Date:	Monday 15 January 1945
Time:	20:30 LT
Type:	Avro Lancaster B Mk III
Owner/operator:	1668 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit), RAF
Registration:	LM619
MSN:	H4-J
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Moor Drain, Church Lane, Westborough, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire
Destination airport:	RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B. Mk. III LM619/H4-J of 1668 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit), RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire. Written off (destroyed) 15 January 1945 when crashed at Moor Drain, Church Lane, Westborough, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire. Six of the seven crew were killed.

Lancaster LM619 was airborne from RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire at 18:20hrs for night bombing practice. The Lancaster was destroyed at 20:30hrs when it was returning to RAF Bottesford and dived into the ground at Westborough, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire after overshooting on approach. Six of the seven crew were killed (only one survivor).

Crew:
Sergeant Dennis Gilbert BURN (1251125) Air Gunner: Commemorated Tottenham Cemetery, Tottenham, London N17, United Kingdom
Sergeant John Gordon HAZELDEN (1623968) Navigator: Commemorated Rainford (All Saints) Churchyard, United Kingdom
Sergeant Cyril Reuben Clifford MANN (1586368) Air Bomber: Commemorated Cheltenham Cemetery, Prestbury, United Kingdom
Flight Sergeant James RAWLINSON (2218660) Flight Engineer: Commemorated Bootle Cemetery, Bootle, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Flight Sergeant Allen Benjamin THOMAS (429069):Commemorated Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Flying OfficerIvan Lindsay Vinall THOMPSON (429081): Commemorated Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, United Kingdom
Sergeant G F Ashby - injured (sole survivor)

A memorial plaque was erected on the bank of Moor Drain, 170 metres northeast of Westborough Parish Church Church, Off Church Lane, Westborough South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, NG23 5HN, England. Note that the memorial plaque names Sergeant Dennis Gilbert BURN as "BRUN" [sic], but the CWGC record gives the name as "Burn". A second plaque is attached to a bench which is 'bookended' at its two ends by fittings which are in the shape of a Lancaster's fin.

Westborough is a village in the civil parish of Westborough and Dry Doddington, in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) east from the A1 road and Long Bennington, and 6 miles (10 km) north from Grantham. On 1 April 1931 the parish was abolished and merged with Dry Doddington to form "Westborough and Dry Doddington".

Brief history of Lancaster LM619
Built by A V Roe & Co at Yeadon, West Yorkshire to Contract Acft/2010
12-06-1944: Issued to 460 Sqaudron, RAAF at RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire as 'AR-J'
01-07-1944: Sustained Cat. A(c) damage in operational service: ROS by CWP (Repaired on Site by Contractor Working Party)
15-07-1944: Repairs complete, issued to 100 Squadron, RAF Grimsby, Lincolnshire as 'HW-J'
04-09-1944: Transferred to 1668 HCU, RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire as 'H4-J'
15-01-1945: Destroyed in flying accident at Westborough, South Kesteven, Lincolnshire as per the above
31-01-1945: Struck off charge as Cat. E(FA)

1. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985).
2. "Royal Air Force Bomber Command losses, vol 6. Aircraft and Crews Losses 1945", by W R Chorley, ISBN 0-904597-92-X.
3. 1668 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF Operational Record Book (Record of Events for the period 1 to 31 January 1945): National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/614/4 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160918
4. Aircraft Movement Card (Air Ministry Form AM.78): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/LM593-LM657/mobile/index.html
5. Aircraft Accident Record Card (Air Ministry Form AM.1180): https://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-1180/Lancaster/1945/January/prt1/1.html
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2432921/dennis-gilbert-burn/
7. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2699822/john-gordon-hazelden/
9. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2451009/cyril-reuben-clifford-mann/
10. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2698017/james-rawlinson/
11. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2437119/allen-benjamin-thomas/
12. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2437124/ivan-lindsay-vinall-thompson/
13. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/119376
14. https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/264968/
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conversion_units_of_the_Royal_Air_Force
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bottesford#RAF_Bomber_Command_use.
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westborough,_Lincolnshire

Crew of Lancaster LM619 © Richard E. Flagg (WMR-100046) Memorial plaque at Crash site Crew of Lancaster LM619 © Tony Hibberd - IBCC (WMR-100046)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Jan-2025 23:09	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Jan-2025 23:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative, ]
30-Jan-2025 23:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
06-Feb-2025 19:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]