Whitley P4961 damaged by flak, returned to Dishforth airfield.

On the night of 17th / 18th May 1940 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft were tasked with bombing an oil storage plant near Bremen, they left base at 20.51hrs and the bombs were dropped within a eighteen minute period but no bursts were seen to due evasive action being taken. The aircraft was hit by flak and the tailplane and starboard side of the fuselage received damage. The pilot was able to make a safe return and land at Dishforth at 03.20hrs without further damage and the aircraft was later repaired.

Pilot - Sgt James Grant MacCoubrey RAF (580264).

Second Pilot - P/O Keith James Somerville RAF (41486),

Observer - Sgt Gilbert Bell RAF (580995).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - LAC John Patrick D-Arley Mitchell RAF (550746), of West Heslerton, Yorkshire.

Rear Gunner - AC R Myers RAF (624594).

James MacCoubrey was born on 23rd February 1915. He was awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 30th July 1940, the recommendation for his DFM reads.."Before his appointment as Captain of Aircraft, Sgt MacCoubrey acted as second pilot and navigator during eight successful operational missions. Since this time, he has completed a further 14 successful missions, involving the attacking of oil plants, marshalling yards and other important enemy targets. This airman has displayed a splendid devotion to duty and a determination to complete his missions successfully. His work with the squadron has been of the utmost value.” After completing his Tour he was posted to 19 OTU to instruct. On 18th February 1941 he was the pilot of Whitley N1373 which was undertaking a training flight, the aircraft stalled while trying to land at Forres and crashed. He was granted a commission as P/O on probation (emergency) on 8th January 1941 (with seniority of 1st January 1941). P/O MacCoubrey sustained serious injuries and sadly died on 21st February 1941. He is buried in Glasgow Lambhill Cemetery.

Gilbert Bell was granted a commission as P/O on probation (emergency) on 20th December 1941 (47578), he was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st October 1942. As Acting F/Lt and while serving with 9 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 7th December 1943. He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 20th December 1943. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 14th January 1944. On 10th May 1944 he was flying in Lancaster LM520 on Ops to Lille when the aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter near Forest-Sur-Margue, France. It seems likely that his body was recovered and buried locally but name is now listed on the Runnymede Memorial.

By searching the internet for this airman a posting by his brother on a webforum in 2005 was found, he stated that he had a copy of a letter to his father from the Air Ministry in 1947 stating that Gilbert's body was buried in Forest-Sur-Marque Communal Cemetery. It is likely that the Post-War wargraves investigation team could not identify his body when they exhumed his remains so he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

John Mitchell was born in Brighton in 1920 to Capt and Mrs Mitchell but moved to the Rillington area of Yorkshire with his family when he was young. He attended Rillington School and later Malton Grammar School and joined the RAF at the age of fifteen. He had flown regularly since the outbreak of the war up until around the end of June 1940 when he contracted a serious illness (currently known). He sadly died in Ilkley of this illness on 8th August 1940 and is buried at Thorpe Bassett Churchyard, Yorkshire. It is worth pointing out that he is one of my "local" casualties and that he attended the same school as I did. He appears to have left 10 Squadron just after the incident in May 1940 detailed at the top of this page and his name is not featured in William Chorley's Bomber Command Losses Roll of Honour book suggesting he was not serving in Bomber Command at the time.

Nothing is known of AC Myers after this incident other than he remained at 10 Squadron as a wireless operator / air gunner at least until mid-August 1940.
Keith Somerville was granted a commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on probation on an unknown date. He was graded as P/O on probation on 3rd September 1939 and confirmed in the rank of P/O on 6th October 1939. He was promoted to F/O on 3rd September 1940 and was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 22nd November 1940. He was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 3rd September 1941 and to S/Ldr (war subs) on 18th December 194, then to W/Co (war subs) on 1st September 1945. After serving with 10 Squadron he was later posted to the Wireless Development Unit (later renamed 109 Squadron) at Boscombe Down and was part of the team behind the development of the OBOE blind bombing system. He was awarded the AFC for this work as Acting W/Co, Gazetted on 1st January 1944. He was later posted to commanded 105 Squadron and in March 1945 he was awarded the DSO service with 105 Squadron, the award was Gazetted on 27th April 1945 and the citation reads.. Acting "Group Captain Somerville has a long and distinguished record of operational flying, having completed more than 100 sorties, most of them against well defended targets. He has displayed a high degree of skill throughout and his example of coolness and courage in the face of the fiercest enemy fire has inspired all with whom he has flown. His sterling qualities have been reflected in the efficiency and fine fighting spirit of the squadron he commands." He died in September 2004.
Whitley P4961 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection in mid-April 1940. It was allotted to 10 Squadron at Dishforth on 19th April 1940 amd was taken on charge by them at Dishforth on 8th May 1940 during their conversion from Mk.IV Whitley's to MkV's. Following flak damage on 18th May 1940 Cat.M/FB damage was the assessment and it was repaired on site.. The aircraft then moved with the unit to Leeming 8th July 1940. It was damaged by flak on 12th August, Cat.M/FB damage being the damage assessment. Again it was repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 8th / 9th September 1940 the aircraft was being flown on Ops to Bremen when the rear gunner baled out over Germany slightly damaging it. It was swiftly repaired on site It was damaged again a few days later by flak on 17th / 18th September 1940. On 21st October 1940 it suffered minor battle damage and was repaired (possibly at Cold Kirby if the damage prevented the aircraft being ferried back to Leeming). On 21st December 1940 the aircraft was returning from ops to Berlin when it was abandoned near Harleston, Suffolk and its then crew escaped injury. The aircraft was written of as a result of this incident. The aircraft was struck off charge on 2nd January 1941 when the paperwork caught up.

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