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I have the transcript of an interview with a wartime Mosquito pilot in which he states that he was returning from an operational flight on the night of April 20th 1945 in an aircraft that had been damaged by enemy fire when he was diverted to Leicester East airfield. Because of the damage the aircraft crashed during his attempted landing & his navigator was killed & he was taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary badly burnt. He gave the aircrafts serial number as PZ222. Can anybody confirm this incident & tell me more about it? If so please contact me as soon as possible at
john@leicestershire-aviation.co.uk

The Shepshed Thunderbolt *Updated*

As a result of twenty years research with Neil Entwistle details of the Shepshed Thunderbolt have been found which have been unclear for many years. For details select the button in the menu bar at the top of this page or select this link.

**This page has been updated with new information and pictures.**

Aviation activities in Leicestershire & Rutland

Documenting Leicestershire & Rutland Aviation history

Sharing and safeguarding information for the future

Aviation in Leicestershire and Rutland is a subject which has interested me for over 65 years. Since my retirement 20 years ago I have been lucky to have a  room and other necessary means to be able to work on these records. I have also had a help of many friends who combined knowledge of that subject has enabled me to improve my files on all aspects of the subject.

This is a non-commercial site focused on Aviation in Leicestershire and Rutland many hours of research have produced extensive records. If we can help you with information that you are looking for or if you have information you are willing to share please contact us.

Heading photograph

Photographed (copyright JHC) at the ATC Gliding School Bruntingthorpe Circa Aug.1947. shows Bert Waterhouse one of the instructors who rebuilt DPJ carrying out taxying trials. He flew the aircraft for eight years.On 3rd April 1955 when T/O  from Leicester East (Leicester Airport) it suffered an engine failure & crashed.The aircraft finished up upside down with Bert hanging in his straps soaked in petrol & with serious back injuries The wreckage has passed through several hands since the crash and was partly rebuilt by Nigel Ponsford who had hoped to fully restore it to enable him to repeat the 1936 historic flight unfortunately he has been unable to do this and has sold it on to another restorer. DPJ is a historic aircraft. On April 2,1936 it was flown From Croydon to Berlin by Lord Sempill. The outward flight took 11 hours and the return flight took 9 hours. The total cost of petrol was 26 shillings.

RAF Halifax shot down over the Netherlands in 1943

I am working with a Dutch researcher who is hoping to erect a memorial to the crew of an RAF Halifax who were shot down over the Netherlands in 1943. The details of the aircraft & crew are as follows.

The aircraft was a Handley Page Halifax II of 158 Sqn. with the serial number HR735 and code NP-N it took off from Lissett on the night of 21/22 June 1943 and was shot done by a night fighter and crashed at Kaathoven in the Netherlands killing all the crew of eight.

The crew were:-

P/O C.R.Robinson DFC RNZAF.
Sgt.E.H.Fisher
Sgt.S.G.B.Hayes
Sgt.G.A.Hill
Sgt.W.T.Dunning
Sgt.R.F.Barham
Sgt.D.D.Cuthbert
Sgt.G.B.Mycock

We would like to contact anybody who knew any of these men especially their next of kin in order to keep them in touch with progress and hopefully to invite them to the dedication of the memorial. Please contact John Collier via the methods on the contacts page. The normal crew of a Halifax would be seven,in this case it would appear the crew & certainly the pilot may have been operationally inexperienced and that P/O C.R.Robinson an experienced pilot was on board to help them through their early operations trips