Wellington Z8438 at Lindholme airfield.
On the night of 13th / 14th March 1942 this 305 Squadron aircraft was hit by flak on an operational flight to bomb Cologne which damaged the hydraulics. On their approach to land at Lindholme airfield the crew were forced to lower the undercarriage using the hand pump owing to the hydraulic damage. The flaps were also not working and when the aircraft was on the final approach the port engine failed. At 01.48hrs the pilot attempted to land quickly and downwind, the aircraft overshot and struck a building belonging to the airfield's rifle range. The resulting crash caused the aircraft to catch fire, and although two airmen were pulled clear one later died in Doncaster hospital. In total five Polish airmen died as a result of the accident.
Wellington Z8438 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was awaiting collection in October 1941. On 23rd October 1941 it was flown to 51 MU at Lichfield for preparation for operational flying. It was then taken on charge by 305 Squadron on 30th October 1941 at Lindholme. As a result of the crash at Lindholme on 14th March 1942 Cat.E/FB damage was the result of the inspection and it was then struck off charge on 18th March 1942.
Pilot - F/O Czeslaw Rymkiewicz PAF (P/0518). Aged 30. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Navigator - F/O Stanslaw Marian Ostaszewski VM PAF (P/0093). Aged 26. Died of injuries. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Pilot - P/O Mieczyslaw Kazimierz Dranicki PAF (P/1796). Aged 22. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Wireless Operator - Sgt Eugeniusz Bala PAF (P/780721). Aged 33. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Waclaw Sasin PAF (P/781342). Aged 25. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Mieczyslaw Kazimierz Galas RAF (P/784113). Injured.
Graves of the five airmen killed in this incident.
Some of those named above are shown on this photograph, the known men are.. F/O Ostaszewski (second from right), P/O Dranicki (first on right) and Sgt Galas (second from left).
F/Sgt Galas recovered from his injuries and was posted to 300 Squadron but was sadly killed on 13th May 1943 when Wellington HE295 was lost on Ops. He was twenty two years old and has no known grave.