while over the Flamborough Head area the starboard inner propeller unit broke loose and fell away from the engine, taking with it the engine cowling. Control was lost and the aircraft entered a flat spin, it struck the ground in a field near the iron-age Danes Dyke, between the villages of Bempton and Flamborough and sadly all on board were killed. This was one of two heavy conversion unit losses on this date caused by a propeller coming away from the engine and numerous in September 1943 where propeller failures caused serious accidents. The crew were Sgt Alan BANKS (pilot) - F.O Ronald Thomas HOLLOWAY (Air Bomber) - Sgt William Owen JONES(Air Gunner) - Sgt George William MIDWINTER (Air Gunner)- Sgt Eric PENNINGTON (W/Op) - Sgt Thorold Esmond RAF (Navigator) - Sgt George SLATTER (Flt Enginr).
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