On the night of 27th / 28th August 1942 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Kassel and left Breighton at 20.04hrs. While over Germany they were forced off track by heavy defences, they bombed Dortmund at 22.31hrs from 3000 feet but the aircraft was hit by flak. The pilot was able to make a save return to Breighton at 01.47hrs and damage was found in the port main plane and fuselage.
Pilot - F/Sgt Frederick Roy Jackson RAAF (400989), of Sale, Victoria, Australia.
Bomb Aimer (or Wireless Operator?) - Sgt Thomas Nix RAFVR (1306715),
Navigator - F/Sgt S Wood RAAF.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Gordon Stanley Jevons RAFVR (1165997), of Kings Norton, Worcestershire.
Rear Gunner - Sgt R Daft.
Wellington Z1323 was built to contract B97887/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden, Chester and was awaiting collection in October 1941. It was received by 33 MU on 15th October 1941 and was taken on charge by 460 Squadron on 27th December 1941 at Molesworth. It then moved to Breighton with 460 Squadron on 4th January 1942. As a result of the flak damage on 26th March 1942, on 6th August 1942 and on 28th August 1942 it sustained minor Cat.A/FB damage all times and was repaired on site all times. On 7th September 1942 it was being flown on an operational flight to bomb Duisburg when it was damaged by a night fighter, on the return to the UK it was force landed at Ford and was further damaged. It was initially declared Cat.B/FB but later re-assessed to Re-Cat.Ac on 13th September 1942, then re-assessed again on 15th October 1942 to Re-Cat.B and was taken to the Vickers factory at Weybridge for repair. The aircraft was flown to 48 MU on 5th February 1943 and then to 23 MU on 20th September 1943 but was held in store there. It was later struck off charge on 1st November 1944.
Frederick Jackson was born on 18th December 1918 in Sale, Victoria and enlisted in Melbourne on 7th December 1940 He gained his Wings on 1st June 1941 and on arrival in the UK he was posted to train at 27 OTU on 21st October 1941 before posting to 460 Squadron on 4th March 1942. He received a commission to P/O on 17th July 1942 and was promoted later to F/O on 17th January 1943. He had been awarded an immediate DFM on 2nd October 1942 for the events of 6th / 7th September 1942 in Wellington Z1323 (the same aircraft as at the top of this page) on Ops to Duisburg and was badly damaged. The pilot belly landed at Ford airfield and three seriously injured airmen were treated in hospital. The citation for his DFM reads.. "One night in September 1942 this airman was the captain of a bomber engaged in an attack on Duisburg. While in the target area the aircraft was held in a cone of searchlight and was hit by fire from the ground defences. Soon afterwards it was attacked by an enemy fighter, which inflicted serious damage on the aircraft and wounded many of the crew. Despite this perilous situation. F/Sgt Jackson flew his badly damaged aircraft back to this country."
He completed his Tour with 460 Squadron and was posted to 1656 CU on 1st February 1943 probably to instruct and then to 1655 MTU for conversion training to fly Mosquitoes on 16th August 1943. On 20th October 1943 he was posted to 109 Squadron PFF but only two days later was killed flying Mosquito DZ434 on 22nd October 1943 on a training flight when his aircraft crashed near Spalding. He is buried at Cambridge City Cemetery, he was twenty four years old.
Sgt Nix was awarded the DFM for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 29th December 1942, the brief citation reads.."Sgt Nix is a wireless operator of high merit he has always displayed great keenness, and has rendered valuable service." He received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emegency) on 15th March 1943 and later rose to F/O (war subs) on 15th September 1943 and then to F/Lt (war subs) on 15th March 1945.
Gordon Jevons was born in the Kings Norton district of Worcestershire in 1920. He was also awarded the DFM for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on the citation reads.."As wireless operator this airman has displayed a high standard of technical ability. He has participated in numerous sorties, displaying skill and team work which have contributed materially to the successes obtained." He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 25th July 1943 (155943) and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 25th January 1944 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 25th July 1945. He died in Torbay, Devon in 1990.