Lancaster W4331 damaged on Ops, returned to Breighton airfield.
On the night of 2nd / 3rd February 1943 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were undertaing an operational flight to bomb Cologne and left Breighton airfield at 18.30hrs. The crew dropped their bomb load over Cologne at 21.09hrs and made for home and landed safely at Breighton at 00.02hrs. It was later found that the and the bomb doors had been buckled due to icing on the airframe. The damage was later repaired.
Pilot - P/O Kenneth Hugh Grenfell RAAF (403735), of Watsons Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Edward Alexander Baldwin RAAF (22230), of Annerley, Queensland, Australia.
Navigator - Sgt Ian Robert Richardson RAAF (401246), of Preston, Victoria, Australia.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Ronald Cordingley RAFVR (1008290), of Salford, Lancashire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner? - Sgt D Simpson RAAF.
Air Gunner - Sgt William Liness Charles Hickling RAAF (400433), of North Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Lincoln Potter RAAF (406680), of Perth, Western Australia.
Kenneth Grenfell was born on 23rd May 1914 on the tiny island of Ocean Island (Banaba), Gilbert Islands and needless to say was probably their only native to fly from Yorkshire airfields in the War. Phosphate mining took place on the island around that time but his parents were there working for the Church. He and his family were living in Watsons Bay, New South Wales, Australia when he enlisted into the RAAF on 3rd March 1941 in Sydney and he would receive his commission on 7th November 1941. On arrival in the UK he trained at 27 OTU, he, Sgt Potter and Sgt Cordingley of those listed above survived the crash of Wellington Z8949 at Tatenhill on 6th October 1942. He and almost certainly Potter and Cordingley were then posted to 460 Squadron together in late October 1942 but remained there for just a few days as 460 Squadron were about to convert to fly Lancasters so he was posted out convert with 1656 HCU in November and December 1942 to return to 460 Squadron on 19th December 1942. He flew his first flight with 460 Squadron the following day. While in the UK he married and his wife, Sister Mabel Grenfell, worked at Stockton and Thornaby Hospital, Stockton on Tees, Co.Durham. The photograph of him shown above was found on the Australian National Archives website.
On the night of 29th/30th March 1943 the then Acting F/Lt Grenfell, Potter and Cordingley were flying Lancaster W4327 on Ops to Berlin when they were attacked by a night-fighter and shot down, both the Lancaster crews air gunners returned fire before control was lost and are reported in succeeding in shooting down their attacker. Both aircraft crashed in Holland with the loss of the whole of the Lancaster crew and probably the whole of the Luftwaffe crew. F/Lt Grenfell was twenty eight years old, Sgt Cordingley was twenty nine and F/Sgt Potter was thirty one (he was born on 9th March 1942 in Claremont, Western Australia and enlisted in Perth). All are buried in Hardenberg Cemetery, Overijssel, Holland.
William Hickling was born on 14th February 1922 in East Brunswick, Victoria and enlisted into the RAAF in Melbourne. After serving with 460 Squadron he was later posted to 156 PFF Squadron and first flew operationally with them on 3rd April 1943. For service with 156 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 12th November 1943 for "courage & coolness as gunner in face of heavy fire".
WO William Hickling was killed on 20th December 1943 flying in Lancaster JA674 which failed to return from Ops to Frankfurt. The aircraft was attacked by night-fighters and exploded over the Hirtenkopf Forest area. The bodies of the six other members of his crew were found and buried locally but formally. His body was not found until for some months in the forest near the crash site by a forester, the forester buried him where he found his remains but recorded the location. In the years after the War the wargraves investigations found all seven graves and exhumed their bodies to try and identify them and they are now buried together in Hanover War Cemetery. Warrant Officer Hickling was twenty one years old. The photograph of him shown above was found on "www.awm.gov.au".
Edward Baldwin was born on 26th March 1941 in Brisbane and enlisted into the RAAF there. F/Sgt Baldwin was killed on 13th June 1943 flying Ops to Bochum in Lancaster W4329 and is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. He was twenty two years old.
Ian Richardson was born on 26th December 1915 in Preston, Victoria and enlisted into the RAAF in Melbourne. He was awarded the DFM for service with 460 squadron, Gazetted on 14th May 1943 but was not presented until 14th March 1944 at Buckingham Palace. The citation for his DFM reads.. "This airman has taken part in many operational sorties over Germany, Occupied France and Italy. In the height of attack, F/Sgt Richardson has shown a quiet confidence, checking his calculations with a calm deliberation and thus contributing largely to the safe return of the bomber through heavily defended zones." He was later awarded the DFC again for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 6th June 1944 and survived the War.
Lancaster W4331 was built to contract B.69274/40 by A.V.Roe & Co.Ltd. at Chadderton. It was taken on charge by 460 Squadron at Breighton on 23rd October 1942 and sustained Cat.A/FB damage as a result damage on 17th January 1943. A repair on site followed. On 3rd February 1943 it sustained minor Cat.A/FB when the bomb doors were buckled and it was again repaired on site. On 17th April 1943 it was lost on Ops to Plzen with it's then crew of seven being killed. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge on 30th April 1943.