Screveton (1) W.4103 Memorial

On the afternoon of 14 April 1944, the skies above the quiet Nottinghamshire village of Screveton became the scene of the worst single training accident in the area. A Lancaster from 5 Lancaster Finishing School at nearby RAF Syerston and an Airspeed Oxford from 1521 BAT Flight at RAF Wymeswold in Leicestershire collided in mid-air at around 16:30 at an altitude of 1,000 feet. The Lancaster, crewed by nine men including a Canadian pilot instructor and an Australian pupil pilot, disintegrated. The Oxford, carrying two pilots — an instructor and a trainee — was also destroyed. Eyewitnesses reported that both pilots appeared to steer their stricken aircraft away from the village and into open countryside, a selfless act that almost certainly saved civilian lives. All nine Lancaster crew died instantly. Fl/Lt Hawkins in the Oxford survived the initial crash but succumbed to his injuries later that day at RAF Quarrington Hospital in Sleaford. The ages ranged from 19 (two men — engineer Herbert and trainee pilot Stokoe) to 28 (the Canadian instructor Richardson, who held the DFM, and Australian Laidler). The collision highlighted the ever-present danger of the crowded wartime skies over Nottinghamshire, where dozens of training flights operated daily from multiple airfields in close proximity.