Wellington BJ918 at Dishforth airfield.
At 18.05hrs on 28th February 1943 the crew of this 425 Squadron aircraft were in the process of taking off for an operational flight to St.Nazaire when the starboard engine failed. The pilot made a rough landing at 18.05hrs near, what was then known as, Dishforth Crossroads, just north of the airfield. The crew escaped injury but the bomb load did not explode. The site may well be now under the more modern road network that links the A1(m) and the A168 roads.
Wellington BJ918 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden. It was received by 23 MU on 1st October 1942 and was then taken on charge by 425 Squadron on 10th October 1942. As a result of the damage sustained on 28th February 1943 Cat.B damage was the provisional damage assessment but it was later re-assessed and written off with Re-Cat.E/FA damage on 9th March 1943.
Pilot - Sgt Joseph Henry Normand Brousseau RCAF, of Cap de Madeleine, Quebec, Canada.
Navigator - Sgt "J H Moreau RCAF" (Possibly Gerald or Jerry Moreau RCAF).
Wireless Operator - Sgt John D L Fontaine/Fontain RCAF, of Rosemount, Quebec, Canada.
Bomb Aimer or Wireless Operator - F/O Dennis Bertram James Hodgetts RAFVR (123849), of Birmingham.
Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Alfred Henri Bernard Marceau RCAF, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Air Gunner or Bomb Aimer - P/O Thomas Robert Clifford Irwin RCAF (J/22523), of St.Boniface, Manitoba, Canada.
"Ben" Marceau was later posted to 434 Squadron. On 11th March 1945 he was flying Ops to Essen in Lancaster KB834 when the aircraft was shot down by flak over the target area. He was the sole survivor but sustained serious injuries and spent the rest of the war in hospitals until being liberated, he was flown to England and treated at East Grinstead for his burns in what became known as the Guinea Pig hospital. He later returned home to Canada and died in December 2008.
Dennis Hodgetts was born in the West Bromwich area of Birmingham in 1922. He received a commission on 29th June 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 29th December 1942 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 29th June 1944. He also married in the Smethwick area of Warwickshire in 1944 and died in the Bromsgrove area of Birmingham in 2005. It is possible he was a relation of Dennis Hodgetts, Aston Villa and England footballer in the late 1800s.
On the night of 14th / 15th April 1943 P/O Irwin was flying in Wellington HE733 on Ops to Stuttgart when the aircraft failed to return to base, he was on the run for a month before being taken prisoner of war.
Joseph Brousseau was born in September 1921 and was living in Cap de la Madeleine when he enlisted in Montreal on 29th May 1941. was later commissioned and awarded the DFC for service with 425 Squadron, Gazetted on 29th October 1943. The citation reads.. "Pilot Officer Brousseau as captain of aircraft has participated in a large number of successful sorties at night against heavily defended targets in German and Italian territory. Throughout his operational career this officer has been conspicuous for his devotion to duty and his exceptional coolness and courage in hazardous circumstances." He was not awarded it while serving in Europe and his DFC was posted to him in Canada in 1948. Although he initially left the RCAF after the War he rejoined the RCAF Auxiliary in Montreal in 1949 as pilot, and served with 438 Squadron before finally retiring in 1954.