Whitley N1420 at Driffield airfield.
On the evening of 11th January 1940 this 102 Squadron aircraft was used on an operational sweep to search for enemy shipping and had taken off from Driffield at 13.00hrs. On return to land at Driffield the pilot misjudged the height at which he was at owing to ground fog and frost. A heavy night landing was made at 19.30hrs and the aircraft received damage to the propellers. The squadron record state this pilot flew N1375 on this date but also gives him flying N1420 stating it was damaged. There is also no AM Form 1180 for N1375 on this date but there is one for N1420.
Pilot - P/O John James McKay RAF (40404).
Navigator - P/O Anthony Zillwood Pengelly RAF (41459).
? - Sgt R Pollitt.
? - AC1 R C Jackson.
? - LAC G E Golding.
John McKay received a commission to Acting P/O on probation on 9th January 1938, he was graded as P/O on 28th October 1938 and later promoted to F/O on 28th May 1940. He was awarded the DFC for service with 102 Squadron, Gazetted on 11th February 1941, while in the rank of Acting F/Lt though no citation for his DFC has been located. He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 28th May 1941 and to S/Ldr (temp) on 1st June 1942 and later to S/Ldr (war subs) on 12th June 1943, as Acting W/Co he was later posted to 178 Squadron and was awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 15th October 1943 for service with this unit. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 14th January 1944 with a huge number of other airmen. He was awarded the DFC (USA), Gazetted on 29th September 1944 while serving with 160 Squadron "for distinguished achievement as a pilot of heavy bombardment aircraft on operational missions. On the night of December 1st/2nd, 1942, when other elements of his formation were forced by bad weather to return to their base without reaching their target, he proceeded alone and completed a most successful raid on Tripoli harbour. His example of inspirational leadership has done much to account for the distinguished record of achievement of 160 Squadron." Having been promoted to W/Co (war subs) on 12th November 1944 he survived the War and was later granted a permanent commission in the RAF as S/Ldr but under the regulations still carried his war substantive rank. He relinquished his war substantive rank of W/Co on 1st November 1947 and reverted to S/Ldr (substantive). He was later Mentioned in Despatches for service in Malaya, Gazetted on 16th September 1949. He was later promoted to W/Co on 1st January 1951 and to G/Cpt on 1st July 1957.
Anthony Pengelly was born in Truro, Nova Scotia in 1920 and joined the RAF in 1938. He was granted a short service commission as Acting P/O on probation on 14th December 1938. He was graded as P/O on probation on 3rd September 1939 and was confirmed as P/O on 6th October 1939. He was later promoted to F/O on 3rd September 1940 and F/Lt (war subs) on 3rd September 1941. He ended the War as a PoW having been captured while flying Whitley P4936 on Ops to Berlin on the night of 14th / 15th November 1940. While a PoW he spent time in the POW camp made famous for the Great Escape, he was heavily involved in the Great Escape being "The Forger". Post-War he returned to Nova Scotia and was later appointed as President of the Association of Canadian Advertisers. He retired to Niagara on the Lake and died in April 2002.
Whitley N1420 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was delivered to 102 Squadron based at Driffield in December 1939. In the published records for this aircraft it is listed as being slightly damaged on 12th January 1940 and following the incident minor Cat.M/FA damage was recorded, it was repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 26th May 1940 it sustained Cat.M/FA on landing at Driffield following Ops to Bapaume, France. Again it was repaired on site but was then destroyed in the air raid on Driffield on 15th August 1940.