Whitley T4130 damaged by flak, returned to Leeming airfield.
On the night of 17th / 18th September 1940 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft were tasked with an operational flight to Hamburg to bomb The Bismark which was believed to be in dock there,
the secondary target of The Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven was briefed to crews. This crew bombed the primary target twice between 00.30hrs and 01.08hrs and bombs were seen to hit the deck
of the ship, believed to have been The Bismark though they did not actually identify The Bismark itself. Anti-aircraft fire was intense and accurate and the aircraft was hit and
damaged in the port wing close to the exterior port wing fuel tank and near the flare chute in the floor of the fuselage. The crew were able to keep control of the aircraft and landed
back at Leeming at 06.04hrs. All on board were the same as who flew Whitley T4152 when it sustained minor damage on 15th September 1940 at Leeming.
Pilot - Sgt Victor Snell RAFVR (745231).
Second Pilot - Sgt John Eustace Rowlett RAFVR (741334).
Observer - P/O Frank Reginald Goddard RAFVR (78990).
Wireless Operator - Sgt Robert Edward Nicholson RAF (611204).
Air Gunner - Sgt Alexander Strachan Shand RAF (630244).
On 18th September 1940 Sgt's Snell, Nicholson and Shand were in Whitley P4957 which landed at the dummy airfield at Cold Kirby on the North Yorkshire Moors on return from
Ops and the aircraft sustained damage, the incident is recorded on this website. Sgt Nicholson was awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 26th August 1941
but effective from 29th September 1940 (only days after the incident at Leeming recorded above and possibly an "immediate" DFM though as he was made a PoW there was probably
no need to make the award of it too hurried). As stated above on the night of 30th September / 1st October 1940 Sgt Snell, Sgt Shand and Sgt Nicholson were flying in Whitley
T4130 on Ops to Berlin when the aircraft was shot down over Germany. Sgt Snell was killed and Sgt's Shand and Nicholson were taken prisoner of war. Victor Snell was twenty
six years old, he is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. I thank Graham Sharpe for the photograph of Sgt Snell's gravestone.
Whitley T4130 was built to contract 38599/39 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 30th July 1940. It was delivered to 10 Squadron at
Leeming on the same day, it sustained minor damage as a result of the incident recorded above on 18th September 1940 and was soon repaired, it then sustained Cat.M damage
when it force landed in a field on return from Ops on 25th September 1940. It was repaired on site and was back with 10 Squadron within days. On 1st October 1940 to failed
to return from Ops to Berlin, with Cat.W(m) damage being recorded. The aircraft was shot down near Badbergen with Sgt Snell being killed and Sgt's Shand and Nicholson were
taken prisoner of war.
Frank Goddard received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 5th May 1940. He rose to F/O (war subs) on 5th May 1941 but transferred to the Admin and Special Duties
Branch on 19th August 1941, he later was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 1st January 1943. He survived the War and remained in the RAF and worked in the Aircraft Control and
Fighter Control Branches until 2nd December 1949 when he reliquished his commission and was appointed to the newly reconstituted R(Aux)AF. He finally resigned his commission
and left the Auxillary airforce on 2nd December 1957.
John Rowlett was probably born in the Birmingham area of the country in 1914. He learned to fly at the civilian Cambridge Aero Club and gained his Royal Aviators
Certificate (Cert.No.18857) on 26th June 1939. He was killed on 16th January 1941 flying with 10 Squadron on Ops to Wilhelmshaven in Whitley T4220 and was lost without
trace. Sgt Rowlett is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial and was twenty seven years old. He is also commemorated on the Ombersley War Memorial in Worcestershire.