On the night of 3rd / 4th June 1940 the 77 Squadron crew of this Whitley undertook an operational fight to Gelsenkirchen-Buer to attack a synthetic oil plant, they left Driffield at 21.20hrs and bombed the target. Landing at Driffield at 02.45hrs on wet grass an uncontrollable swing developed resulting in the port undercarriage collapsing and the aircraft being substantially damage.
Pilot - F/Lt John Alexander Crockett RAF (37730).
Second Pilot - Sgt Thomas Edward Coogan RAF (534642).
Observer - Sgt Victor Charles Cowley RAF (580883).
Wireless Operator - LAC Verey.
Rear Gunner - P/O Read. Slightly injured.
Whitley N1410 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 30th October 1939 and was then issued to 77 Squadron at Driffield
in early November 1939 during the units conversion from Mk.IV Whitley's to Mk.V's. On 15th April 1940 it moved with the unit to Kinloss and then on 4th March back with the unit to
Driffield. On 4th June 1940 Cat.R/FB damage was recorded after it crashed on landing at Driffield. It's history refers to it being deemed beyond the capabilities of repair on site and
being dismantled and transported to Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton for repair in works. It also states that officially on completion of these repairs in late 1940 it passed into MU
storage. This however must be not correct as it was still with 77 Squadron in September 1940 so the first repairs possibly were made on site and it was returned to the squadron. It was
damaged by flak on Ops on 11th September 1940 (recorded above) and was probably then sent for repair in works after the flak incident in September 1940, after repair it was issued to
19 OTU at Kinloss on an unknown date in 1941. It later transferred to 10 OTU at Abingdon on an unknown
date and coded "RK-Z" and served in the training role until being withdrawn from service; being flown to an MU store where it remained until being struck off charge on 16th August 1944.
John Crockett M.B., B.Ch. was initially granted a commission of F/O in 1934 in the Medical Branch and posted to 5 FTS at Sealand in June 1934. In September
1934 he was posted to 3 Armament Training Camp at Sutton Bridge. He later resigned this commission on 1st December 1934 and left the Medical Branch. He reverted
to an Acting P/O but climbed again to P/O
on 3rd February 1937 and had been posted to 9 Squadron (based at Scampton) on 10th January 1937, before postings to
61 Squadron (based at Hemswell) on 20th March 1937 and then to 77 Squadron on 28th June 1937 (based at Honington).
He was made F/O on 3rd September 1938 and then to acting F/Lt on 6th March 1939 but he relinquished this on 1st June 1939
and reverted to F/O. Here some of his rises in rank are not known but he was made S/Ldr on 3rd February 1942 and later
to W/C (War substantive rank). He survived the War and in January 1946 extended his service for a further five years but reverting to S/Ldr.
He transferred to the Secretarial Branch in August 1947 and was later made G/C on 1st July 1955.
Thomas Coogan was born in 1916 in Cheshire. Sgt Coogan crashed landed Whitley N1356 at Jurby on the Isle of Man on 8th June 1940 while on a training flight with 77 Squadron. He was the second pilot of Whitley T4206 that crashed at Topcliffe on return from Ops to Stettin on 15th October 1940 and was slightly injured. He was awarded the DFM on 17th January 1941 for service with 77 Squadron and having completed his Tour he was later posted to 19 OTU but was sadly killed on 16th March 1942 flying Lysander R9120 when the aircraft crashed onto Findhorn Beach, near Kinloss, killing him and Sgt Brian Phillips RAAF. He is buried in Kinloss Abbey Burial Ground.