Date:	Thursday 13 August 1942
Time:	day
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	1484 (Gunnery) Flt RAF
Registration:	L6981
MSN:	32
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Scurfdike Farm, 2½ miles ESE of Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire. -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Driffield, East Yorkshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
L6981 was Construction Number 32 and was delivered to 24 MU (Maintenance Unit) on the 9th March 1940. The aircraft moved to the Central Gunnery School on the 3rd April 1940 and on to Reid and Sigrist on the 17th May 1941. To 27 MU on 15th February 1942 before being taken on strength with 1484 Flight on the 2nd August 1942.

Written off (destroyed) when the aircraft spun into the ground at Scurfdike Farm, near Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire during gunnery training on 13th August 1942. The mission was to practice air-to-air firing at a towed target drogue. Both crew were killed. According to the official file at the National Archives at Kew (File AIR81/17190 - see link #4): "Flight Sergeant D R Lord, Sergeant A O Potts: killed; Defiant L6981, 1484 Gunnery Flight, aircraft accident near Hutton Cranswick, Yorkshire, 13 August 1942"

According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Surrey Advertiser - Saturday 22 August 1942):

"FLIGHT SERGEANT'S DEATH

Flight Sergeant Derek Rowland Lord, aged 20, whose death has occurred in the North of England, was the youngest son of Mr. G. E. Lord, manager of the Jewellers' and Silversmiths' Company, High Street, Guildford. He had taken part in more than 30 raids over enemy territory. His parents live at Homewood, Orchard Road, Burpham, and he had been in the Air Force for two years and a month. He was educated at Abbot's School, Guildford, and at the Woking County School. Mr. and Mrs. Lord have two other sons in the Services overseas. The funeral at Burpham on Wednesday was attended by a pilot officer and flight sergeant of the R.A.F., and members of the Woking County School and the Home Guard, in which Mr. Lord holds a commission".

Flt/Sgt Lord lost Control while carrying out a Mock Attack on the Drogue Towing Aircraft, spun & crashed at Scurfdike Farm, on the North Bank of Scurf Dike some 2½-miles off East-south-east from Hutton Cranswick Airfield and between 4 & 5 miles SSE of Great Driffield, Yorkshire.

The pilot was 1169117 Flight Sergeant Derek Rowland Lord. He was the son of Gordon Ewart Lord and Flora Marie Lord of Burpham, Guildford and he is interred at Burpham (St. Lukes) Churchyard.
The Air Gunner was 1057542 Sergeant Arthur Owen Potts, aged 20. He was the son of Charles Arthur and Clara Potts of Hull. He is interred at Haltemprice (Anlaby Tranby Lane) Cemetery, Hull.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain 1979 p.48)
2. ("Surrey Advertiser - Saturday 22 August 1942):
3. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2434091/derek-rowland-lord/
4. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2408167/arthur-owen-potts/
5. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR81/17190: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C17479393
6. 1484 Flight ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/10/1941 to 28/2/1944: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/871/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7161920
7. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/87608-info-sought-on-defiant-l6981
8. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york42/l6981.html
9. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/217078/
10. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12263.0
11. https://tailendcharlietedchurch.wordpress.com/raf-stations/leconfield-septoct-43/
12. http://www.militarian.com/threads/info-wanted-on-aircrew-kia.5421/#post-34387

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Feb-2008 07:09	JINX	Added
23-Jan-2012 05:08	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
14-Aug-2013 20:27	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source]
05-Sep-2014 23:34	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Nature]
22-Apr-2015 16:21	Giggatson	Updated [Operator, Narrative]
03-Jul-2022 23:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
05-Jul-2022 09:58	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]