Halifax LK764 damaged by a night-fighter, landed safely at East Moor airfield.

On the night of the 8th/9th May 1944 the crew of this aircraft were tasked with Ops to bomb the St.Haine and St.Pierre railway yards. The aircraft was attacked by a night-fighter on the return leg which inflicted damage to the undercarriage, starboard mainplane and starboard inner engine. The pilot was able keep some form of control and was able to land safely at East Moor but the damage was inspected and later declared Cat.B/FB. The crew were not thought to have been injured.

Pilot - F/Sgt John A McElheran RCAF, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Flight Engineer - Sgt Alec L Mellor RAFVR (1671436), of Liversedge, Yorkshire.

Navigator - WO2 Robert L Botsford RCAF, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Air Bomber - WO2 Westley L Blanchard RCAF, of Unity, Saskatchewan, Canada.

WOp/AG - F/Sgt Gustaf A Dieno RCAF, of Langley Prairie, British Columbia, Canada.

AG - F/Lt G Williams RAF

AG - Sgt S Easy RAF

Halifax LK764 was built to contract ACFT 891 by Fairey Aviation Ltd at Stockport and delivered directly to 432 Squadron at East Moor in February 1944. Following the incident above it suffered Cat.B/FB damage. Repair was completed on site by H.P. staff by the 12th June 1944 and it was later transferred to 434 Squadron at Croft in July 1944. Later in 1944 it transferred to 1659 HCU at Topcliffe but when this training unit disbanded on 10th September 1945 it was flown into MU storage at Clifton. It was then struck off charge and scrapped on 28th February 1947 and almost certainly broken up at Clifton/Rawcliffe.

LK764 was on it's fifteenth operational flight with 432 Squadron when it was damaged on 9th May 1944, it went on to complete twenty three between 1st March 1944 and 1st July 1944 before transfer to 434 Squadron.

F/Sgt McElheran (pictured above) completed thirteen operational flights with 432 Squadron between 22rd March 1944 and 7th June 1944 and had received his commission (J/86482) in this period. On his fourteen operational flight on 13th June 1944 in Halifax MZ601 which failed to return from Ops to Cambrai, crashing near Dunkirk. The five of the crew named above were lost including P/O McElheran, Sgt Mellor (aged 22), P/O Botsford (aged 28), P/O Blanchard and P/O Dieno (aged 24). All are buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery, France. Two survived with one of these evading capture.

John McElheran enlisted in Toronto in March 1942 and was posted overseas in June 1943. He was born in Toronto. His brother Cpl H R McElheran was serving in the Canadian Army at the time of his death.