During the day of 14th 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 19.15hrs to begin an operational flight to bomb Rotterdam. The crew bombed at 22.15hrs from 11,000 feet but the aircraft was hit and damaged by flak bursts. The starboard fuel tank was one of the damaged parts to the aircraft. Despite the damage the crew managed to make a safe return to base and land at Leeming at 01.15hrs.
Pilot - F/O William Desmond Boxwell RAF (42555).
Second Pilot - Sgt Basil Sidney Craske RAF (754886).
Observer - Sgt Hubert Richard Heighton RAFVR (745475).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Henry Hooley RAF (751264).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt C E Harrison RAF (755530).
William Boxwell received his commission to the rank of acting P/O on probation 19th August 1939, he was graded as P/O on probation on 1st January 1940 and
confirmed in the rank of P/O on 26th June 1940. He was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 31st January 1941 and to F/Lt on 31st January 1942.
He later served with 150 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 8th September 1944 while in the rank of Acting S/Ldr. He survived the War and remained in the RAF until 20th June 1957.
Sgt Heighton was killed flying with 10 Squadron on 8th July 1941 when Whitley Z6816 failed to return from Ops to Osnabruck. He was twenty three years old and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt Craske was still serving with 10 Squadron on 16th August 1941 and was the pilot of Whitley Z6805 undertaking Ops to Cologne. His aircraft was shot down over Germany and he was reported as being a PoW.
F/Sgt Hooley flew in the first two Thousand Bomber raids in May / June 1942 with 22 OTU. He was awarded the DFM for service with 196 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th October 1943.
He was awarded the Air Force Cross for later service, Gazetted on 1st January 1951.
Sgt Harrison saw out the War as a PoW. I have not yet located the aircraft in which he was flying.
Whitley P5109 was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 16th August 1940. It was taken on charge by 10 Squadron in October 1940 almost certainly as a replacement for N1483 "ZA-I" which ditched in the North Sea on return from Berlin on 1st October 1940. As a result of the minor damage on 15th March 1941 Cat.A/FB damage would have been the assessment, it was then damaged again by flak on 29th / 30th April 1941 and again Cat.A/FB damage was probably the assessment although neither incidents were recorded on the aircraft's published Air Britain history. It would have been repaired on site at Leeming both times. On 4th May 1941 on return from Ops it overshot on landing at Leeming, one of the undercarriage legs collapsed and it sustained damage. Again any damage assessment does not feature in the published Air Britain history, it sounds like more serious damage than Cat.A/FA but as it does not appear to have gone back to a factory for repair in works it sounds like it was repaired on site at Leeming. On 12th September 1941 it failed to return from Ops to Warnemunde and Cat.Em/FB damage was recorded on the paperwork. It was ditched eighty miles off the English coast when low on fuel.