Sgt Connolly remains the only member of the crew of Halifax JD174 who remains not fully identified. He trained as a flight engineer and probably met many of the other members of the crew involved in this incident at a Heavy Conversion Unit prior to posting to 408 Squadron. He was not injured after baling out of Halifax JD174 in July 1943 but appears to have been posted to 405 Squadron soon after, 405 Squadron were a RCAF Pathfinder squadron.

Sgt Connolly flying in Lancaster JA980 on the night of 8th/9th October 1943 with 405 Squadron on an operational flight to bomb Hannover, his aircraft was piloted by S/Ldr M S F Schneider RCAF who had been involved in three accidents in Yorkshire earlier in the war, his most serious incident when he was the only survivor from a crash near Northallerton in 1942. Lancaster JS980 took off from base of Gransden Lodge at 23.15hrs and bombed the target but was shot down by a night-fighter and crashed near Rinteln, Germany. He and one other airmen was able to bale out of the aircraft before it crashed and ther ended the War as Prisoners of War. The remaining five airmen did not survive and were killed, they were initially buried in "Steinbergen" but after the War were exhumed as part of the war grave identification process and re-buried in Hannover War Cemetery, Germany. The location of "Steinbergen" is not yet known but Steenbergen cemetery, Netherlands is where W/Co Guy Gibson VC, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar is buried. This would appear too great a distance from Rinteln to be connected to the crew of JA980.

I would love to fully identify Sgt Connolly and should there be anyone reading this who is able to add further information about him I would like to hear from you please.