In the early hours of 9th September 1942 this 102 Squadron aircraft was returning from operations on Frankfurt and landed at Pocklington airfield at 03.47hrs. The port engines of Halifax R9449 then refused to decrease revs when the throttle controls were reduced and this caused the aircraft to swing. The aircraft hit Halifax W1239 that was parked near a hanger. The photograph above shows the two aircraft at Pocklington with Halifax R9449 being sat on top of Halifax W1239.
Pilot - Sgt James Broad Robinson RAFVR (1291382).
Pilot - Sgt Maurice William Lofthouse RAFVR (655598).
Navigator - Sgt Richard Laughton (1165343). Injured.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Lionel Cecil Fantini RAFVR (1280767).
Air Gunner - Sgt H J Johnston RAFVR (1039774).
? - Sgt Edward Keith Holmes RAF (575578).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Peter Smiddy RAFVR (100044).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Cuthbert Maurice Bowring RAF (645451).
Halifax R9449 was built to contract 692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. It was initially taken on charge by 35 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 12th February 1942 and was transferred to 102 Squadron at Pocklington on 9th April 1942. As a result of this crash at Pocklington on 9th September 1942 the damage was assessed as being the most serious Cat.E2/FB and it was written off.
F/Sgt Lofthouse was still serving with 102 Squadron on 3rd February 1943, on this night he was the pilot of Halifax W7921 flying Ops to Hamburg when the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter before they reached the target. He and three of his crew died and were initially buried locally at Quakenbruck but were later re-buried in Rheinburg War Cemetery, Germany. F/Sgt Lofthouse was twenty eight years old.
Sgt Holmes was awarded the DFM for service with 102 Squadron Gazetted on 12th March 1943. The citation reads.."Since April 1942, Sgt Holmes has completed a large number of operational missions, the majority against such heavily defended targets as Bremen, Essen, Emden and Hamburg. On three occasions his aircraft has been damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and twice has returned to base on three engines. During the "1,000" bomber raid on Bremen, Sgt Holmes manned the beam guns to attack shipping and searchlights from a low level."
Richard Laughton was killed on 18th August 1943 when 61 Squadron Lancaster JA900 failed to return from Ops to Peenemunde. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
The National Archives AIR78 file that contains all the Johnston names is not a consecutive list of names in alphabetical order and as a result I have not found his full identity.
Peter Smiddy received a commission from the rank of Corporal to P/O on probation on 21st June 1941. He was probably promoted to F/O (war subs) six months later but no details of this have yet been located in the London Gazette. He was later promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 21st June 1943. Following time with 102 Squadron he was briefly posted to 76 Squadron and later posted to 466 Squadron to fly in Wellingtons on 22nd October 1942, as Bombing Leader. It is possible that he was only attached to 102 Squadron from 76 Squadron though. He was recommended for the DFC on 22nd July 1943 and the award was granted for service with 466 Squadron, Gazetted on 10th September 1943. No citation has been located but the recommendation has been found and at this date he had flown 145 hours operational flying with twenty five operational flights. The recommendation reads.. "For a period of almost two years this officer has been engaged on operational flying in three types of aircraft and both in the capacity of Wireless Operator / Air Gunner and Air Bomber. During this time he has always displayed the greatest enthusiasm and efficiency and later as Bombing Leader of his Squadron has by his dash and personal courage provided a high example and inspiraation to other aircrew members. His sorties include a number of the most difficult in Germany."
His operational flight list is included in this recommendation; he flew his first two operational flight on 7th and 12th September 1941 as an air gunner on Ops to Berlin and Frankfurt with an unknown squadron. There was then a huge gap until he flew his third operational flight on 30th May 1942 now as a wireless operator on Ops to Cologne and a fourth also as wireless operator on 3rd June 1942 to Bremen. His next was on 22nd June 1942 when he flew his first as bomb aimer to Emden which was almost certainly with 102 Squadron. He then flew continually from this date to what appears to have been his last operational flight with 102 Squadron on 14th September 1942 to Bremen. His next was on 14th January 1943 on a mine laying flight to Ameland with 466 Squadron. F/Lt Smiddy was posted away from 466 Squadron in October 1943 but where to is not yet known, probably to instruct. He later returned to operationaly flying in the Middle East theatre of war. I thank his daughter Mrs Barbara Hill for contacting me in July 2011 and supplying the photograph of her father shown above.
Lionel Fantini became a PoW on 2nd / 3rd December 1942 when Halifax W7916 was shot down by a Junkers Ju88 on Ops to Frankfurt. He and Sgt H J Johnston (of the above named) became PoW's. Of interest is that the second pilot in W7916 was one W/C John Embling (36035) who managed to to evade capture and return to the UK for which he was awarded the DSO (Post-War AVM Embling was killed in a Meteor accident at Leconfield, Yorkshire a loss which will be recorded on this website in due course.) After the war Lionel Fantini was appointed to a commission in the Catering Branch of the RAF on 27th January 1951 to the rank of P/O (2607486). He was promoted to F/O on 27th January 1954 and to F/Lt on 27th January 1960. He relinquished his commission of F/Lt on 27th January 1961 retaining his rank.
Cuthbert Bowring was born in Goodmayes, Essex on 12th May 1919. F/Sgt Bowring was awarded the DFM for service with 102 Squadron. The citation reads "As rear gunner, F/Sgt Bowring has been continually engaged on operational flying. He has proved himself to be an air gunner of high merit and, by his courage and alertness, has been responsible for the safe return of his aircraft on many occasions. F/Sgt Bowring has destroyed one and damaged other enemy aircraft. He has participated in attacks on a wide variety of targets, including industrial centres in the Ruhr." He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 10th March 1943 and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 10th March 1943 rising to F/Lt (war subs) on 10th March 1945. In 1946 he extended his period of service and his F/Lt (war subs) rank was made into a F/Lt grade. On 21st January 1949 he transferred to the Secretarial Branch. He retired on 12th May 1968 and died in May 2009 in Perth, Scotland.