Whitley Z6931 in Harrogate.
Whitley Z6931 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at their Baginton factory and awaiting collection on 17th July
1941 and was taken on charge by 58 Squadron based at Linton on Ouse later the same month. On the night of 11th / 12th September 1941 the crew of this aircraft
were returning from an operational flight to bomb Warnemunde and thick fog was covering much of Yorkshire. The crew become lost and eventually the aircraft ran out of fuel, at 06.00hrs the crew baled out and the aircraft crashed into Duchy Road, Harrogate near to the Majestic Hotel. The crew are all believed to have landed safely in the Harrogate area. The aircraft was written off as a result of the damage and Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded on the paperwork.
Pilot - P/O George Frank Lambert RAF (63419).
Second Pilot - Sgt Arthur William Cooper RAFVR (1254701).
Observer - Sgt Geoffrey Seaby Hayden Mott RAFVR (922320).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John Albert Thompson RCAF (R/57930).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Victor Thomas Cairns RAFVR (909970).
Frank Cairns was born in 1918 and flew a Tour with 58 Squadron. In April 1942 58 Squadron transferred to Coastal Command and information found on the
internet states that he was in an aircraft that ditched during the same month but the details of the incident are not yet known when this webpage was last
updated. He received his commission on 25th October 1942 and later transferred to 466 Squadron, he eventually joined P/O Hicks' crew after the death of
Hicks' regular gunner Sgt E J Field on 15th April 1943 in an incident which saw Hicks awarded the CGM. On 25th April 1943 Cairns rose to F/O on probation
(War Subs) and was awarded the DFC with 466 Squadron (Gazetted on 10th September 1943). In October 1943 he is believed to have been involved in a further
aircraft accident which is said to have crashed near his Yorkshire base while flying a second tour, 466 Squadron ORB is available on the Australian National
Archives website and there are no such incidents in this month this may relate to as during October 1943 466 Squadron were in the process of converting to
Halifaxes from Wellingtons. The ORB states that he was posted out of 466 Squadron during October 1943 and this later incident may have been after he was
posted away. He remained in the RAF in the Post-War period and on 1st June 1954 he was appointed to a permanent commission as a F/Lt. He retired from the
RAF at his own request on 17th July 1962. He died in Cornwall in 2002.
P/O Lambert was involved in a mishap at Plainville to the north of York on 31st May 1941 in Whitley Z6660 and is
detailed here . He received his commission on 3rd April 1941 and
made a P/O on probation. Exactly a year later he was made F/O on probation and later posted to 35 Squadron PFF. On the night of 10th / 11th April 1943
he was flying Halifax DT806 on Ops to Frankfurt when the aircraft was attacked by a night-fighter over France. With the aircraft badly damaged some of
the crew were able to successfully bale out before the aircraft crashed in France. Four members of his crew were killed and two became PoWs but George
Lambert was able to evade capture and returned to the UK. After promotion to F/Lt he was awarded the DFC, gained for service with 35 Squadron on 16th
June 1944. The Citation reads.. "In air operations this officer has displayed skill, courage and determination of a high order. He has completed a large
number of sorties including attacks on such targets as Berlin, Turin, Frankfurt and Cologne. His keenness has always been evident and his determination
to bomb his targets successfully has won much praise".
He was later promoted to (Acting?) S/Ldr and was killed only weeks later still flying with 35 Squadron when, on 5th July 1944, his Lancaster ND731
crashed near Villeneuve-St-Georges. He is buried Emance Communal Cemetery, France. The crash site in France is now marked by a memorial.
Sgt Geoffrey Mott was lost on 30th November 1941 flying with 58 Squadron in Whitley Z6507 on Ops to Hamburg, he is commemorated on the Runnymede
Memorial and was twenty six years old. His brother Sgt Douglas John Hayden Mott RAF also died on active service in April 1942 and is buried in Canford Cemetery, Bristol.
Sgt Cooper was killed on 11th October 1941 with 58 Squadron when Whitley Z9154 failed to return from Ops to Essen. He is buried in Bergen Op Zoom Cemetery.
F/Sgt John Thompson was later posted to 405 Squadron and was killed on 2nd June 1942 when Halifax W7713 failed to return from Ops to Essen. He is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
