Date:	Saturday 26 April 1941
Time:	02:30
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I
Owner/operator:	54 OTU RAF
Registration:	N1568
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Thorp Arch, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Defiant N1568: Took off at about 01:00 hrs to carry out a night flying exercise. 26/04/1941
They were attacked at 02:08 hrs by an enemy Junkers Ju.88, piloted by Lt Rudolf Pfeiffer of NJG/2. Although some distance from Church Fenton the Defiant was in it's landing circuit. The pilot attempted to evade the enemy night-fighter by flying low but hit trees two hundred yards south of Thorp Arch church, crashed nearby, exploded, and was destroyed by fire. Sadly the two airmen in the Defiant were killed as a result of this incident.
Crew:
Sgt (908262) Frederick Charles Eric CROZIER (pilot) RAFVR - Killed
F/Sgt (802438) George BELL (Air Gunner) RAFVR - Killed

Thorp Arch is a village and civil parish near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough.

Defiant N1568 was built to contract 751807/38 by Boulton & Paul Ltd. at Wolverhampton and was awaiting collection in June 1940. After a short period of storage it was taken on charge by 141 Squadron at Prestwick the following month as a replacement for aircraft lost earlier in the month during the Battle of Britain. On 30th August 1940 it moved with the unit to Turnhouse and in September 1940 it transferred to 264 Squadron at Kirton in Lindsey as a replacement aircraft for those lost in August 1940 also as a result of the Battle of Britain.

It moved with the unit to Rochford on 29th October 1940 but by the end of 1940 the aircraft had been transferred to 54 O.T.U. at Church Fenton along with a further 23 Defiants for training duties. Cat.E/2/FB Burnt damage was recorded following the accident on 26th April 1941 at Thorp Arch.

On 29th April 2007 Mr David Crozier, the brother of the pilot killed in this crash was instrumental in a memorial been erected and dedicated in Thorp Arch church - the very church that was 200 yards from the crash site.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Brtain, 1977 p.9)
2. Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part one
3. ORB 54 OTU RAF for March 1941 to April 1947: National Airchives (PRO Kew) File AIR/29/682/1: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7161027
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR81/6081: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16755379
5. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2933104/frederick-charles-eric-crozier/
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2842316/george-bell/
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=N1568
8. https://aircrewremembered.com/crozier-frederick.html
9. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/n1568.html
10. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/military/Crashes_in_Northern_England.pdf
11. https://www.roll-of-honour.com/Hertfordshire/Standon.html
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorp_Arch

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Aug-2010 04:29	penguin832	Added
30-Dec-2011 09:07	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Narrative]
23-Aug-2013 17:55	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative]
24-Aug-2013 09:54	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
25-Aug-2013 06:02	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport]
14-Sep-2014 11:34	Jixon	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport]
24-Apr-2019 07:28	TigerTimon	Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Source]