Wellington W5479 damaged by flak, returned to Driffield airfield.
On the night of 27th / 28th August 1941 104 Squadron supplied Wellingtons and crews for an operational attack on Duisburg and this aircraft took off from base of Driffield at 23.49hrs. The aircraft was held in search lights over the Krefeld area and sustained flak damage, the flak torn away a large piece of the doped fabric from the area around the second pilot's seat. Because of this damage the crew opted to release their bomb load over Krefeld and make for home. They landed safely at Driffield at 05.18hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Thomas Taranto RAAF (402010).
Second Pilot - Sgt Butler.
Observer - P/O Bradley.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Douglas Frederick Conley RAFVR (1162271).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Alfred Harold Hayward RCAF (R/52692).
Air Gunner - Sgt Williams (Possibly Sgt David Williams RAFVR (1255051)).
Sgt's Taranto and Conley were killed with 148 Squadron on 29th October 1941 while flying in North Africa in Wellington Z8330. Both are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.
A few days before this flak incident Sgt's Conley and Williams were flying in Wellington W5482 on 2nd / 3rd August 1942 when their then pilot made a forced landing in a cornfield near Blyth, Northumberland. All escaped injury.
Alfred Hayward was part of the 104 Squadron group that formed 158 Squadron in February 1942. He was then made a PoW on 8th May 1942 when Wellington W5387 failed to return from Ops to Warnemunde.
If the Sgt Williams at 104 Squadron was the same person involved in the incident to Wellington W5479 in August 1941 then a Sgt David Williams RAFVR (1255051) was posted from 104 Squadron in September 1941 and by 20th September 1942 he was serving with 158 Squadron. On this date he was killed when Halifax W7777 crashed near Saarbrucken. He is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery.
Wellington W5479 was built to contract B71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was delivered to 51 MU on 5th April 1941. It was issued to the newly reformed 104 Squadron at Driffield on 26th April 1941. It was struck by lightning on 16th May 1941 on an operational flight which slightly damaged the aircraft and it was repaired on site after landing. Cat.A.FA damage was probably the damage assessment although the incident is not recorded on the aircraft's AM Form 78. On 4th July 1941 it sustained Cat.Ac/FB damage though the 104 Squadron records do not list this aircraft as sustaining any damage on the night's operational sortie to bomb Brest. It was repaired on site at Driffield. On the night of 27th / 28th August 1941 it was slightly damaged by flak which tore away some doped fabric from around the second pilot's seat area. The incident is not recorded on the aircraft's AM Form 78 so Cat.A/FB damage was probably the result of any assessment and repair would have been carried out locally at Driffield. It sustained minor Cat.Ac/FA damage in a landing accident at Pocklington on 31st January 1942 and was again repaired on site. Once repaired towards the end of March 1942 it was immediately transferred to 158 Squadron at Driffield, the squadron formed out of "C-Flight" of 104 Squadron on 14th February 1942. It the moved with 158 Squadron to East Moor on 4th June 1942. Following a mishap there on 6th July 1942 Cat.B/FA damage was recorded after assessment. It was transported for a repair at the works factory at Doncaster. After repair it spent time with 23 MU and then 33 MU before being issued to the OAPU on 11th May 1943. 311 Ferry Training Unit at Moreton in Marsh then obtained the aircraft on 21st May 1943. It was then transferred to No.3 O.A.D.U. at Hurn on 29th July 1943 and was then flown out to the Middle East theatre in Augsut 1943. No record of aircraft's history in the Middle East is yet known other that it was struck off charge on 27th April 1944.