Wellington Z1291 damaged by friendly fire, returned to Holme on Spalding Moor airfield.
On the night of 7th / 8th December 1941 the crew of this 458 Squadron aircraft were tasked with an operational flight to attack Calais docks.
They left base at 20.21hrs and bombed from 16,500ft near to the flare-path and made for home but were hit by friendly anti-aircraft
gun fire while over North Foreland, Kent. The aircraft sustained damage to the front turret but the pilot was able to return to Holme
on Spalding Moor and land at 01.06hrs without further incident.
Pilot - P/O James Clark RAAF (402439), (parents of East Ipswich, Queensland) of Waverley, New South Wales, Australia.
Second Pilot - Sgt Roy McDowall Beattie RAAF (404228), of Lagoon Pocket, Queensland, Australia.
Observer - Sgt F Hall RAF (999013).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt F Makin RAF (1258469).
Air Gunner - Sgt Alwyn Raymond Downe RAAF (406326), of Perth, Western Australia.
Air Gunner - Sgt John Maxwell Scott RAAF (404043), of Ashgrove, Queensland, Australia.
Many of this crew would fly together for many months in different squadrons and I will try and make sense of all the information gathered below,
some of which is hard to get into a cronological order. At the start of 1942 it became more common for airmen to form regular crews, prior to this
it was not common practice for set crews to always fly together. Prior to begining their operational flying many of those named above had trained
at 21 OTU. Clark arrived at 458 Squadron on 15th September 1941, Beattie, Makin and Hall arrived on 14th October 1941. Downe trained with 11 OTU and
was posted to 458 Squadron on 6th November 1941.
James Clark was born on 28th August 1915 in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia. He enlisted in Sydney on 19th August 1940 and trained at 21 OTU
in the UK. After serving with 458 Squadron he was posted back to 21 OTU possibly for instructional duties by mid-1942. On 26th May 1942 he was on board
Wellington DV657 which collided with Wellington X9934 at Moreton-in-Marsh and he sustained leg injuries. He later recovered from his injuries and flew
operationally again being posted to 458 Squadron, attached to 148 Squadron in the Middle East.
458 Squadron moved to the Middle East in 1942 and it is believed that all of those on board this aircraft would see service in this Theatre of the War. Of those named
above, Clark, Hall, Makin, Downe and Scott later were posted back to 21 OTU before returning to 458 Squadron and then transferred/attached to 148 Squadron
by September 1942. On 3rd September 1942 all those named were on board Wellington DV893 which flew into rising ground in Egypt. Sadly Sgt Downe, who was in
the front of the aircraft, was
killed but the others escaped with their lives. Infact none were seriously injured. Sgt Downe is buried at Heliopolis War Cemetery, Egypt, he was married
and thirty two years old. He was born in June 1910 in Katanning, Western Australia and had enlisted on 11th November 1940 in Perth.
S/Ldr James Clark was later posted to 460 Squadon, as Commanding Officer of the unit he sadly died on 12th December 1944 flying in Lancaster PB542 on
Ops to Essen. The aircraft was shot down by flak and crashed near Bergerhausen, Germany. S/Ldr Clark AFC, DFC, MiD was twenty nine years old, married and
with a young son. He was initially buried locally but is now buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. He was awarded the DFC (in 1943), the AFC
(on 1st September 1944) and was MiD (on an, as yet, unknown date). He was married to a Yorkshire girl; from Normanton, Wakefield. I thank Mr Graham Sharpe
for the colour photograph of his CWGC gravestone.
He later had a spell at 21 OTU in July 1943 before being posted back to operational flying with 24 (RAAF) Squadron and flying Liberators in the Far
East. F/Lt Beattie DFM was killed on 2nd July 1945 in an air crash near Balikpapan, Borneo. His Liberator A72-64 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire.
The bodies of all thirteen airmen were later recovered and buried locally but are now buried in Labuan War Cemetery, Malaysia. F/Lt Beattie DFM was twenty four years old.
Somewhat rarely F/O John Scott DFM RAAF (who was with him at 458 Squadron and in Z1291 in this incident detailed above) was also on Lancaster PB542,
he is also buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. His DFM was Gazetted on 23rd March 1943 with 148 Squadron. Of interest is that he had also married a
Yorkshire girl, almost certainly romance developed during his time at Holme on Spalding Moor, where his wife lived at Prospect Farm. He was born in April
1917 in Toowoomba, Queensland and enlisted in Brisbane.
Roy Beattie was born on 20th August 1920 in Brisbane, Queensland where he enlisted on 19th July 1940. After 458 Squadron he too was posted to the Middle
East and later was posted to 37 Squadron on 9th October 1942 where he was awarded the DFM on 25th May 1943 for service with 37 Squadron, the citation reads.."This airman has maintained a high standard of efficiency and thoroughness throughout his tour of operational duty. In December 1942 when detailed to
attack Heraklion in Crete his aircraft was hit and damaged by an anti-aircraft shell. The aircraft became very difficult to control and only by the most
skillful handling did F/Sgt Beattie succeed in manoeuvering it back to base. One night in March 1943 F/Sgt Beattietook part in operations against enemy
troop concentrations in the battle area and completed his sortie successfully in spite of the fact that he and his crew had previously to refuel the
aircraft un-aided. This airman has invariably displayed initiative and determination of a high commenable nature."
Wellington Z1279 was built to contract B.97887/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Chester (Hawarden) and was awaiting collection in September 1941, it was flown to 12 MU at
Kirkbridge for storage on 28th September 1941 and was taken on charge by 458 Squadron at Holme on Spalding Moor on 15th October 1941. As a result of damage sustained there on 8th December 1941 Cat.A/FB was the assessment and it was repaired on site but the incident is not recorded on it's AM Form 78. 458 Squadron ceased operating within Bomber Command in January 1942. On completion of repair the aircraft was transferred to 300 Squadron at Hemswell on 10th February 1942 where it was coded "BH-F". It was slightly damaged on Ops on 27th March 1942 which saw Cat.Ac/FB damage being the damage assessment and it repaired on site. 300 Squadron received the aircraft on 18th April 1942. On 18th May 1942 it moved with the unit to Ingham and on 4th June 1941 it was ditched on return from Ops to Bremen with Cat.Em damage recorded. It was ditched some thirty five miles East of Great Yarmouth and all the crew were rescued.