Halifax KB146 crash April 1944

[Dave Homewood]

I'm looking into an incident that occurred at 12.30am on the 27th of April 1944. Handley Page Halifax KB146 of No. 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit was flying south from Yorkshire and was at 25,000 feet when the port outer engine'd fuel line ruptured. This caused engine trouble and vibration, and as they lost height the aircraft began to spin at 16,000 feet. The captain ordered the crew to bail out at 12,000 feet, but only half those aboard survived. Those killed were:
Pilot officer Clifford Douglas McIvor (RCAF) - J/29531 - Pilot
Sgt John Irons - (RAF) - 1361132 - W/OpAG
Sgt Robert Davidson Jack (RAF, Scottish) - 1553039 - Air Bomber
Those who escaped were:
F/Sgt Donald James Mackie (RNZAF) - NZ404080 - Air Gunner
F/Sgt Tappa - 1433903
Sgt King - 1264829
All three above were reported to be slightly injured in the initial report but Don Mackie, who is my main focus here as he was from my home town of Cambridge, New Zealand, landed in his parachute in a tree, hitched in the branches and the harness was strangling him so he released the QRF and dropped around 40 feet to the ground, breaking his back and a knee and suffered lung damage. The tree where he got hooked up was apparently at Colerne in Wiltshire according to the 1980's article, and by the 1980's when he returned there and found the tree, it was part of a British Army property, however previous to the crash he'd actually earlier been based at Colerne when it was an RAF station, which is co-incidental that he landed on his old station after bailing out.
However the official Minute from the date of the crash states it was at Marshfields, Gloucestershire, but also mentions Colerne. Do these places lie adjacent to each other, or is Marshfields where the HCU was based?
He recounted in a 1980's newspaper article from when he returend to the site and found that same tree that this was the third crash he'd been in during the past two weeks. However this one meant he was eventually repatriated home to New Zealand and released eventually after much treatment for his crushed vertabrae.
I am trying to piece the rest together as Don died in the 1980's, his logbook is missing and his daughter and I are both curious.
Does anyone here know:
- The full names of the other two survivors of this incident? And their roles? And did their 'slight' injuries also turn out to be as bad as Don's?
- Why would an experienced Flight Sergeant like Don be aboard a 1667 HCU Halifax? Was he an instructor perhaps? He had been flying in heavies in Coastal Command for a couple of years, including with No. 200 Squadron with Lloyd Trigg VC in Africa. So why was he sent to an HCU now? I can only deduce he was instructing, but his service records mention nothing about him being posted at 1667 HCU at the time, they list him as posted to something called 11 Borse in that period, which I've never heard of.
- Does anyone know what the mission was for this night, was it a night cross-country training flight?
- Can anyone find record of two other crashes he was in during April 1944, I assume with 1667 HCU?

[Henk Welting]

Dave,
Minor additional info:
First of all, the serial number was EB146 (not KB146); abandoned after engine cut on night navex and later fell out; crashed near Marshfield, 12 miles E of Bristol. Further on file:
Sgt (Nav) J.A. TARRANT instead of TAPPA;
Sgt (Reargunner) A.H. KING;
Sgt (Flt Eng) G.A.F. HEARN (also baled out).
Listed in Bill Chorley's Bomber Command Losses, Vol.8, page 105.
MACKIE was admitted to RAF Hospital Melksham.
Not much but every minor info might help.
Regards,
Henk.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Henk.