Mitchell FL681 damaged in the air, landed at Driffield airfield.
On 13th September 1942 180 Squadron formed at West Raynham and became working up to being an operational unit. During the following weeks a vast range of training flights were undertaken and they moved to Foulsham on 8th October 1942. On 20th November 1942 this aeroplane was being flown on a low level training flight that took the aircraft over the East Riding of Yorkshire. With the crew cleared to undertake low flying practice, unfortunately the aeroplane struck a flock of birds and then telegraph wires around ten miles south east of Driffield. The pilot was temporarilt blinded but regained sight and control to land at Driffield airfield at 13.45hrs/ Damage must have been minor as Cat.Ac was the resulting damage assessment indicating a repair could be carried out on site. One member of the crew sustained injuries though he cannot have been seriously injured as he was posted to the Central Gunnery School on 2nd December 1942 to undertake a gunnery leader's course.
Pilot - P/O Walter Henry Cappleman DFM RAFVR (131489).
Navigator - W/O Ralph Chaytor Brown RAF (581266).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt John Lewis Leigh RAF (746703).
Air Gunner - P/O Leslie Frederick Green RAFVR (129964). Injured.
Walter Cappleman was awarded the DFM for service with 150 Squadron, Gazetted on 30th January 1942. Cappleman, Brown and Leigh were killed on 22nd January 1943 when 180 Squadron Mitchell FL678 was lost in the North Sea. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
This aircraft was built as a B.25C by North American under contract AR-10559 2769 and was flown to the UK in June 1942, leaving Detroit on25th June 1942, Montreal on 25th June 1942 and Gander on 30th June 1942. It arrived in the UK on 1st July 1942 and was crewed by Garman, St.John, Sgt Taylor and Snow for the flight across the Atlantic. Once in the UK it spent time with 29 MU, 51 MU and 20 MU. On the aircraft's AM Form 78 it stated that it was taken on charge by 180 Squadron on 24th October 1942 but it was clearly being used by them prior to this as it was at Driffield the month previously. On 30th November 1942 it was in need of a repair on site. It was returned to 180 Squadron once complete and on 21st September 1943 was again in need of a repair in works. This took some time and it was flown to 12 MU once complete in September 1944 but was not issued to any other unit.