| Sergeant Harold
Purbrick
was serving as on board Wellington DF 640-P when it
departed Hixon on a night-circuit training exercise on April 26,
1944. On their first landing at 0134 hours the Wellington bounced
rather badly and the crew attempted to go round again, but the
aircraft failed to gain height and flew into a hill known locally
as Weston Back, Stafford, two hundred and fifty feet above sea
level. The aircraft burst into flames on impact among some trees,
killing the entire crew. The
crew consisted of:
|
Name |
Service |
Hometown |
Age |
|
F/O Norman Mousdell |
RAFVR |
Liverpool |
29 |
|
Sgt Edward Macdonald |
RAFVR |
Cleator Moor, Cumbria |
21 |
|
Sgt Harold Purbrick |
RAFVR |
Yatton Keynell,Wiltshire |
19 |
Sgt Harold Desmond Purbrick
was born on the 13th January 1925. He was the son of
Albert and Ellen Rose Purbrick of Yatton Keynell, Wiltshire. When
his father died in 1938 of appendicitis, Harold,known as
"Deb" helped his mother out in their village shop and
petrol filling station and also did the boot and shoe repairs for
customers. His brother Ted survived the war on HMS Wizard in
the Pacific, being in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of the Japanese.
Harold enlisted in the RAFVR on the 24th July 1943 and is
buried in the churchyard at St. Margarets, Yatton Keynell,
Wiltshire. |
