Wellington T2960 possibly at Snaith airfield.
On the night of 24th / 25th October 1941 the crew of this 150 Squadron aircraft were hit by flak during an operational flight to Frankfurt, the aircraft was badly damaged but the pilot was able to return to the UK and land without further incident. They had left Snaith at 19.50hrs and landed at 01.55hrs, this is believed to have been at Snaith although Bottisham is also suggested (and if correct the incident requires deletion from this website as Bottisham is outside the Yorkshire remit for inclusion). The aircraft was later inspected and was deemed too badly damaged to be repaired and was written off.
Pilot - Sgt Wilkinshaw.
Second Pilot - Sgt John Brooke Skrender RAFVR (912387).
Observer - Sgt Alfred Wilkinson RAFVR (999628).
? - F/Sgt Leigh (possibly J C L Leigh RAF (1322733)).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Franklin Burton Grundy RCAF (R/54105).
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Marcus Sutton RAFVR (1250695).
Frank Grundy was born in 1909 to Henry Franklin Grundy and Mable Surbray Grundy though his sister is given as his next of kin when he died suggesting
that both their parents were dead by 1942.
John Skrender later received a commission on 20th March 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). P/O Skrender (120486) was sadly killed
on 22nd July 1942 flying in Wellington X3590 on Ops to Duisburg. The aircraft suffered engine failure and was partly abandoned but two member of the
crew were killed including P/O Skrender who is buried in Bergen General Cemetery, Holland. He was twenty four years old and had gained a BSc at London
University prior to enlisting.
Alfred Wilkinson also received a commission on 2nd January 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). P/O Wilkinson was flying
with P/O Grundy and Sgt Sutton again on 28th April 1942 in Wellington X3700 on Ops to Cologne when the aircraft crashed in the target area. Wilkinson
was 24 years old, Grundy was aged 33 and Sutton 21. All are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
If F/Sgt Leigh was indeed F/Sgt J C L Leigh then he became a PoW as a result of Lancaster ME639 failing to return on 26th February 1944 following Ops
to Augsburg. A memorial marks the crash site today in which four members of the crew lost their lives. This aircraft and crew were on the books of
166 Squadron. He was probably John Leigh, born in Chester in 1922.
Nothing is known of the pilot "Sgt Wilkinshaw" if this is the correct spelling of his name. A pilot in 420 Squadron, P/O William Alexander
Walkinshaw RCAF died on 8th April 1943 and could well be our man. This needs further research to confirm it.
Wellington T2960 was built to contract B38600/39 by Vickers Armstrong Ltd. It was allotted to 12 MU on 29th November 1940 but the date they received it is not known. It was taken on charge by 305 Squadron on 1st February 1941 and then transferred to 150 Squadron on 27th July 1941 at Snaith. It's AM Form 78 states that it was repaired on site on 14th August 1941. This almost certainly refers to it having being damaged by flak on the night of 11th / 12th August 1941. The squadron records only state that one of their aircraft was damaged but does not identify it. T2960 was the only aircraft used on 11th / 12th August 1941 not to be used on their next operational sortie on 14th August 1941 so seems likely to have been damaged. Once repaired it was returned to 150 Squadron use. The initial damage assessment following the incident on 25th October 1941 appears to have been repairable Cat.B but this was then reassessed as Re-Cat.E and struck off charge on 1st November 1941