On the night of 13th / 14th October 1942 this 78 Squadron took off from Linton on Ouse at 18.48hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Kiel. The aircraft made a landing at 00.58hrs at Linton on Ouse airfield on the return flight in a twenty degree cross wind. A minor swing developed but the pilot overcorreced the swing, the aircraft left the runway and onto wet grass. The brakes did not stop the aircraft in time and it struck a hanger with the wheels locked.
Pilot - F/Sgt Ronald Frederick Martin RAFVR (1263897).
Navigator - Sgt Carl Lowell Morton RCAF (R/101074).
? - Sgt W L Turner.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Ivan Arthur Lewis Lockhart RCAF.
Air Gunner? - Sgt L Moran.
Air Gunner - P/O Edgar William Barnes RAFVR (122904).
? - Sgt F Sumner.
On 16th November 1942 all of the above apart from P/O Barnes were flying Halifax DT522 on Ops to Genova when the aircraft ran out of fuel and was abandoned over Suffolk on the return flight. Unfortunately F/Sgt Martin landed in a river and drowned. Everyone else survived.
Ivan Lockhart later received a commission and was posted to 434 Squadron. He was made a PoW on 29th September 1943.
Halifax DT510 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury. It was taken on charge by 78 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 13th September 1942. On 14th October 1942 it crashed on landing at Linton on Ouse after an operational flight initially sustaining a Cat.B/FB damage assessment. The repair was carried out on site at Linton on Ouse and given the time it took this does not appear to have been downgraded to Cat.Ac because it took until 20th February 1943 to make it servicable again. On completion of the repair it was returned to 78 Squadron. On 28th February 1943 it was transferred to 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit at Riccall. On 12th March 1943 it crashed at Riccall. Cat.E/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 21st March 1943 having clocked up just short of 117 flying hours.
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