Whitley Z9321 near Leeming airfield.
On the night of 24th / 25th April 1942 the crew of this 77 Squadron aircraft were to undertake an operational flight to bomb Rostock. They took off from Leeming at 21.35hrs but outbound the aircraft began to suffer from engine trouble, the crew abandoned the flight, which must have been a long way out over the North Sea. On return to Leeming the aircraft's engines both cut out on the approach to land at Leeming so at 04.29hrs a forced landing was made in a ploughed field but the aircraft ran into a tree after landing. The location given on the AM Form 1180 is half a mile North West of the airfield 600 yards short of the flarepath. The crew escaped injury.
Pilot - P/O Edward Henriques Valentine RAFVR (102135).
Observer - Sgt Hamilton Durnan RAFVR (1053444).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt J Waterworth RAFVR (1057120).
Air Gunner - Sgt Jones.
Edward Valentine was born in London in February 1910. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 23rd July 1941 and later rose to F/O a year later while a PoW.
Post-war he continued his RAF service until 7th February 1955. He died in Surrey in 1980.
W/O Hamilton Durnan was sadly killed by friendly fire on 22nd April 1945 while being force-marched by his German guards. The PoW column was either straffed by Allied aircraft, either as it walked or as they were resting and sadly it killed him. He is buried in Berlin War Cemetery and was twenty eight years old.
Two nights after this mishap near Leeming P/O Valentine, Sgt Durnan and Sgt Waterworth flying an operational flight together in Whitley Z9386, again bombing Rostock. The aircraft was badly damaged by flak and the damage later forced the crew to ditch the aircraft in the Baltic Sea. All were rescued but taken PoW.
Whitley Z9321 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 10th November 1941. It was then taken on charget by 102 Squadron at Dalton later the same month but in February 1942 it was transferred to 77 Squadron at Leeming when 102 Squadron commenced conversion to Halifax aircraft. As a result of the mishap near Leeming on 25th April 1942 minor Cat.A/FB damage was the result and it was repaired on site. On 6th May 1942 77 Squadron were detached for Coastal Command duties at Chivenor. The aircraft may have been repaired by then but the records are not clear. If it was then it would have gone with them during the detachment. It next appears on charge with 10 OTU at Abingdon but this may have been before 77 Squadron conversed to Halifax aircraft in October 1942. By August 1944 it had been placed in MU storage awaiting disposal and it was struck off charge on 12th August 1944.