Halifax R9493 damaged by flak, landed safely at Leeming airfield.
On the night of 26th / 27th April 1942 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft had taken off from Leeming at 21.29hrs for an operational flight to bomb the port at Dunkirk. Severe and accurate flak over Dunkirk struck the aircraft in the port inner engine and also created a large hole in the tail of the aircraft. The pilot took evasive action but the crew did not feel able to drop their bomb load on the dock area accurately so they jettisoned the bombs and made for home landing at Leeming on three engines at 01.41hrs. Little is known about any of the airmen listed below.
Pilot - Sgt E F Allen (Possibly Sgt Edgar Franceys Allen RAFVR (128626)).
Second Pilot - Sgt Atkinson.
Observer - Sgt Paul Theodore Nahass RCAF, of Boston, Mass, USA.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt J M McLaughlan RCAF.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt W Everett.
Air Gunner - Sgt I H Perkins (Possibly Sgt Ishwyn Howell Perkins RAFVR (949497/137335)).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Trembath.
Halifax R9493 was built to contract 692649/37 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was taken on charge by 10 Squadron at Leeming on 9th March 1942. As a result of minor flak damage on 27th April 1942 Cat.A/FB damage would have been the assessment and repairs were carried out on site at Leeming. The aircraft was returned to 10 Squadron on 27th May 1942. It was then transferred to 35 Conversion Flight on 3rd August 1942. It then moved to Marston Moor with them on 5th September 1942 and to Rufforth with them on 21st September 1942. The records for the aircraft then state it was allotted to 1651 Conversion Unit at Waterbeach but this cannot be correct and must be an error, it should read 1652 Conversion unit who were based at Marston Moor. It was serving with 1652 C.U on 2nd December 1942 when it crashed at Marston Moor. The damage was initially assessed as being Cat.B/FA but it was then further assessed as beyond repair so was Re.Cat.E. It was struck off charge on 3rd December 1942.
F/Sgt Allen, Sgt Everett, Sgt Nahass, Sgt Perkins and Sgt McLaughlan were all posted to 10/227 Squadron in North Africa in Summer 1942 and all were then posted to 462
Squadron on it's formation also in North Africa in October 1942. Sgt McLaughlan received a commission with effect of 17th September 1942 (J/16095) and Sgt Nahass also
received a commission prior to posting to 462 Squadron. On Christmas Day 1942 462 Squadron received notification that all personnel were to be posted back to the UK
as Tour Expired aircrew and after this their later postings are not yet known.
Paul Nahass was born to Syrian parents who had setted in Massachusetts, USA by the time the 1930 US Census was made. His parents were Adolph and Badia Nahass and Paul
was their eldest son who was born in the USA in November 1916. he had served with 77 Squadron in late 1941 before posting to 10 Squadron. After his time in Africa he returned
to Canada in 1943 and spent the rest of the war serving as a flying instructor in Canada. He died in July 2008 in the USA.