Wellington W5531 at Driffield airfield.
On 10th January 1942 the crew of this 104 Squadron aircraft were to undertake an operational flight to bomb Wilhelmshaven and set out from Driffield at just after 18.00hrs. Not long after setting course for Germany the port engine began to fail so the crew abandoned the flight at 19.22hrs and made for home. The aircraft overshot on landing at
Driffield at 19.36hrs sustaining slight damage but the crew escaped injury. The aircraft and all of the crew listed below were part of the 104 Squadron group of men
that formed 158 Squadron in February 1942.
Pilot - Sgt John Franklin Tait RCAF (R/58534).
Second Pilot - Sgt Ian Wynn Davies RNZAF (404852).
Observer - Sgt D Willoughby RAFVR (1053157).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Geoffrey Frederick Dunks RAFVR (1005984).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie James Caldwell RAFVR (1166513).
Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie George Burden RAFVR (1180696).
Wellington W5531 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was awaiting collection in May 1941. It was received by 12 MU on 11th May 1941 and after a short period of MU storage it was taken on charge by 104 Squadron at Driffield on 10th June 1941. It sustained battle damage on 15th July 1941 which saw Cat.Ac/FB damage be the damage assessment. It was repaired on site and returned to 104 Squadron. The damage sustained on 9th September 1941 would have seen Cat.Ac/FA damage be the damage assessment which saw it again repaired on site. It was repaired on site and returned to 104 Squadron on 8th November 1942. The squadron records list that it sustained minor damage on 10th January 1942 it returned to base early during an operational flight but overshot and was very slightly damaged. This is not on it's AM Form 78. It's AM Form 78 does rceord that it received minor Cat.Ac/FB battle damage on 21st January 1942. Both incidents would have seen it repaired on site. It was returned to 104 Squadron on 31st January 1942. On 14th February 1942 this was one of 104 Squadron 'C'Flight aircraft transferred when 158 Squadron formed at Driffield (though the date on the AM78 states 31st January 1942 (before they existed). The aircraft was then transferred to 405 Squadron at Pocklington on 11th March 1942. On 13th April 1942 it suffered an engine fire on Ops to Essen and crashed near Stowmarket, Suffolk with two of the then crew being killed. Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded. It was struck off charge on 18th April 1942.
Ian Davies was killed on 9th May 1942 when 158 Squadron Wellington W5562 crashed in the Baltic off Rostock on Ops to Warnemunde. His then crew were all killed
and were initially buried locally. He was twenty five years old and is now buried in Berlin War Cemetery.
Geoffrey Dunks was killed on 9th May 1942 when 158 Squadron Wellington Z8600 was shot down by flak and crashed in Rostock. Only the rear gunner, Sgt Upham.
survived. Sgt Dunks is now buried in Berlin War Cemetery.
Colin Caldwell was born on 27th January 1920 in Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales. He enlisted in Sydney on 14th October 1940 and at the time he was studying
to gain clerical qualifications, he was also working as a clerical assistant in the Commonwealth Dept. of Health. After initial training in Canada he was posted
to the UK and continued his training with 22 OTU, arriving here on 21st July 1941. He was posted to 104 Squadron on 20th September 1941 and flew with them until
158 Squadron formed out of part of 104 Squadron. He was killed when Wellington W5431 crashed at Driffield airfield on 11th March 1942 and is buried in Tansley
Churchyard, Derbyshire. His father was the local vicar at the church where he was buried.
Sgt Willoughby was posted to 158 Squadron in February 1942 and then later to 78 Squadron. On 5th August 1942 he was flying in Halifax W1180 on Ops to Bochum when the aircraft
crashed in Holland. He and three of the crew survived but became prisoners of war.
Leslie Burden received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 9th October 1943 (158909) and rose to F/O on 9th May 1944. He later served with 467 Squadron
and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 14th November 1944. He was promoted to F/Lt on 9th October 1945 and appears to have left the RAF in 1946 under the terms of his commission.