Halifax R9440 at Linton on Ouse airfield.
At 19.14 hrs on 13th March 1942 this 35 Squadron aircraft took off from Linton on Ouse for the crew to undertake an operational flight to Cologne. Outbound the aircraft suffered the starboard inner engine failing so did not reach the primary target. The crew opted to attack Amsterdam and fires were seen in the area due west of the naval dockyard after releasing their bomb load. The crew headed for home, on landing at 23.05hrs at Linton-on-Ouse the aircraft landed too fast and overshot the runway. The aircraft sustained serious damage but crew were uninjured.
Pilot - F/Sgt William Bruce Archibald RAFVR (533809).
Second Pilot - Sgt Leslie John Nelmes RAFVR (1152271).
Navigator - Sgt Geoffrey Hillam Gurr Murray RAAF (407094).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Samuel Palmer RAF (526215).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Archibald McCulloch McLaren RAFVR (993204).
Wireless Operator - Sgt James Frederick Staff RAFVR (959971).
Air Gunner - Sgt Douglas Francis RAF (632346).
Only days after this incident the whole of this crew were attempting to attack the German battleship Tirpitz in a Fjord on 30th March 1942. The aircraft was shot down in the target area. Linzee Druce's superb website details the loss; her uncle was one of the men lost as a result of the aircraft being shot down. The bodies of Nelmes (aged 25), Murray (30), Palmer (27) and Staff (23) were not recovered and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Archibald (aged 27), McLaren (22), Francis (26) were recovered and buried in Trondheim Cemetery, Norway.
Geoffrey Murray was born on 1st July 1911 in Adelaide and enlisted into the RAAF there on 27th May 1940. On arrival in the UK he had trained at 10 OTU in 1941 and was initially posted to 102 Squadron in August 1941 but transferred to 35 Squadron in October 1941.
Halifax R9440 was built to contract 692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was delivered to 35 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 25th January 1942. As a result of the damage sustained on 13th March 1942 Cat.A(c)/FB damage was the initial assessment. It was transported to Handley Page repair facility at York (Y.A.R.D.) on 26th March 1942 where the repair was probably started but it was assessed again on 13th April 1942 and deemed beyond repair with Re.Cat.E damage being the assessment. The aircraft was struck off charge.