Date:	Sunday 15 April 1945
Time:	15:25
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk III
Owner/operator:	1667 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit), RAF
Registration:	PB565
MSN:	GG-R
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Thorneholme Farm, 1 mile SW of Owston Ferry, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Sandtoft, North Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Sandtoft, North Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B Mk I PB565/GG-R, of 1667 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit), RAF Sandtoft, North Lincolnshire. Written off (destroyed) 15 April 1945 when crashed at Thorneholme Farm, 1 mile SW of Owston Ferry, Lincolnshire.

At 3.05 pm on the 15th April '45 the Lancaster took off from RAF Sandtoft on a navigation and bombing exercise. They were briefed to fly at 10.000 ft. The weather was clear, light winds and some cloud cover.

It gained height towards Goole, turned in the direction of Scunthorpe and then turned again and set course on a long leg into Wales. The exact nature of what happened next will never be known but a possible failure of the autopilot may have caused the bomber to enter a steep dive.​

This particular aircraft was not fitted with a later modification which meant that once a certain speed and dive angle was exceeded, it was almost impossible to recover. It would have taken the combined strength of the pilot and flight engineer heaving on the control wheel to regain level flight.​

It was seen flying level at around 1500ft over Owston Ferry by local people however the recovery was short lived. It seems likely that the aircraft had been overstressed in the dive and recovery because having just cleared the village it was seen to pitch over into a vertical dive at such a speed that the outer wings were torn off as were parts of the rudders and tailplane.

It impacted into the riverbank between the Warping Drain and Ferry Drain and erupted into a fireball when 2000 gallons of aviation fuel ignited.​ There were no survivors among the crew of eight.

Crew:
Flying Officer Edward Boon CARSS (165049) Air Bomber RAFVR - killed: Commemorated Blyth (Cowpen) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Sergeant Robert Bertram Roy COOK (1893896) Air Gunner RAFVR - killed: Commemorated Wadhurst (Saints Peter And Paul) Churchyard, United Kingdom
Flight Sergeant John William HAMILTON (Aus.25661) Air Gunner RAAF - killed: Commemorated Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Sergeant Sidney James KINGDON (1097768) Navigator RAFVR - killed: Commemorated South Molton Cemetery, United Kingdom
Sergeant Edwin Horace John MARTIN (1813197) Air Gunner RAFVR - killed: Commemorated Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Flight Sergeant Raymond OLLERTON (1523074) Pilot RAFVR - killed: Commemorated Bolton (Heaton) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Flying Officer Bertram Arthur SAVAGE DFC (153755) Navigator RAFVR - killed: Commemorated Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Pilot Officer Howard Percy SPEED (188176) Pilot RAFVR - killed: Commemorated Bromsgrove Cemetery, United Kingdom

Lancaster PB565 was previously GT-R of 156 Sqaudron, RAF: The codes allocated to 1667 HCU RAF were "GG". Therefore it is presumed (but not confirmed) that the codes were changed from "GT" to "GG" and the individual letter code "R"was retained. However, there is a picture on the memorial to the crew Lancaster PB565 still showing the aircraft tio be coded "GT-R"

Owston Ferry is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the west bank of the River Trent, and 9 miles (14 km) north from Gainsborough. A memorial to the eight crew lost was erected 150 yards from the crash site at Three Bridges, Owston Ferry Road, Owston Ferry, North Lincolnshire DN9 1BE. The memorial was erected by public subscription and completed on 15th April 2020, on the 75th anniversary of the day of the loss.

1.Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
3. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
4. Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses, Vol.8, Heavy Conversion Units and Miscellaneous Units, 1939-1947. W.R. Chorley; 2003; Midland Publishing; ISBN 1 85780 156 3
5. 1667 HCU RAF Operational Record Book (record of Events for the period 1 September 1943 to 31 May 1945): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/614/3 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160917
6. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78):
7. Aircraft Accident Record Card (Air Ministry Form AM.1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1945/April/prt1/1.html
8. https://forum.rafcommands.com/forum/general-category/24125-lancaster-pb565-1667-hcu
9. https://aircrewremembered.com/speed-howard.html
10. https://forum.rafcommands.com/forum/general-category/23812-bomber-crew-memorial-planned-how-to-find-out-more-about-the-crew-advice-sought
11. https://lancasterpb565.wixsite.com/owstonferry
12. https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/273017/
13. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7903031
14. https://ioahc.net/4693-2/
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conversion_units_of_the_Royal_Air_Force
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owston_Ferry

Memorial to the crew of Lancaster PB565 Avro Lancaster PB565 © Colin Murray (WMR-97393) Avro Lancaster PB565 © Colin Murray (WMR-97393) Avro Lancaster PB565 © Colin Murray (WMR-97393)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Aug-2013 01:24	JINX	Added
31-Jan-2016 19:26	pietrzak	Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, ]
02-Nov-2018 18:13	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Nature, Operator, ]
11-Nov-2023 12:12	Nepa	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
17-Feb-2025 01:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ]