Lancaster DS844 at East Moor airfield.

On 24th December 1943 this aircraft was outbound to Berlin when it developed a technical fault and the crew were forced to return home early. They overshot the runway on landing at East Moor and the aircraft suffered Cat.A(c) damage. It was soon repaired and flew again.

Pilot - F/Sgt Walter Fernyhough RCAF. Of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

FEng - Sgt Jack Hembry RAFVR (174783). Of Coedpenmaen, Pontypridd, Glamorgan.

Nav - Sgt John V Musser RCAF. Of Wallenstein, Ontario, Canada.

AB - Sgt Henry J Kennedy RCAF. Of Brockville, Ontario, Canada.

WOp/AG - F/Sgt G Lamphier RCAF.

AG - Sgt Andrew Lagimodiere RCAF (R/186806). Of Winnipeg.

AG - Sgt D Racher RCAF.

On 29th June 1944 P/O Fernyhough DFC (J/85610) and his crew, including P/O J Hembry, P/O J Musser and P/O H J Kennedy, were lost when Halifax MZ591, of 432 Squadron, failed to return from Metz. Their aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at Chevrieres, near Creil. All are buried in Creil Communal Cemetery. The WOp/AG, P/O Woolfenden, baled out and became a PoW. This was P/O Fernyhough's thirtieth operational flight with 432 Squadron.

Walter Fernyhough was awarded the DFC just prior to his death with the award being granted only two days before his death, it was not Gazetted until 25th January 1946. He was born in Clyde, Alberta in 1923 and lived in Victoria prior to enlisting in Vancouver on 10th March 1942. He was Commissioned in March 1944. Hugh Halliday's research into RCAF awards has located the recommendation for his DFC and is dated 26th June 1944. At this date he had flown thirty operational flights (175 hours, 10 minutes) begining on 25th November 1943. The citation reads..

"Pilot Officer Fernyhough, as pilot and captain of aircraft, completed numerous operations against the enemy in the course of which he has invariably displayed the utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to duty."

Jack Hembry received his commission on 13th April 1944 to P/O on probation (emergency).
Andrew Lagimodiere was born in July 1919, he enlisted into the RCAF in 1941 and completed a Tour of thirty five operational flights with 432 Squadron. He died in May 2001 aged 81. In some respects he was lucky in that he contracted mumps in June 1944 and was grounded for a time but while he was grounded his regular crew were joined by the Gunnery Leader to make up the numbers. Following their loss in June 1944 he acted as a "Spare" air gunner with the squadron when he recovered and completed his Tour.

A Donald Lagimodiere RCAF was reported missing in Canada on 13th September 1943 after his twin-engined aircraft did not return from a flight over Nova Scotia to its base at Debert, Nova Scotia. he may well be related to our Lagimodiere.

Lancaster DS844 was built to contract AC.239 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was delivered directly to 426 Squadron at Linton on Ouse in October 1943 but was soon transferred to 432 Squadron at East Moor the following month. It suffered Cat.A(c)/FB damage in the incident detailed above and was repaired on site with repairs being completed by 14th January 1944. It was later transferred to 408 Squadron at Linton on Ouse in February 1944 and coded "EQ-X". It was lost, Cat.E(m), on 25th February 1944 when the crew failed to return from Ops to Schweinfurt. It is believed to have crashed in the River Rhine with seven killed, of which three were missing. DS844 completed only three operational flights with 432 Squadron with this incident detailed above being on the second.