On the night of 25th / 26th March 1942 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to Essen and left Breighton at 19.59hrs. The bombed the target although the fin of one 1,500 pound bomb hung up in the bomb bay. The aircraft was hit by flak in the target area at 22.35hrs at 17,000 feet but the crew were able to keep control of the aircraft and return to the UK, however while flying over the Thames Estuary at 00.24hrs at around 1,500 feet the starboard mainplane struck a barrage balloon cable near the starboard engine causin a groove to the surface of the wing. The aircraft is believed to have landed safely at base and no injuries were reported. All of those named below had served with 142 Squadron before being posted to 460 Squadron probably soon after its formation in late-1941 at Molesworth.
Pilot - Sgt Peter Thomas Leeds Hallett RAAF (400276), of Inglewood, Victoria, Australia.
Second Pilot - Sgt Clifford Stanley Douglas RAAF (406349), of Albany, Armadale, Western Australia.
Navigator - Sgt Francis Joseph Nugent RAAF (404256), of East Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Eric Francis Maher RAAF (404448), of Rosewood, Queensland, Australia.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Stephen Bryan Goord RNZAF (39099).
Rear Gunner - Sgt Cyril F(P?) Moore RAF (619449), of Balham, London.
Wellington Z1334 was built to contract B.97887/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden, Chester, was awaiting collection in October 1941. It was received by 44 MU on 26th October 1941 and was taken on charge by 460 Squadron on 1st December 1941 just after they formed at Molesworth. It then moved with the squadron to Breighton on 4th January 1942. As a result of the battle damage sustained on 26th March 1942 minor Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. The incident does not feature on the aircraft's AM Form 78. On 21st May 1942 it sustained Cat.B/FA damage when it overshot on landing at Breighton. The damage was then re-assessed soon after and it was Re-Cat.E which saw the aircraft be about to be struck off charge on 30th May 1942 but this Re-Cat.E assessment was then cancelled and it was repaired in a works factory. On 9th December 1942 it was flown to 8 MU and it was then taken on charge by 18 O.T.U. at Bramcote on 15th January 1943. On 18th April 1943 it was being flown on a training flight when, on attempting to drop a photo-flash on a practice bombing run on the Grandborough bombing range and immediately after releasing the photo-flash, it exploded. This explosion removed the fabric skin between the wings and the tailplane. The flying control of the aircraft was not effected but the crew made a safe landing at Church Lawford and Cat.Ac/FA damage was the damage assessment. Repairs were carried out on site by a team from Vickers at Weybridge and it was returned to 18 O.T.U. on 5th June 1943. The aircraft was later transferred to 104 (Transport) O.T.U. at Nutts Corner on 1st July 1943 and flew with them until an routine assessment discovered a problem with the aircraft so a team from Vickers at Weybridge started work to repair it on site on 2nd December 1943, During the repair it was then struck off charge on 1st February 1944. A more serious problem must have been discovered.
Peter Hallett was born on 20th April 1917 in Inglewood, Victoria and enlisted in Melbourne. He had initially served with 142 Squadron in the UK from 28th August 1941 and was posted to 460 Squadron probably on its formation at Molesworth later in 1941. He was later commissioned in the months after this flak incident and was awarded the DFC for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 22nd September 1942. He married Joan Grice, youngest daughter of Dr. Grice of Sigona Park, Kiambu, Kenya on 4th October 1942 but she was probably living in Horsmonden, Kent by the time he was posted to 1655 MTU by November 1943. On 5th November 1943 he was the pilot of Mosquito DK285 which left Marham for a night time cross-country training flight, nothing was heard again from either crew again or no trace of the aircraft ever found and both he and his naviagtor and commemerated on the Runnymede Memorial. His name is inscribed on the Gamlingay War Memorial, in Cambridgeshire. He was twenty six years old.
F/Sgt Goord died on 10th August 1942 flying in Wellington Z1463 on Ops to Osnabruck, the aircraft crashed in Holland and he is buried in Hengelo (Gelderland) General Cemetery, Holland. He was twenty eight years old.
Clifford Douglas was born on 8th June 1921 in Albany, Australia and enlisted in Perth on 11th November 1940 and was working as a chartered accountants clerk at the time. Early in his training he was assessed as Very Good, however while trainng at 4 SFTS at Geraldton, Canada on 17th March 1941 he was the pilot of a taxying Anson R3556, the aircraft collided with Anson W1560 and he was deemed responsible and fined four days pay. After completing his training in Canada he was awarded his Wings on 2nd May 1941. On arrival in the UK trained at 27 OTU from 23rd September 1941, and was later posted to 460 Squadron on 11th February 1942.
On the night of 1st/2nd June 1942 when flying in Wellington Z1344 on Ops to Essen, his aircraft was attacked by an enemy aircraft or damaged by flak ships and crashed into the mouth of the River Schelde, sadly three of the six crew died of their injuries. He survived and spent the rest of the War as a PoW until liberated by Russian Forces on 22nd April 1945. He later returned home to Australia.
Francis Nugent was born on 16th July 1916 in Maryborough and had enlisted in Brisbane on 19th July 1940. After training in Canada he arrived at 27 OTU on 14th June 1941 before posting to 142 Squadron on 21st August 1941 and later 460 Squadron on 3rd December 1941. He received his commission to P/O on 16th July 1943 and was later promoted to F/O on 16th January 1944. After completing a Tour with 460 Squadron he was later posted to 1654 HCU on 19th October 1943 as aircrew and was having converted to Lancasters he was posted to 467 Squadron on 8th December 1943. He was and later to 61 Squadron on 23rd April 1944 but was awarded the DFC for service with 467 Squadron though not Gazetted until 30th June 1944. He later returned to 27 OTU as an instructor on 14th January 1945 and was Mentioned in Despatches on 1st January 1946.
Sgt Maher was flying in Wellington Z1412 on 8th / 9th June 1942, the aircraft was damaged by enemy action on Ops to Essen and he became a PoW. He was born on 7th December 1919 in Rosewood, Queensland and enlisted in Brisbane.
Cyril Moore was serving with B-Flight 906 Barrage Balloon Squadron when re-mustered as aircrew. After training as an air gunner at 8 AGS he continued his training at 11 OTU on 28th August 1941. He was posted to 142 Squadron in late October 1941 and flew his first operational flight with them on 31st October 1941 but a month later he was posted to 460 Squadron. This appeared to be the normal, many 142 Squadron personnel formed the neucleus of 460 Squadron along with personnel from 458 Squadron. 460 Squadron worked up to become operational over the Winter months and flew his first operational flight with them on 12th March 1942 to Emden. His next operational flight was the incident recorded at the top of this page. In mid-May 1942 he was posted back to 142 Squadron at Binbrook possibly because of his nationality, after a brief spell at 30 OTU he was posted to 40 Squadron in July 1943 for service in North Africa. Having completed his second Tour he was posted back to the UK and took an instructing role with 11 OTU at Westcott in April 1944. He survived the War and after a brief spell in civilian life he returned to the RAF as an instructor.
Much of this information is drawn from his nephew's detailed research and his website at "http://www.moorewallpaper.com/Moore-genealogy-family-tree-index.htm ".