Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Died as pilot in the crash of Handley Page Hereford L6067 at Souldern, Oxon.

The Handley Page Hereford L6067 was one of 100 models built by short and Harland in Belfast and delivered to the RAF between August 1939 and June 1940.

In November 2017, historian Tobin Jones identified some fragments of metal that were found in a field close to Souldern, Oxfordshire. Having spent his formative years investigating and researching wartime aircraft sites and their crews, Tobin was able to identify the fragments as having come from a Handley Page Hereford Bomber. The Hereford was a development of the Handley Page Hampden, a successful bomber used by Bomber Command during the early years of the war. The Hereford made use of an alternative engine (the Napier Dagger), in order to ease production problems if the usual Bristol Pegasus engines ceased to be available. 100 of the Herefords were built by Short and Harland in Belfast and delivered to the RAF between 1939 and 1940. However, the Dagger engine was not a success in the Hereford, being noisy, underpowered, prone to overheating on the ground and seizing when air-bound: it is not thought that any of the Herefords saw active combat.

16 OTU (Operational Training Unit) was a training unit tasked with taking new pilots, who had recently completed their basic training, forming them into crews and training them in the systems and methodology that Bomber Command were using in the field at that time. The unit was formed in April 1940 at RAF Upper Heyford and went on to become a very successful training unit. In the early days of operation however, they were working under great time pressure, with many worn out and sub-standard aircraft and there were great numbers of casualties.

L6067 was issued to 16 OUT at RAF Upper Heyward and on the 1st August 1940, the plane took off from base for a low level formation flight, piloted by Sergeant Day.

During the course of the flight, the aircraft experienced engine failure. It is thought from his service number, that Sergeant Day is likely to have been a new recruit, tasked with flying a complicated and difficult aircraft whilst still very inexperienced. It seems certain that Sgt Day encountered engine problems whilst flying at relatively low altitude and in trying to rectify the situation, the plane lost speed and the engine stalled.

Eyewitness reports record that at 3:10pm, the plane was observed to stall and plunge to the ground in a banked vertical dive near Souldern. The aircraft burst into flames and all four crew members were killed.

The crew were:

Pilot: Sgt Oswald George Day 742004. 24 years old. Laid to rest in Leicester (Gilroes) cemetery. RAF VR. The Son of Harold Johnson Day and Gertrude Day of Leicester. Sergeant Day is buried with his father.

2nd Pilot: Flying Officer (Pilot) George Holland THEVENARD RAFVR No. 70668 Age 33, the son of Ernest Frank and Margaret Montgomery Thevenard and the husband of Jeannie Thevenard of Hull. He is buried in Plot 1 Row B Grave 14 in the churchyard of All Saints Church, Middleton Stoney.

W/Op Sergeant (Wireless Operator) Sydney Nevil BAKER RAF No. 645894 Age 21 and the son of S G and Annie Baker of Dordon. He was the foster son and nephew of Mr H E Thorpe of Dordon. He is buried near the south boundary of the churchyard of St Leonard’s Church, Dordon, Warwickshire.

A/G Listed as a passenger and therefore likely a non official gunner being taken for a flight, Aircraftman 2nd Class George William RHODES RAFVR No. 996999 Age 24 and the son of William and Amelia Rhodes of Commonside, Sheffield. He is buried in Sec JJ Grave 5603, Crookes Cemetery, Sheffield.

Information researched and submitted by T. Jones, 2017