Whitley N1386 damaged by flak, returned to Driffield airfield.
On the night of 11th/12th May 1940 102 Squadron were undertaking Ops to Munchengladbach, this aircraft took off at 20.35hrs, bombed from 2000 feet but the aircraft sustained flak
damage in two places. The crew were able to return safely to Driffield and land without further incident at 03.25hrs.
Pilot - F/Lt David William Hew Owen RAF (39332), of Pinkney's Green, Berkshire.
Second Pilot - P/O James Douglas Warne RAF (40447).
Observer - Sgt Duncan Henry James Barrett RAFVR (580865).
? - Cpl R Bailey.
? - LAC J C Sharpe. (Possibly James Carson Sharpe (C/17283), of Saskatchewan, Canada. Later served with 617 and 619 Squadrons.)
He remained in the RAF Post-War and was appointed to a permanent commission of S/Ldr on 1st September 1945. He was awarded the CBE on an unknown date. He rose to W/Co on 1st
January 1951 and to G/Cpt on 1st January 1958 before retiring. He died in 1991 in Surrey.
F/Lt David Owen was killed in action with his then crew when Whitley N1380 was lost on Ops to Ribemont. The aircraft crashed at Hamegicourt, near St.Quentin, France on 20th
May 1940. His brother AC2 Robin Owen died on active service in 1944.
Duncan Barrett was sadly killed days after this incident on 20th May 1940 he is buried in Hamegicourt Churchyard, Aisne, France. He was also flying with F/Lt Owen in Whitley N1380.
James Warne was born in 1916 in St.Austell, Cornwall. He was granted a short service commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on probation on 9th January 1938 and confirmed in the
rank of P/O on 25th October 1938. His brother Peter Ellis Warne died on RAF service, missing on 17th April 1940 while serving with 107 Squadron flying Blenheim L8041 on Ops to
Stavanger. He had two other brothers who served in the Army and Navy. James Warne was promoted to F/O on 25th May 1940, F/Lt (war subs) on 25th May 1941 and to S/Ldr (temp) on
1st June 1942 and to S/Ldr (war subs) on 23rd June 1942. He was awarded the DFC, Gazetted with other 4 Group personnel on 22nd October 1940 while in the rank of Acting F/Lt, and
the Bar to the DFC, for service with 58 Squadron, Gazetted on 21st November 1941 while in the rank of Acting S/Ldr. He was also awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 22nd January 1943 for
service wth 148 Squadron while in the rank of Acting W/Co and was Mentioned in Despatches on 11th February 1947 for distinguished service in South East Asia, terminating on 30th
November 1946, while in the rank of Acting W/Co.
Whitley N1386 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was awaiting collection in October 1939. It was delivered
into MU storage but quickly issued to 102 Squadron then based at Driffield in November 1939 when the unit began to re-equip with Whitley MkV's,
having operated Whitley MkIII's from October 1938. Cat.M/FB was recorded following this first flak damage incident in May 1940 as detailed above and it was repaired on site
by a team from Marshall's, of Cambridge, who were permanently based at Driffield purely for the purpose of battle damage repair of Whitley's and were kept busy. It was flak
damaged again a week later and again repaired on site. It then moved with the unit to a number of bases over the following months; on 25th August 1940 it moved with the unit
to Leeming, on 1st September 1940 to Prestwick, on 10th October 1940 to Linton on Ouse but must have 102 Squadron soon after as Whitley P5072 carried the same squadron code
in November 1940 suggesting N1386 wasn't there by that date. It was transferred to 19 OTU at Kinloss in October 1940 where many old Whitleys passed through. On an unknown
date it was transferred to 10 OTU at Abingdon but by 2nd December 1944 it had been transferred to long term MU storage. It was struck off charge on 28th June 1945 to be
broken up and re-used in aircraft production.