Arthur Aspinall CATTON

971481, Sergeant / Observer. b. 1918 d. 27th August 1941 (aged 23).

Arthur belonged to the Royal Air Force, and was a member of 143 Squadron; their duties were primarily as long range fighters using Beaufighters in the earlier part of the war.

Arthur had not originally come from Clayton, and grew up in Burnley. Aged 12, Arthurs family left Burnley to live in Bradford. His parents returned to Burnley when Arthur was 17 and Arthur decided to stay in Bradford. Arthur worked in the electrical department at Bradford City Corporation. In 1940 the electoral roll shows Arthur lodging at 357 Whitehall Road, Outershaw. Arthurs link to Clayton and the village was through his fiancée, Peggy Etchells.

Peggy, a cookery demonstrator by profession, came from a long standing Clayton family who ran the village chemists. The Etchells family had been there for many years and even after Mr Etchells had died in the 1930’s the rest of the family carried on the business. Eventually their son, Bobby Etchells moved to East Africa in 1938 to work and at the start of the war enlisted into the East African army.

Peggy was a popular and attractive girl in the village, according to villager, Rene Sutcliffe, and her match with Arthur was well thought of, both individuals were suited to each other in both character and appearance, Arthur also being apparently handsome and debonair. The couple were members of the Methodist church and intended to be married when the war was over.

Unfortunately, Arthur was never to see the end of the war. Arthur died two years into the war in an accident at his RAF base in Dyce, Aberdeenshire. On 27th August 1941. His unit had arrived there in July 1941 and had been undertaking long range patrols up and down the east coast looking for enemy bombers returning after nightly raids. Arthur was an Observer.

On Wednesday the 27th of August 1941 at 3.50pm, two 143 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft flew over Udny Station, a village in Aberdeenshire. The two aircraft came into contact with each other causing Arthur’s Beaufighter, T3311 to lose control. The aircraft plummet to the ground striking a tree before crashing into the grounds of Tillery House near Udny.

Sergeant Arthur Aspinall Catton, Observer, of the RAF Volunteer Reserve, Age 23 and Pilot Officer John Mannington Sayers Age 26 also of the RAF Volunteer reserve were killed in the crash. Arthur was interred with military honours shortly after in Dyce Old Churchyard. John is buried in Cathcart Cemetery on the outskirts of Glasgow.

The Burnley Express and news for 30th August 1941 reports the accident:

‘Mr and Mrs H Catton of 503, Brunshaw Road Burnley, have received news of the death of their son Sergt. Arthur Catton R.A.F., in a flying accident in this country. The tragic news was conveyed in a letter from Sergeant Catton’s commanding officer.

Aged 23 years Seargent Catton before joining up two years ago was employed in the electrical department of Bradford City Corporation. He left Burnley when he was about 12 years of age and went to live in Bradford, and though his parents returned to Bradford 5 years ago, Sergeant Catton remained at Bradford.’

An eye witness account states :

“We were on their way home from school at about 3.30pm when two Beaufighters appeared just over Udny Station. They touched/clipped wings, one flew off back in the direction of Dyce whilst the other, apparently out of control, headed towards Tillery. I quickly went to the crash site where the plane was ablaze, and a horrible experience of seeing the pilot and the other crewman being enveloped in flames. It wasn’t very long before help arrived but it was too late. The Beaufighter had come down in the garden behind the gardeners house and a wheel from the undercarriage was lying on top of the gardener’s shed“

The Court of Inquiry A.291446/41 discounted a mid air collision but did note that Sayers was possibly distracted watching another aircraft during the formation practice leading to the loss of height. No mention is made of an attempted force landing only that they were unable to clear trees on high ground.

AOC recorded cause as Error of Judgement and the cause was altered from F9 ‘Unknown’ to F7B ‘Other Error’ on 30th Sept 1941. (Cause code for Other Error, Collision was F7A).

A brass memorial plaque was placed in Arthurs honour (along with Edwin Ward) in the original Clayton Methodist church, but unfortunately this was lost when the original church was demolished to make way for the new. Arthur is remembered on the Parish Church and Village war memorials.

Additional research from here.

Margaret Hill Etchells

In 1939 Margaret Hill Etchells, known as Peggy was living at 26 Station Road, above the chemists shop that the Etchells family used to run. The property was owned at that time by William Fysh and his wife Amelia who continued to run the shop for many years.

Following her fiancé Arthur’s death in August 1941, Peggy met Flight Officer Robert William Brevitt, Son of William John and Lucy Alice Brevitt of Newcastle-On-Tyne and were married in August 1943.

Tragically Robert was also killed in an air collision in November 1943.

We do not know what happened to Peggy, but Rene Sutcliffe who knew Peggy during the war speculated that Peggy went to East India to be with her Brother Robert Hill Etchells. Hill being their mothers maiden name.

Robert William Brevitt

Peggys husband Robert was a Flight Officer (pilot) stationed at Harrogate. Tragically on 27th November 1943, just a few months after their wedding, Robert and his crew perished in a mid air collision on return to England from a bombing raid on Berlin.

Robert Brevitt and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds from 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit on the 24th November 1943. They were sadly killed on their first operation.

On return to base Roberts Avro Lancaster III, ED417 collided in the air with a Halifax Bomber JN966 of 428 Sqd and crashed 2 miles NE of Middleton St George airfield Durham.

It is thought that the aircraft had been diverted to Middleton St. George due to bad weather and attempted to land before permission had been granted. Lamp warnings were issued but both aircraft continued their approach to land and they collided in the funnel. Brevitt R – International Bomber Command Centre (internationalbcc.co.uk).

Of the 7 man crew, 6 died:

F/O Robert William Brevitt RAFVR – Pilot – 27 – 103 Sqn – Son of William John and Lucy Alice Brevitt; husband of Margaret Hill Brevitt, of Newcastle-on-Tyne – Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire

Sgt Iorwerth Benyon Morgan RAFVR – Air Bomber – 22 – 103 Sqn – Son of William Rees Morgan and Mary Catherine Morgan of Llanelli – Llanelli Box Cemetery, Carmarthenshire

Sgt Mark Watson Cartmell RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 20 – 103 Sqn – Son of Thomas S. Cartmell and Constance M. Cartmell of Keswick – Keswick St John Churchyard, Cumberland.

Sgt John Kenneth Cubey RAFVR – Navigator – 31 – 103 Sqn – Son of Thomas Henry and Ethel Cubey; husband of May Elizabeth Cubey of Ruislip, Middlesex. FSMC – Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Sgt Stanley Lionel Ingle RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 20 – 103 Sqn – Son of Harry and Annie Ada Ingle of West Heath, Birmingham – Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.

Sgt Samuel Thomas Kyle Bowyer RAFVR – 103 Sqn – Injured. Badly burnt. Survived.

Sgt George Bruce RAFVR – Air Gunner – 22 – 103 Sqn – Son of Richard A. D. Bruce, and Jane Bruce, of Ashiestiel, Galashiels – Caddonfoot Parish Churchyard, Selkirkshire.