On 29th January 1944 the crew of this 433 Squadron Halifax took off from Skipton on Swale at 00.19hrs for an operational flight to bomb Berlin. The aircraft was attacked by a Junkers Ju88 at 02.40hrs before the Halifax reached the target area while they were flying at 20,000 feet. The Ju88 was not seen until after it began it's attack and after which the mid upper gunner gave the pilot notification to take evasive action and while the Halifax was turning away both gunners returned fire, seeing their tracer bullets enter the Ju88. The Halifax received damage to the fuselage, port wing and starboard rudder with parts of it being completely shot away. A fuel tank was also holed which resulted in the aircraft losing fuel and the other damage meant the pilot had no rudder control. By 03.40hrs the Halifax crew had just release their bomb load over the target area and were flying at 21,000 feet when the mid upper gunner spotted a FW190 flying above them, he again instructed the pilot to take evasive action and as they turned away he fired at the FW190 which did not return fire and was not seen again. The pilot was able to get the aircraft back to Yorkshire but after crossing the Yorkshire Coast the fuel was getting very low so he ordered the crew to bale out. At 08.15hrs the aircraft came down near Cowesby Hall, north of Thirsk. Sadly the rear gunner opened his parachute too early and it got caught up in the remaining part of the aircraft's tail, he went down with the Halifax and was killed. The pilot landed in the yard of a "manor house" close to where the aircraft came down. In all 677 aircraft had taken part in the raid in which much damage was reported in the city, broken cloud covered the target at the time of the raid. Numerous accounts found on the internet give the crash location as much nearer the coast but as the rear gunner's death was registered where it was and he went down with the aircraft it does point to Cowesby as being the location. Of the rest of the crew who baled out, five were picked up reasonably quickly in the Thirsk area but the flight engineer remained unaccounted for. By mid-day he was still unaccounted so an air search was planned to attempt to spot his parachute from the air
Having been contacted by the pilot in late-2006 I received an account of what happened. In his own words; it reads.."We were approaching the target "Berlin" at approximately 22000ft with a full bomb load as part of a 1000 bomber raid when without any warning tracers went by my port window and there was vibration on my left rudder. I immediately took evasive action, diving to port and returning to level, it was not a good idea to do too much maneuvering around with 999 other aircraft in the vicinity. Luckily we threw him off without sustaining any more damage, apparently it was a Junkers 88 who came up from below us and our gunners never saw him until he fired a burst. The gunners were not injured during the attack, as a matter of fact I had reamed them out after we headed for home because they had not spotted him or fired a shot. We continued on through the target and dropped our bombs then made a gradual 180 degree turn and headed north towards Denmark. We got reports from the crew to see if we could determine how badly we were damaged, some of the wing tanks had been holed on the port side and the left rudder was just about destroyed, then it was finally decided that we could possibly make the coast of Britain with the fuel we had left, the alternative was a POW camp in Germany or ditch in the North Sea. After flying over Denmark, we headed straight west for Britain. We gradually lost altitude as the engines failed one after the other. We eventually reached the coast with one engine still supplying enough power to keep almost level when I gave the order to abandon the aircraft. The wireless operator handed me my chute and then he and engineer and the navigator and bomb aimer went out the front hatch. I was still in my seat when the aircraft dived straight for the ground, it must have been when the tail gunners chute hit the right rudder. I dived from the pilot's seat directly through the front hatch without touching a thing then pulled my ripcord, I could hear the plane spiraling down and then crashing and then I hit the ground. It was just getting daylight when I first looked around to find I was in the front yard of a big manor house. The owner, I assumed, came out and I told him what had happened so he phoned Skipton (on Swale) and told them where we were. It was only about an hour before someone arrived to take me to base. My navigator says he landed near a farm house probably back towards the coast."
Halifax HX281 was built to contract ACFT/1688/C4/C by Handley Page Ltd at Radlett. It was delivered directly to 433 Squadron at Skipton on Swale on 24th November 1943 not long after the unit formed and as the squadron were working up to being operational. The 433 Squadron orb is very hard to read. It appears that Halifax HX281 only flew the one operational flight, the one that saw it crash on 29th January 1944. Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded following the incident near Cowesby. It took some weeks for the paperwork to catch up with it being struck off charge on 20th February 1944.
