Date:	Thursday 24 January 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Avro Anson Mk I
Owner/operator:	1380 TCU RAF
Registration:	EG113
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Location:	North Sea, Humber Estuary, off the coast of East Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	RAF Rearsby, Leicestershire
Destination airport:	RAF Melbourne, East Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Avro Anson Mk. I EG113, 1380 TCU, RAF: Written off (missing, presumed destroyed) 24-1-46 on a flight from RAF Rearsby, Leicestershire to RAF Melbourne, 5 miles to the south-west of Pocklington, East Yorkshire,

Squadron Leader Bernard Frederick Perkins was a member of the crew of five who left Rearsby, Leicestershire, to fly to Melbourne, Yorkshire, aboard Avro Anson Mk. I EG113 of 1380 TCU, RAF. The aircraft never arrived and, despite an extensive air and sea search, no trace of it was ever been found. Official sources suggest that it probably came down in the North Sea and/or the Humber Estuary off the coast of East Yorkshire, after encountering electrical problems, causing the failure of the communication (radio) systems. However, as no wreckage was ever found, this cannot be conclusively proven.

Crew:
Squadron Leader Bernard Frederick Perkins AFC. MiD. 89830 RAFVR Age 28
Flight Lieutenant Leonard Jack Lawrence DFC. 157491 RAFVR Age 24
Flight Lieutenant John Macmillan Ireland MiD. 122500 RAFVR Age 25
Warrant Officer Kenneth Crabree 1239998 RAFVR Age 23
Warrant Officer Reginald Arthur Webb 638543 RAF Age 28

Squadron Leader Perkins’s Air Force Cross was awarded posthumously on 13 June 1946. As no trace of the Anson or its crew of five was ever found, they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.29 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.46
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft EA100-EZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. The Anson File (Ray Sturtivant, Air Britain, 1988
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.94: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1946-49.html
7. http://www.moseleians.co.uk/index.asp?id=237&bid=P237
8. http://www.aircrewremembered.com/perkins-bernard-frederick.html
9. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-652-anson-united-kingdom-5-killed
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1804195/perkins,-bernard-frederick/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1803152/lawrence,-leonard-jack/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1800918/ireland,-john-macmillan/
13. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1085155/crabtree,-kenneth/
14. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1531139/webb,-reginald-arthur/
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Melbourne
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conversion_units_of_the_Royal_Air_Force
17. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?21174-460124-Unaccounted-Airmen-24-01-1946&highlight=CRABTREE&p=123837#post123837
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humber

Own research - pleased that we are able to contribute

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
17-Nov-2011 08:37	Keith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
03-Mar-2012 19:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Jun-2015 14:39	Wilbur	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
01-Dec-2016 16:08	pietrzak	Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative, Photo, ]
03-Nov-2019 21:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative]
05-Nov-2019 10:31	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
02-Jun-2021 23:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
23-Jul-2023 17:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]]