Whitley Z6723 damaged by flak, returned to Linton on Ouse airfield.
On the night of 27th / 28th June 1941 the crew of this 58 Squadron Whitley were undertaking an operational flight to Bremen and set out from Linton on Ouse at 23.25hrs.
The aircraft sustained slight flak damage over Germany but the crew were able to make a safe return to base and landed at 06.25hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Ryan.
Second Pilot - Sgt John Andrew Trevor Meredith RAFVR (1153692).
Observer - Sgt Lewes Alan Likeman RAFVR (904027).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Proctor (Possibly Sgt Kenneth George Proctor RAFVR (1105679)).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Harwood (Possibly Sgt Reginald John Harwood RAFVR (952271)).
Sgt Harwood died on 20th April 1942 when 58 Squadron Whitley Z9388 crashed off Fastnet Rock. His body was never found and he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
John Meredith was granted a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 16th February 1942 and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 7th July 1942, but the unit he was awarded this with is not listed in the London Gazette notification. I would guess he was instructing at an OTU or HCU at the time and flew in the Thousand Bomber raid on Cologne for which his DFC was awarded. The citation for his DFC reads.. "One night in May 1942, P/O Meredith, as captain of an aircraft carried out an attack on a target in Cologne. On the return journey his aircraft was damaged and two of his crew were wounded. Despite this P/O Meredith, with great skill and determination flew his damaged aircraft for over two hours through searchlights and intense anti-aircraft fire. He eventually landed at an airfield near the English coast without further damage to his aircraft or injury to his crew." He was later promoted to F/O on 16th August 1942 and F/Lt on 16th January 1944. F/Lt Meredith was killed on 9th / 10th May 1944 when 83 Squadron Lancaster ND494 was badly damaged by flak on an operational flight to bomb the Gnome and Rhone factory at Gennevilliers, France. A number of the crew survived the eventual crash in Northern France but he and two others of the crew died as a result. He was twenty eight years old and is buried in Evreux Communal Cemetery, France.
Whitley Z6723 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 24th April 1941. It was taken on charge by 58 Squadron on an unknown date. As a result of battle damage on 27th / 28th June 1941 and 8th / 9th August 1941 the damage was almost certainly repaired on site but it is not mentioned in the aircraft's published history. Cat.A/FB was the likely assessment of the damage. The aircraft later served with 19 OTU at Kinloss and 10 OTU at Abingdon before finally transferring to 24 OTU at Honeybourne. All Whitley's with 24 OTU were placed in storage awaiting disposal by April 1944. It was finally struck off charge on 28th June 1945.