Pilot - F/Sgt Jack Eldin Mitchell RCAF (R/139775), aged 22, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Flight Engineer - Sgt George Lumsden RAFVR (1590538). From the Newcastle-upon-Tyne area.
Navigator - F/O John Kenneth Shedden RCAF (J/22076), aged 22, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Bomb Aimer - F/O Rodney Denis Wilson RCAF (J/24328 or J/23428), of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - WO2 Stuart McDougall RCAF (R/90809).
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt John Francis McDonough RCAF (R/187569).
Rear Gunner - F/O Henry Cox RCAF (J/27318), aged 26, of Comox, British Columbia, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (C/J/16).
F/O Cox's gravestone at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. Henry Cox was born on 14th November 1918 in Lancer, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Henry and Ruby Georgina (nee Baker) Cox, he had three younger brothers and a sister with a brother Ralph also serving in the RCAF during WW2. Both his parents were born in the Chapel le Frith area of Derby, England but had moved to Canada just after getting married in February 1918. They probably emigrated to Comox where Henry Jnr attended school in the village of Lancer from 1926 until 1934. In 1934 they appear to have moved to the Comox area on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Vancouver Island with their family as Henry Jnr attended school in Comox from that date. By the time Henry Jnr enlisted for RCAF service his parents were still living in the Comox area on Vancouver Island and his father was a farmer. Henry Jnr was working as a store clerk and truck driver when he enlisted for RCAF service in Vancouver on 5th December 1941 and he initially enlisted for ground duties only and stated that he wished to become an airframe mechanic. He served as an airframe mechanic until re-mustering as aircrew and training as an air gunner in early 1943. He received a commission on 11th June 1943 to the rank of P/O on completion of his air gunner training in Canada and went overseas soon after. On arrival in the UK he further trained at 22 OTU beginning 20th July 1943 and then 311 FTU beginning 2nd September 1943 but then returned to 22 OTU where the bulk of this crew formed. They were part of "Course 47" and the 22 OTU record book has an excellent photograph of the course members. He and other members of his crew then trained at 1664 HCU beginning 21st October 1943 and were then posted to 433 Squadron on 29th November 1943. They were one of three crews posted in from Croft on that date.
The rear gunner in Jack Mitchell's 433 Squadron crew was initally replaced by W/O N S Brown RCAF but Sgt Stanley Herbert Bodaly RCAF would eventually become their regular rear gunner and would fly nineteen operational flights with the Mitchell crew before the rest of the crew were screened from operational flying having completed their Tour. After this Bodaly joined P/O McVeigh's crew for fifteen ops and completed his Tour as the rear gunner to F/O Heathcote, he received a commission and was later awarded the DFC for service with 433 Squadron. Stan Bodaly died in 2006.
Two virtually identical photographs of Jack Mitchell's crew, many of the names of those shown are not known. The one on the left was found on the internet detailing Stan Bodaly's life and the one on the right was given to me by Jack Mitchell. On the top left photograph Shedden, Mitchell is top right. Bottom left is their replacement air gunner Bodaly.
