Whitley Z6800 damaged by flak, returned to Topcliffe airfield.

On the night of 12th / 13th September 1941 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Frankfurt and set out at 20.12hrs. Similiar to Whitley Z6958 this aircraft was also hit by flak after bombing from 15,000ft, the pilot was able to make the return to land at Topcliffe without further damage at 05.20hrs.

Whitley Z6800 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 6th June 1941 and was taken on charge by 77 Squadron at Topcliffe later the same month before being transferred to 102 Squadron also at Topcliffe. As a result of the minor flak damage on 1st September 1941 Cat.A/FB was recorded on the paperwork and the aircraft was repaired on site and returned to the unit. It sustained minor damage on the ground at Topcliffe on 6th September 1941 and then was flak damaged on 12th September 1941, it was twice repaired on site and continued to be used by 102 Squadron until being lost on 30th November 1941 when it failed to return from Ops to Hamburg, Cat.E(m) was recorded and sadly four of the five crew were killed with one being made a PoW.

Pilot - Sgt John Walter Stell RAFVR (1051815).

Second Pilot - P/O Sidney James Brownlee Hamilton RAFVR (62703).

Observer - Sgt D C Wilson.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Charles "Maxie" Miller RAFVR (970515), of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Brown RAFVR (1100635), of South Shields, Co.Durham.

Air Gunner - Sgt Thomas Oswald McIlquham RCAF (R/67064), of Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada.

F/Sgt Stell was later posted to 76 Squadron and lost on 4th June 1942 in Halifax R9457 on Ops to Bremen. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. The aircraft crashed on land and in more recent years the crash site has been found and there is a possibilty that human remains found at the site may be his.
Maxie Miller was involved in a number of mishaps in Yorkshire during his time with 102 Squadron. He was later posted to an OTu for instructional duties.
Thomas McIlquham was born in Carleton Place in 1911, he enlisted into the RCAF in July 1940. He was involved in a number of mishaps before completing a Tour with 102 Squadron for which he was awarded the DFM in July 1942. Hugh Halliday's research states that on one occasion the aircraft he was in blew up and his turret landed in a haystack saving his life. The citation for the DFM reads.."One night in May this airman was the rear gunner of an aircraft detailed to attack Cologne. His aircraft was attacked by a Focke Wulfe 190. Sergeant McIlquham waited until the fighter was within short range and then opened fire. Upon a second attack being made he fired a long burst which sent the enemy aircraft spinning to the ground. Later the same night Flight Sergeant McIlquham destroyed another Focke Wulfe 190. One night in June he was the rear gunner of a bomber detailed to attack Bremen. His aircraft was attacked by a Messerschmitt 109. He fired two bursts and the enemy aircraft broke away and fell out of control with the engine on fire. Flight Sergeant McInquham is a cool and skilful air gunner whose courage and determination are an inspiration to the squadron." His award was presented at Buckingham Palace in November 1942, soon after he was posted back to Canada on instructional duties, 102 Squadron veteran Ed Cooke recalls, in an internet posting, this was rumoured to be because he used to take a high powered light with him in the rear turret to lure enemy aircraft in try and pick them off. He was later commissioned in October 1943 and survived the War. He sadly drowned in January 1956 after trying to rescue his son after his lorry went through the ice into Mississippi Lake on a fishing trip. He was undoubtably a very skillful air gunner.
Sgt Brown was flying in Whitley Z6796 on 7th / 8th November 1941 on Ops to Berlin and failed to return. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, he was twenty nine years old.
Sidney Hamilton received a commission on 27th March 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation and was promoted to F/O (war substantive) on 27th March 1942. He was awarded DFC for service with 102 Squadron Gazetted on 9th February 1943 as Acting F/Lt, the citation reads..

""F/Lt Hamilton has at all times displayed exceptional qualities of leadership. During attacks on many very heavily defended targets such as Bremen, Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, he has shown care and precision in performing his alloted tasks. On several occasions he has secured excellent photographs from a low level."

By January 1943 he was taken off operational flying and was almost certainly instructing at 1658 HCU when Halifax L9569 crashed at Melbourne with him on board on 4th January 1943, he escaped injury. On 27th March 1943 he was promoted to F/Lt (war subs) and then to S/Ldr (war subs) on 21st September 1944. Post War he was granted a substantive rank in the RAF as F/Lt on 1st November 1947 (back dated to 1st January 1943) in the General Duties Branch of the RAFVR. He transferred to the Secretarial Branch of the RAF on 14th December 1948 (with seniority of 14th April 1948). He transferred to the Reserve on 14th December 1958 and finally relinquished his commission of F/Lt in the Secretarial Branch of the RAF on 14th December 1962. He probably died in the Sedgemoor area of Somerset in 1988.

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