Unidentified Halifax damaged by flak, returned to Snaith airfield.
On 3rd July 1943 this 51 Squadron aircraft took off from Snaith airfield at 23.36hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Cologne and sustained slight damage by flak at 01.50hrs while bombing the target area from 17,000ft. The crew were able to bring the aircraft back to Yorkshire and they landed safely at Snaith airfield in the early hours of 4th July 1943 at 05.10hrs. The 51 Squadron ORB does not list the aircraft's identity that this crew flew on this night.
Pilot - Sgt John Bradley Morris RAFVR (1339414),
Navigator - Sgt D P Storey (probably Sgt David Philip Storey RAFVR (1334123)).
Bomb Aimer - F/O James Binham RAFVR (133804).
Wireless Operator - P/O Arthur Hobhouse Hebblethwaite RAFVR (136499).
Flight Engineer - Sgt J Russell.
Air Gunner - Sgt P J T Finn (probably Sgt John Patrick Terence Finn RAFVR (1029363)).
Air Gunner - Sgt A Massey.
Arthur Hebblethwaite received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 29th December 1942 and
was promoted to F/O on 29th June 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron, Gazetted on 15th September
1944. His brother posted on webforums stating that he received the Bar to the DFC but I cannot locate the reference to
this in the London Gazette so would welcome more details. He appears to have ended the war a PoW but I have not yet
located the details surrounding this. He was promoted to F/Lt on 29th December 1944.
James Binham received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 6th November 1942 and was
promoted to F/O on 6th May 1943. For service with 51 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 27th June 1944
(the same London Gazette as Cyril Barton's VC). He relinquished his commission on the grounds of ill health on
7th September 1944 which during the war this was unusual. He died in July 2010 in Devon.
The Sgt D P Storey listed above was probably David Philip Storey RAFVR (1334123/157623) who was later
commissioned on 11th September 1943 and was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron, Gazetted on 23rd May 1944.
The "Sgt P J T Finn" was almost certain incorrect, he was probably John Patrick Terence Finn RAFVR (1029363), by
July 1944 he was flying with 466 Squadron and survived baling out of Halifax MZ313 on 18th July 1944. He managed to
evade capture and return to the UK.
John Morris was granted a commission on 20th August 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency)(156070). He
was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron, Gazetted on 23rd May 1944. By the end of the war he had been promoted
to F/O on 20th February 1944 and later to F/Lt 20th August 1945.