Halifax LK656 possibly in the Flixton area.
There are two recorded Halifax's that are believed to have come down in the Flixton area and
both were from the same 434 Squadron and both within a couple of weeks of one another. More is known of
the where-abouts of the other Halifax that this one and records still have to reveal the exact location.
I would also point out that the details regarding the loss of LK656 may be incorrectly recorded and it
may infact be an error and the location may well need correcting. Nafferton has also been suggested by
this may refer to where the crew landed. Three miles south west of Leven, East Yorkshire is also quoted.
What is confirmed is that on 20th January 1944 the crew of this aircraft took off from Croft airfield
at 16.25hrs to bomb Berlin. Just as the aircraft was releasing it's load of incendiaries at 19,000 feet
the aircraft was hit twice by flak. The first flak strike struck towards the rear of the bomb bay and
the second hit the fuselage near the wing root. The resulting damage was severe; the rudder control was
sheared off, there was no oxygen supply or electrics from the rest position backwards, all the aircraft's
aerials were missing and some of the electronics were destroyed. The aircraft stayed in the air, the
remainder of the bomb load was jettisoned although a number of remaining incendiaries caught fire in
the bomb bay and filled the cockpit with smoke. This fire was later put out and the pilot made for
home using only aileron controls to steer the aircraft. The engines had not been damaged and there
was no problem to the speed or height being lost. As the aircraft reached the British coastline
the intercom between the pilot and the wireless operator failed and soon after crossing the coast
with the pilot begining to loose control and out of fuel they abandoned the aircraft somewhere in the Driffield area.
There is a suggestion that the aircraft continued on its own way for a period before crashing somewhere
in the Flixton area to the west of Filey at 23.59hrs.
Some of the crew suffered heavy landings; the pilot sustained head injuries, and the bomb aimer
and rear gunner both sustained head and leg injuries.
Pilot - F/Sgt F W Johnson RCAF (R/148521). Injured.
FEng - Sgt S G Phillips RAF (1314422?)
Navigator - P/O Robert W (Bob) Davis RCAF (J/20968), of Verdun, Quebec, Canada.
Bomb Aimder - Sgt "Jim" D Campbell RCAF (R/154869), of Winnipeg. Injured.
WOp/AG - Sgt A Hession RAF (1503980?)
MUG - Sgt William G Whitton RCAF (R/191709), of Paris, Ontario, Canada.
RG - Sgt Donald M Tofflemire RCAF (R/187609), of Leeming, Ontatio, Canada. Injured.
434 Squadron historian Mr Alan Soderstrom has kindly supplied me with further information
regarding the enemy action. The above photograph is taken from his website and shows F/O Bob Davis RCAF.
Don Toffelmire died in 2007, he was eighty six years old.
Halifax LK656 was built to Contract ACFT/891/ by Fairey Aviation Ltd at Stockport and delivered directly to 427 Squadron
at Leeming in late September 1943. It was transferred to 429 Squadron also at Leeming in November 1943 when the unit re-equipped
with Halifax MkV's, having previously flown MkII's. It transferred to 434 Squadron at Croft in December 1943. Following the
incident detailed above Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded.