Unidentified Wellington at Linton on Ouse airfield.
On the night of 9th / 10th November 1941 the crew of this 405 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Hamburg. They took off at 17.17hrs but before they reached the target area the captain of the aircraft became unwell. The crew opted to bomb Wilhelmshaven instead and on the return trip the radiator on the port engine broke. They were then directed to land at Linton on Ouse at 23.21hrs but it landed with one wheel off runway which caused the aircraft to enter a swing and then the aircraft ground-looped. After
coming to a halt one of the engines caught fire. No casulaties were reported. The aircraft was coded LQ-H, which was Wellington W5476 three weeks later when most of those listed below were killed flying in it, because of the damage sustained on 9th November 1941 I would suggest that W5476 was a replacement as it would have probably taken more than three weeks to fix the damage after this accident at Linton on Ouse.
Pilot - Sgt Robert Jaffray Frost RAFVR (1168027).
Second Pilot - Sgt Alan John Knight RCAF (R/71689).
Observer - Sgt Jack Cecil Donkin RCAF (R/65200).
? - Sgt William Leslie Evans RAFVR (1152551).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Charles Edward Hillmer RCAF (R/64424).
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Percy Mann RCAF (R/61354).
Robert Frost received a commission on 27th January 1942 and would survive the War.
Knight, Evans, Hillmer and Mann were killed flying Wellington W5476 on 30th November 1941. Their aircraft was ditched in the North Sea but no trace was ever found of the crew and all are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Jack Donkin was killed on 29th December 1941 when Wellington W5561 failed to return from an operational flight. He is buried in Sage War Cemetery, Germany.
The aircraft would have been a Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. Weybridge built aircraft to contract B.71441. It was almost certainly assessed as having Cat.B/FB damage and was repaired.