Hampden AD764 damaged by enemy fighters, returned to Lindholme airfield.
On 29th June 1941 this 50 Squadron aircraft took off from Lindholme airfield at 17.55hrs to undertake a search of the North Sea. The crew were to attempt to locate a dinghy from the missing 77 Squadron Whitley Z6568 that had radioed a message to say that they were ditching around a hundred miles off the Yorkshire / Lincolnshire coast on return from Ops. This 50 Squadron crew located the Whitley's dinghy at 19.12hrs and dropped a Lindholme rescue dinghy near to it. Shortly after dropping the Lindholme dinghy the Hampden was attacked by four Me109s and over a five minute period received several cannon and machine gunfire strikes before they were able to fly into cloud and loose the attacking aircraft. The Hampden pilot received an injury to the shoulder during the course of the attacks and despite the aircraft's hydraulic system being damaged the crew managed to land safely at Lindholme. The crew of the 77 Squadron Whitley were picked up by Royal Navy ship but sadly one of the five airmen, Sgt Bernard Caldwell Culy Harpur, died in the Lindholme dinghy shortly before rescue came.
Pilot - P/O William Bernard Christophers RAF (43025)
Navigator - Sgt Sidney Owen Hirschfield RAFVR (754017).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt W H Thompson RAFVR (971130).
Air Gunner - Sgt Jack Raymond Merry RAFVR (992444).
Jack Merry received a commission in 1944.
P/O Christophers was posted out of 50 Squadron on 31st July 1941 as "non-effective sick". He had been involved in a potentially serious incident on 29th July 1941 flying Hampden AD902 when flying a mine laying flight, the aircraft flew through electrical storms which disabled the aircraft's radio equipment and some of the flying instruments. Ice began to build up across the aircraft. The crew were unable to drop the mine over the area specified because of thick cloud so brought it all the way back to an area described as being north-east of Hull before jettisoning it. The Hampden then crash landed back at Swinderby and received enough damage to write it off after assessment. P/O Christophers and also Sgt Thompson escaped injury. Christophers doesn't appear to have suffered any phyiscal injury around 31st July 1941 but whether the mental strain had become too great and he had received a posting off a front line bomber squadron isn't yet confirmed. I think it likely. After 1941 he received no further promotions, which is unusual for a serving RAF officer.
Hampden AD764 was built to contract B.67577/40 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury. It was allotted to 24 MU on 1st January 1941 and was received by them on 11th January 1941. It was taken on charge by 50 Squadron at Lindholme on 15th June 1941. As a result of the damage sustained on 29th June 1941 minor Cat.Ac/FB damage was the assessment but a repair on site was not made. On 8th Jult 1941 it arrived at a works factory (I can't read the AM Form 78) and then on 15th July 1941 it arrived at the Tollerton depot for a repair in works to be made. During this period it was converted to TB.1 specification. On completion of conversion it was placed in MU storage. In September 1943 it was taken on charge by 5 (C)O.T.U. at Turnberry where it remained until failing a major inspection just before 19th September 1943. On that date it arrived at the Tollerton repair facility again but was not repaired. It was struck off charge on 16th December 1943.
Sgt Hirschfield was killed on 5th August 1941 flying in 50 Squadron Hampden AE137 that crashed in Germany on Ops to Karlsruhe. He is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.