On the night of 10th / 11th September 1942 the crew of this 405 Squadron aircraft were to bomb Düsseldorf and took off from Topcliffe at 20.04hrs. Maximum effort was called for on the bombing raid on this night and the bombing force was increased by OTU crews and aircraft. Halifax BB212 was hit by flak over Germany and the captain ordered his crew to bale out almost certainly after loosing control. Both air gunners complied with these orders but the pilot was then able to regain control. The wireless operator had left his normal position in the aircraft to occupy the rear turret for the return trip to protect the aircraft and remained there for the rest of the flight. Despite the damage those remaining in the aircraft flew the aircraft back to Yorkshire. At some stage a blade on the port outer engine had come adrift so the engine was shut down. On landing at Topcliffe at 01.12hrs the pilot stated that the throttle controls would not move to reduce the power on the working engines, this resulted in the aircraft overshooting and also swinging off the runway, it then crashed into the parked 419 Squadron Wellington BJ887 and sadly the wireless operator in BB212 died shortly after he was rescued. The two airmen who had baled out over Germany also died as neither survived their fall. Halifax BB212 was later repaired. The fatalities are listed first.
Air Gunner - Sgt Victor Raymond French RAFVR (798590), aged 24, of Clarkes Beach, Conception Bay, Newfoundland. Buried Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany (died 10th September 1942).
Air Gunner - Sgt Jack Clarence Scotten RCAF (R/101980), aged 20, of St.James, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Buried Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany (died 10th September 1942).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Alfred Thomas Drennan RCAF (R/93310), aged 26, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Pilot - Sgt William Miskimon Webb RCAF (R/70983). Injured.
Navigator - Sgt Edward Emile Gervais RCAF (R/74470). Injured.
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Maxwell Rankin RCAF (R/62139). Injured.
Bomb Aimer? - Sgt G E Mitchell RAF. Injured.
Halifax BB212 was built to contract B.124357/40 by the London Passenger Transport Board at Leavesden. It was taken on charge by 405 Squadron at Topcliffe on 1st August 1942. As a result of the collision on 11th September 1942 the wreckage was assessed and Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded with it being written off. It was struck off charge on the same date.
Alfred Drennan was born on 14th July 1916 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was the son of John Ernest and Isabella Ann (nee Hall) Drennan. As a young man he undertook a number of but latterly he was working as a waiter at the Noah's Ark Hotel in Toronto prior to enlisting into the RCAF on 20th February 1941 in Toronto. After training as a wireless operator he finished his basic training as an air gunner and received his Air Gunner's badge on 7th November 1941. He left Canada the following month and on arrival in the UK trained at No.1 Signal School and 22 OTU before posting to 405 Squadron on 7th July 1942. I thank his niece Mrs C. Harman for contacting me in March 2011.
On 24th September 1942 the newly commissioned P/O Webb, Sgt Gervais and Sgt Rankin were flying in Halifax W1274 on Ops to Flensburg when the aircraft crashed in Denmark with the loss of the crew. The crew were buried in Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark. A memorial was erected at the crash site in 2006 which is shown on this superb website "www.airmen.dk/p112m.htm".
William Webb was born in December 1914 in Broadview and enlisted in Regina on 23rd October 1940, he was a teacher at the time of enlistment; a job he had had for at least six years. His father had moved to Canada in 1901 from Chalford, Gloucestershire. On arrival in the UK he trained at 22 O.T.U. before posting to 405 Squadron on 7th July 1942. The Webb River in Saskatchewan is named in his honour.
John Rankin was born on 17th October 1917 at Onward near Kerrobert, and enlisted in Saskatoon on 10th June 1940. His parents had moved to Canada from Scotland and were farmers. The Rankin Lake in Saskatchewan is named in his honour.
Edward Gervais was born on 26th March 1920 in Lapasse, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Cyril Napoleon and Leda (nee Asselin) Gervais. As a young man he attended school in Lapasse and then trained as a teacher at the University of Ottawa. He was a school teacher at Uno Park, Ontario when he enlisted for RCAF service in Ottawa on 11th November 1940. After training in Canada he was awarded his Air Observer badge on 27th September 1941 being assessed as very highly throughout his training. He then left Canada a couple of months later. On arrival in the UK he trained at 2 AOS and 22 OTU before posting to 405 Squadron on 7th July 1942. He received a commission while at 405 Squadron, possibly on 1st August 1942 or this may have been the date he was recommended for a commission (before the crash at Topcliffe) and his service number became J/15815.