During the day of 13th March 1941 this 10 Squadron aircraft was one of a number flown from their regular base of Leeming to Dishforth airfield where the unit began their operational flights from on this date. This aircraft then took off from Dishforth airfield at 20.19hrs to begin an operational flight to bomb Hamburg.
While nearing the target area the aircraft was held in searchlights for twelve minutes and the pilot took evasive action to avoid flak. The aircraft descended from 12,000 feet to 8,500 feet, then down to 5,500 feet when the bomb load was released. During this time a flak shell entered the aircraft, it passed through the aircraft from the port side to the starboard side entering the aircraft at the port wing root and eventually bursting in the starboard wing root. It passed through both auxilliary fuel tanks and the entry hole was later measured at some six inches across. On their return to England they made a safe landing at Leeming at 03.44hrs probably counting themselves very lucky to have made it home. In the 10 Squadron ORB Appendix "AIR27/148" in the National Archives it shows a number of photographs of a battle damaged unidentified Whitley dated 14th March 1941. I believe that this may well show the damage sustained to Whitley P5016 or Whitley T4263 which suffered damage the previous night.
Pilot - Sgt John McHale RAFVR (741064).
Second Pilot - P/O William Freund RAFVR (88870).
Observer - P/O Anthony John Mulligan RAFVR (89770).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Alexander Millar RAFVR (902583).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John Albert Fawkes RAF(AAF) (819035).
F/Sgt John McHale was later posted to 76 Squadron, he was killed on 13th August 1941 when Halifax L9562 crashed
near Middleton St.George. F/Sgt McHale is buried in Leeds Roman Catholic Cemetery.
Anthony Mulligan received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 3rd January 1941 (with seniority of 3rd November 1940). He was promoted to
F/O on 3rd January 1942 and F/Lt (war subs) on 3rd January 1943 (with the same two months back-dated seniority). After serving with 10 Squadron he would
later served with 156 Squadron PFF. He was awarded the DFC and DSO for service with them, the DFC Gazetted on 9th November 1943 and the DSO Gazetted on
20th July 1944. He was later reported as missing flying over the Bermuda Triangle after WW2.
Sgt John Fawkes was later posted to 405 Squadron. He was killed on 24th July 1941 when Wellington W5537 failed to return from Ops to Brest. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Alexander Millar received his commission on 19th December 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation (114578). He was promoted to F/O on probation on 1st October 1942 and to F/Lt on 19th December 1943. He was Mentioned in Despatches with a huge number of other air force personnel on 8th June 1944 but he was killed on 11th September 1944 while serving with 156 Squadron when Lancaster ND534 failed to return from an operational flight to Gelsenkirchen. He was twenty eight years old and is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
William Freund received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 30th November 1940 (with seniority of 19th November 1940). Nothing more is known about him, he doesn't appear to have been died during WW2 or risen from the rank of P/O.
Whitley P5016 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 30th May 1940 but it appears to have lingered in MU storage until being called up as a replacement for Whitley P4993 "ZA-V" lost on return from ops to Stettin on 14th October 1940. It is possible that the aircraft was on charge before that date as a spare aircraft. As a result of the incident on 14th March 1941 Cat.A/FB would have been the assessment although it does not feature in the published Air Britain history of the aircraft. It was lost on 28th June 1941 when it failed to return from Ops to Bremen. Cat.E m/FB damage was recorded.