Whitley P5020 at Dishforth airfield.
On the night of 8th / 9th January 1941 this 51 Squadron aircraft flew an operational flight to bomb Emden Naval Yards. The aircraft took off from Dishforth at 17.35hrs and released their bomb load over the target area from 14,000 feet at 22.00hrs. On landing at Dishforth at 00.13hrs the aircraft overshot and came to rest at the boundary of the airfield with minor damage resulting.
Pilot - P/O Peter Myers RAF (83257).
Sgt Welch
Sgt Hurst
Sgt Radford
Sgt David
Whitley P5020 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 2nd June 1940 and was
taken on charge by 51 Squadron at Dishforth the following month. It was therefore a fairly old aircraft when it was damaged on 8th January
1941 in the incident recorded above. The damage was repaired on site and it was returned to unit but it's time with 51 Squadron was then short
lived as by the end of March 1941 51 Squadron had ceased operating 'P'-serial Whitley's. The aircraft was transferred firstly to 19 OTU at
Kinloss in April 1941 and then on to 24 OTU at Honeybourne in 1942. In April 1944 24 OTU ceased operating Whitley's and all aircraft were
transferred to long term MU storage where it remained until being struck off charge and broken up and returned to produce on 10th June 1944.