DONALD PRATT
Donald Pratt was a Sergeant with 59 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
He was the son of Percy Edgar and Ellen Pratt and husband of Eileen Ruby Pratt of Wombwell, Yorkshire. He joined the Company in 1938 and working in the Rubber Factory. He left in 1940 to join the R.A.F at only 17 years old. He was married to Eileen nee Watson of Runwell in 1943, who gave birth to a daughter a few hours after his funeral at Wick in North Scotland.
Donald died on Friday 18th August, 1944, aged 21.
The grave of Donald Pratt in Wick Cemetery and other views of the Cemetery.
RAF Coastal Command Liberator BZ724 of 59 Squadron at Ballykelly,Northern Ireland, had been operating in the North Atlantic on an anti-submarine mission on the night of 17th/18th August 1944, when due to bad weather, and nearing the end of its lengthy patrol, it was diverted to RAF Tain in NE Scotland.
It would appear that after making a descent through cloud and very short on fuel, the Liberator struck the moor above Helmsdale and disintegrated. Most of the
crew of 10 had died in the crash, however a couple had survived, though one was so badly injured that he was to die before help could reach him.
The sole survivor of the crash was in fact the pilot, and he was still strapped in his seat, a little way from the wreck when two farmers Alex & Jock Cuthbert reached him and carried him off the hill.
Crew of BZ724.
Pilot: P/O John Lloyd. RNZAF.
Co-Pilot: F/O Ronald H.Legrow. RCAF.
Navigator 1: P/O Robert Seigler. RCAF.
Navigator 2: Sgt Harry F.J.Newell. RAFVR.
F/Eng: Sgt Ernest .N.Lowe.
W/Op: P/O Alan J.McLay. RAAF.
W/AG: Sgt Gordon.A.Grill. RAFVR.
W/AG: Sgt Donald Pratt. RAFVR
W/AG: Sgt Alan W.Christie. RAFVR. Bata Record 01.09.44
W/AG: Sgt Thomas H.M.Instone. RAFVR.
