Hampden L4062 at Lindholme airfield.
On 26th September 1940 this 50 Squadron aircraft had set out for an operational flight to Calais in the early evening, leaving Lindholme airfield at 19.23hrs. On their return to Yorkshire they found the Lindholme area blanketed in fog, while coming into land at 23.50hrs the aircraft struck trees near the airfield and crashed. Two crew were injured. The photograph above shows the crashed Hampden.
Pilot - P/O Robert Trevor Mulligan RAF (41864), of Martinborough, Wellington, New Zealand. Injured.
Pilot - P/O George Olaf Roy Kilner RAF (42401). Seriously injured.
Air Gunner - Sgt Cyril James Smith RAF (612904). Uninjured.
Air Gunner - P/O George William Leonard RAFVR (79211). Uninjured.
Robert Mulligan was granted a Short Service commission on 1st April 1939 as Acting P/O on probation. He was graded as P/O on probation on 21st October 1939 and later
re-graded as P/O on 23rd January 1940 before receiving promotion to F/O on 21st October 1940. F/O Mulligan (pictured above) and Sgt Smith were posted missing on Ops on
8th December 1940 when Hampden X3004 was lost on Ops over the North Sea. F/O Mulligan was twenty one years old, Sgt Smith's age is not stated on the CWGC register. Both
men are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
George Kilner was granted a Short Service commission on 5th August 1939 to the rank of acting P/O on probation. He was graded as P/O on probation on 24th March 1940. His
Commission was "terminated on cessation of duty" on 7th March 1941, one assumes he was too seriously injured in the accident at Lindholme to resume his duties.
George Leonard received a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on probation on 18th May 1940, he was graded as P/O on probation on 15th June 1940 and confirmed in the
rank of P/O on 18th May 1941. He was later promoted to F/O (war subs) on 15th June 1941 rising to F/Lt (war subs) exactly a year later. He survived the War and remained in
the RAFVR until relinquishing his commission of F/Lt in July 1954. During the first half of the War he had served with 50 Squadron for some time and was awarded the DFC for
service the Squadron, Gazetted on 23rd December 1941. The citation reads.."This officer has participated in numerous operational sorties over Germany and German occupied
territory. He is a determined rear gunner whose skill and grand team spirit have been most noteworthy. On one occasion, on the outward journey to attack Berlin, his aircraft
was intercepted by an enemy fighter whilst crossing the Dutch coast. F/O. Leonard shot down the hostile aircraft before its pilot had even time to open fire, thus enabling
his own pilot to fly on and complete the sortie successfully."
Hampden L4062 was built to contract 549267/36 by Handley Page Ltd. at Cricklewood. It would have gone into M.U. store after completion. The aircraft was intially allotted to 50 Squadron on 2nd December 1938 and was taken on charge by them at Waddington on 9th December 1938 when the unit began converting from Hawker Hind's to Hampden MkI's. On 5th May 1940 it was slightly damaged by flak on a mine laying flight over a Norwegian fjord that injured one of the then crew. A return to the UK was achieved and it was repaired on site at Waddington. On 10th July 1940 it moved to Lindholme with 50 Squadron but was written off following the incident at Lindholme a couple of months on 26th September 1940 with Cat.W/FB damage recorded after assessment. It was struck off charge on 12th October 1940.