Hampden P1254 damaged by enemy aircraft, landed at Finningley airfield.
On the 5th September 1940 the crew of this 106 Squadron aircraft were undertaking a circuits and landings flying exercise having taken off at 20.20hrs. The aircraft was attacked by an enemy aircraft and sustained damage but the pilot was able to make a safe landing at 22.10hrs, believed to have been at base of Finningley. The crew were uninjured as a result of this incident. The pilot had used the aircraft earlier in the day for a solo local circuit flying exercise. The other named airman may have been another pilot or an air gunner and at that date 106 Squadron seems to have had a few Sgt Taylors' who were air gunners.
Pilot - Sgt John Edwin Hills RAF (566066).
? - Sgt Taylor.
Sgt Hills was posted to 106 Squadron from 16 OTU on 23rd June 1940. He was soon posted from 106 Squadron to 61 Squadron as he was sadly killed on 24th
September 1940 when his Hampden X2911 collided with Hampden P4397 over Lincolnshire. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Oxford.
Hampden P1254 was built to contract 773239/38 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was awaiting collection in August 1940. It was allotted to 9 MU on 9th October 1939 and was received by them later in 1939. The aircraft was taken on charge by 106 Squadron at Finningley on 29th February 1940. As a result of the battle damage on 5th September 1940 Cat.B/FB damage was the damage assessment which then saw it patched up on site and then flown to Handley Page for a full repair in works two days later. When the repair was complete it was flown to 8 MU on 22nd September 1940 for storage. The aircraft was taken on charge by 14 O.T.U. at Cottesmore on 20th November 1940. On 17th April it sustained minor Cat.Ac/FA damage in a flying accident, possibly at Cottesmore though no details of how this happened are yet known. It would have been repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 25th October 1941 it was force landed near Benwick, Cambridgeshire, when the crew became lost in bad visibility whilst circuit training and three of the then crew were injured, Cat.R/FA damage was recorded and it was again taken away to be repaired in works. On completion of the repair it was again flown into MU storage at 47 MU on 1st September 1942. On 10th August 1943 it was selected for transfer to the RCAF and was flown to No.3 O.A.P.U. at Llandow for preparation for the overseas flight but was then deemed unsuitable / unserviceable before this transfer to Canada happened so was flown to 48 MU on 2nd December 1943. It then passed to 44 M.U. at Edzell on 18th December 1943 for long term storage where it remained until being struck off charge on 20th February 1944 and it was scrapped.