Whitley Z6796 damaged by flak, returned to Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 3rd / 4th July 1941 this 102 Squadron Whitley took off from Topcliffe at 23.07hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb marshalling yards at Essen. The crew released their bomb load over the target area from 10,000 feet. During the course of being over the target area at 02.30hrs the aircraft was held in search lights and received minor flak damage, a fragment of flak broke through the cockpit window and struck the pilot in the right shoulder. He was able to fly the aircraft safely back to base where they landed at 05.31hrs.
Pilot - W/Co Horace Paul Burwood RAF (26256).
? - Sgt Peter Service Thompson RAFVR (958416).
? - Sgt Dennis Cramp.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Louis Edward David Lindsay RAFVR (905091).
Whitley Z6796 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 3rd June 1941. It was taken on charge later
the same month by 102 Squadron based at Topcliffe. As a result of this flak incident and a second one on 7th September 1941 Cat.A/FB damage would have been the result of any assessment although this first one is not listed in the published Air Britain history of the aircraft. It would have been repaired on site both times and returned to 102 Squadron use. On 8th November 1941 it was lost with Cat.E(m) damage when it failed to return from Ops to Berlin with the loss of all the then crew.