During the night of 19th / 20th September 1942 this 102 Squadron aircraft was being used on operations to Saarbrucken when a photoflash exploded in the aircraft outbound at 11,000 feet. The crew returned to base of Pocklington at 01.37hrs with the aircraft having sustained minor damage and having jettisoned their bomb load in the sea.
Pilot - Sgt James Leslie Hartshorn RAF (655162).
Navigator - Sgt John Alexander Trager Simpson RCAF (R/69209).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Alfred Norman Conner RCAF (R/88546).
Air Gunner - Sgt Lawrence Irving Neil RAFVR (1055567)
Air Gunner - Sgt Olaf William Forland RCAF (R/84207).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Kenneth White RAF (575851).
? - Sgt F Turner.
Halifax W7857 was built to contract B.73328/40 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. On 17th September 1942 it was taken on charge by 102 Squadron at Pocklington where it carried the squadron code "-C". As a result of the incident on 20th September 1942 Cat.Ac/FB damage was the assessment. It was repaired on site and returned to 102 Squadron on 21st October 1942. On 13th November 1942 the aircraft was transferred to 419 Squadron at Middleton St. George where it carried the squadron code "VR-O". It was lost on 9th January 1943 when it failed to return from a mine laying flight off the Fresian Islands. Cat.Em damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 2nd February 1943.
On 13th October 1942 most of those named above survived the crash of Halifax W1167 at Pocklington. Sgt's White and Simpson survived the crash of Halifax DT512 at Holme on Spalding Moor on 25th October 1942.
On 14th February 1943 F/Sgt Hartshorn and Sgt Conner were flying together in Halifax W7880 on Ops to bomb Cologne when the aircraft was shot down over Holland. All of their then
crew were killed and they are now buried in Jonkerbos Cemetery. F/Sgt Hartshorn was twenty two years old. Alfred Connor appears to have been raised in rank to Warrant Officer after
his death, he too was twenty two years old.
Sgt Forland was later posted to 426 Squadron and was on board Wellington HE905 on 13th May 1943 when the aircraft was shot down by flak on Ops to Duisburg. He was able to evade capture and return to the UK via Gibraltar some months later.
Sgt Neil was flying in Halifax HR663 on 16th April 1943 on Ops to Plzen when the aircraft was attacked and shot down by a night fighter. The aircraft was partly abandoned and he survived to see out the war as a PoW.
John Simpson was born in London, England in 1914 but had moved to North Bay, Ontario when he enlisted in October 1940 and had completed his training in Canada in November 1941. He flew in the 25th / 26th June 1942 Thousand Bomber raid while at 22 OTU. He received a commission in December 1942 and was posted to 109 Squadron in early 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 109 Squadron in May 1944, and later the Bar to the DFC in October 1944.
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