Date:	Friday 3 December 1954
Time:	00:56
Type:	English Electric Canberra B Mk 2
Owner/operator:	207 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WH906
MSN:	SH1649
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Narborough, 3 miles of RAF Marham, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Marham, Norfolk (EGYM)
Destination airport:	RAF Marham, Norfolk (EGYM)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Canberra WH906: Notified as awaiting collection 23/2/54, delivered to the RAF 1/3/54. Sole operational service was with 207 Squadron, RAF Marham

Written off 3/12/1954: The aircraft had been recalled from a sortie due to poor weather, and arrived over RAF Marham at 28,000 feet. The aircraft then began a QGH descent, and when the aircraft had descended to 1,000 feet, the pilot said that he was going to make a VFR (Visual Flight Reference) approach. However, the pilot then advised ATC that, due to the adverse weather conditions, he was having difficulty in locating RAF Marham. Eventually the Canberra was set up for a VFR approach but flew into trees on approach to RAF Marham, at night, stalled and rolled into ground at Narborough, Norfolk, three miles from the airfield, killing all three crew.

Crew:
Flying Officer Christopher John Hasler (Pilot, Service Number 3513199, aged 20)
Flying Officer Gerald Hayes (Navigator, Service Number 4089532, aged 25)
Flying Officer Gordon Whitehouse (Bomb Aimer, Service Number 4105653, aged 23)

A Squadron Funeral Parade was held on the 7/12/1954 for the burial of Flying Officer Hasler and Flying Officer Hayes at Marham Cemetery. Flying Officer Whitehouse was buried at Darlington, County Durham.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.166 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 54)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.105
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/251: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424372
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WH
6. http://www.207squadron.rafinfo.org.uk/207mem_marham.htm
7. http://web.archive.org/web/20170723045927/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/BASES_RAF/Marham/raf_marham.htm
8. http://www.207squadron.rafinfo.org.uk/207Marhampostings_Canberra.htm
9. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2661 (207 Sqn ORB, December 1954, including Form 449 Monthly Amendment Lists): https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8426621
10. http://veterans.mod.uk/certificate-hi-res.php?SerialNo=R3695
11. http://veterans.mod.uk/certificate-hi-res.php?SerialNo=R3696
12. http://veterans.mod.uk/certificate-hi-res.php?SerialNo=R3694
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narborough,_Norfolk

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
13-Jun-2008 10:11	JINX	Added
07-Apr-2013 23:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
01-Nov-2018 08:31	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
10-Jan-2020 20:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Jan-2020 20:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
10-Jan-2020 21:13	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]
29-Apr-2020 17:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
16-Jul-2023 20:38	Nepa	Updated [[Source, Narrative]]