THE FINAL CROP OF CASUALTIES

HF198 (2E)    14^th January 1944

This aircraft was lost during a normal training flight between Predannack and Cardigan Bay in Wales; the reasons are unknown.  All five (?) crew were lost.  Sergeant Krzywon had previously survived a crash in W5720 which was shot down by flak in October 1941.  The entire crew were lost, they were: F/Lt Waclaw Chomka, F/Lt Wiktoryn Ciechanowski,  F/O Stanislaw Nowacki, F/Sgt Tadeusz Krzywon and  Sgt Wlodzimierz Druciak.

HF121 (2V)    7^th April 1944

This aircraft was probably shot down by a fighter over the Bay of Biscay, the crew managed to make a mayday call but all were lost, they were: F/O Szczepan Marcin Stanczykiewicz, F/Sgt Bronislaw Marton, Sgt Stanislaw Franczak, Sgt Bronislaw Janicki,  Sgt Wlodzimierz Kolodziej and Sgt Adam Sankowski.

HF188 (2A)  11^th April 1944

This aircraft was shot down by German fighters over the Bay of Biscay and in spite of getting off an SOS, the whole crew was lost, they were: W/Cdr Stanislaw Poziomek, who was flying as a supernumerary crew member, W/O W Czekalski,  Sq/Ldr Edward Stanczuk, F/Lt Lech Malynicz,  F/Sgt Franciszek Matlak,  F/Sgt Edward Mikolaj Siadecki and F/Sgt Boguslaw Szpinalski.

HG273 (QD-X)    18^th January 1946

This Transport Command Vickers Warwick flown by W/O Bojarczuk caught fire on landing after a training flight at RAF Chedburgh, Suffolk.  The pilot was killed but W/O Borek and W/O Zurek survived.

PP232 (QD-C)    23^rd August 1946

This Transport Command Handley Page Halifax crashed during a training flight at Lawshall Green, Suffolk.  Pilot error was the reason given and the entire crew died, they were: F/Lt Zygmunt Dabrowski, F/Lt Nikodem Matylis and F/Sgt Stanislaw Michalak.  The pilot lost control of the aircraft at low altitude and low airspeed in the circuit and the aircraft dived into the ground.

This photograph (copyright holder unknown) shows the extent of the damage; the rear part of the fuselage lying upside down.  The wings and front section are missing