Jack Mitchell enlisted into the RCAF in November 1941 and did his initial training in Canada before completing his training in England with his crew named above. The main part of the crew had done their OTU training at Gaydon, in Warwickshire on Wellingtons, here they completed their first operational flight; to Boulogne. From Gaydon they were posted to 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit at Croft to complete their training. They joined 433 Squadron in late 1943. Jack Mitchell first flew operationally with 433 Squadron as a second pilot on 3rd December 1943 and again as a second pilot on the night of 20th / 21st January 1944. He flew his first operational flight with his own crew the following night to Magdeburg and the incident recorded above occurred on his second operational flight with his crew. Jack Mitchell received a commission later in 1944. P/O Mitchell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross whilst he was serving with 433 Squadron in 1944, the Award was effective from 15th September 1944 although the Medal was not presented until 18th June 1949. The citation gives more details of his actions in January 1944 and mentions the incident detailed above... "Pilot Officer Mitchell has completed many sorties over enemy territory including attacks against some of the most heavily defended areas in Germany. On one occasion when attacking Berlin his aircraft was attacked by a Junkers 88 and sustained much damage. One of the petrol tanks was pierced and much of the contents were lost. Nevertheless, Pilot Officer Mitchell pressed home his attack. En route for home one engine became useless. Pilot Officer Mitchell held resolutely to his course but, when nearing the English coast, the petrol supply became exhausted and he was compelled to give the order to leave the aircraft by parachute. In the face of great difficulty this officer displayed exceptional determination and devotion to duty."
Hugh Halliday's superb research into RCAF awards has found the recommendation for his DFC, it was made on 19th July 1944 when he had flown 35 sorties (204 hours 45 minutes); a complete Tour, it was combined with details of the events of January 1944 and they seem more than enough to qualify for such an award. The recommendation for the Award reads.. "This officer has completed a record of 36 complete sorties over enemy territory which includes attacks on the most heavily defended areas in Germany such as four trips to Berlin, Leipzig, Essen and Stuttgart. On one occasion when detailed to attack Berlin, the aircraft in which Pilot Officer Mitchell was flying was attacked by a Ju.88 from below and dead astern. Severe damage was done to the fuselage, port wing and starboard rudder which became unserviceable. Also the starboard petrol tank was holed and a heavy loss of petrol was thereby suffered. Despite this, Pilot Officer Mitchell pressed home his attack with the utmost determination and bombed the target. On the return trip whilst ten miles off Flamborough the starboard inner engine cut and the petrol guages read zero. The crew were unable to get any response on "Darky" and finally, due to lack of petrol, Pilot Officer Mitchell gave the order to abandon aircraft. All members of the crew safely took to their parachutes with the exception of the rear gunner whose ‘chute fouled in the tailplane. This officer's dogged determination, skill and devotion to duty in my opinion fully merits the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (Immediate)."
I would like to express my thanks to Mr Jack Mitchell for contacting me in 2007, without the information he has kindly allowed me to see this webpage would not be as detailed and for kindly sending me the photograph of his crew. Remarkable that when I set up this website little did I think it would lead to the pilot contacting me from one of the incidents I had recorded.
John "Jack" Shedden was born on 20th January 1922 in Calgary and after attending Balmoral School and Crescent Heights High School, he joined the RCAF in 1942. F/O John Shedden was also award the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions on the same raid involving Halifax HX281, his award was effective from 4th November 1944. The citation reads.."This officer has completed many operational sorties over such heavily defended targets as Berlin, Magdeburg, Stuttgart and Essen. On one occasion, during an attack on Berlin, his aircraft was severely damaged by a Junkers 88. Despite this he successfully navigated the bomber to within a few mile of his base when owing to a petrol shortage he was forced to leave it by parachute. At all times Flying Officer Shedden has displayed outstanding skill and determination." He was back in Canada in mid-May 1945. He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1949 and worked in architecture for many years. He died in Calgary in August 2010.
As for the other crew members not much is known.
A Stewart MacDougall of the Point Alexander area of Ontario, Canada is listed elsewhere on the internet as having served in the RCAF in the Second World War and is possibly the same man as involved in this incident at Cowesby. This Stewart MacDougall was the son of Lorne MacDougall and had two brothers, Lorne Jnr and Donald who both served in the Canadian Forces in WW2. A Stuart McDougall RCAF (later J/86902 is also a possibility).
Halifax HX281 came down towards the right side of this photograph, the location of where I understand the site to be is out of view but it is thought to be just behind the small hill at the far right right of the photograph. Due to the private nature of the land I have not been to the site.
Historians Eric Barton and Albert Pritchard sought permission from the then land owner in the 1990s and located a few fragments of the aeroplane enough to confirm the location. The photograph of the instrument face was one of these items.
