Whitley N1391 at Cottam airfield.
At 15.00hrs on 1st July 1940 this 102 Squadron aircraft swung on take off from Cottam airfield when the pilot was unable to control the aircraft. Minor damage resulted. This is drawn from the AM Form 1180.
The 102 Squadron records then state that the aircraft was used operationally just hours later, on the night of 1st / 2nd July 1940 it was flown on an operational flight to bomb railway yards at Hamm. It took off at 21.25hrs and landed at 04.17hrs. The aircraft does not then feature as flying operationally with 102 Squadron again. I believe the squadron records are wrong in stating it was used on Ops that night, it may well have been lined up for use but was then switched to a different one when N1391 was slightly damaged hours before the operational take off begun.
Pilot - P/O Anthony Glyndwr Davies RAF (40806).
Whitley N1391 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at the Baginton factory and was awaiting collection on 19th October 1939. It was delivered to 102
Squadron at Driffield in early January 1940 when the unit began converting to Whitley Mk.V's from Mk.III's. As stated above Cat.R/FA damage was recorded after the mishap at
Cottam on 1st July 1940. It was sent away for a repair in works. In early 1941 it was issued to 10 OTU at Abingdon where it served until suffering
Cat.E2/FA damage when it hit a tree at Bedworth, Warwickshire after suffering an engine failure on a night navigation exercise.