Halifax BB243 damaged by flak, landed at Melbourne airfield.
During the evening of 23rd January 1943 this 10 Squadron aircraft was being flown on an operational flight to bomb Lorient and left base of Melbourne at 16.57hrs.
The crew released their bombs at 20.05hrs but the aircraft sustained flak damage to a wing and the area around the mid upper turret. The flak bursts also injured the left arm of the air gunner. The crew made a landing at Melbourne airfield at 23.08hrs and the injured gunner was taken to York hospital. The second pilot was flying with this crew on this night for operational experience, all eight would later be posted to 35 Squadron.
Pilot - P/O Douglas Julian Sale RCAF (J/9929).
Navigator - F/O Geoffrey Edward Heard RAFVR (126034).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Rupert Claude Sawyer RAFVR (125574).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Samuel Angus Moores RAF (798716).
Air Gunner - Sgt David John Richards RAFVR (1418379). Injured.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Clarence Washington Rowley RAFVR (1160639).
Air Gunner - Sgt Ross Oliver Elford RCAF (R/103805).
Second Pilot - F/O Harl J Espy RAFVR (118575), of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Harl Espy was killed flying with 35 Squadron on 27th March 1943 when Halifax W7907 failed to return from Ops to Berlin. He and all his then crew were initially buried at Becklington War Cemetery. Espy was was later exhumed and buried at Margraten Military Cemetery, Holland. Later he was further exhumed and his body taken back to the USA. He is now buried in Espyville Cemetery, Pennsylvania, USA. His name is not included in the AIR78 file series in the National Archives which would have given his middle name.
The others named above were all flying together on 12th / 13th May 1943 in Halifax DT801 with 35 Squadron on Ops to Duisburg when their aircraft was shot down by a
night fighter and crashed in Holland. P/O Sawyer and Sgt Richards died but the others survived. F/Lt Sale evaded capture but Sgt Rowley, F/O Heard, Sgt Moores and Sgt Elford saw out the war as PoWs. F/O Sawyer (aged 22) and Sgt Richards (aged 23) are buried in Haaksbergen General Cemetery, Holland. Rupert Sawyer received a commission on 25th May 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation and rose to F/O on 25th November 1942.
Julian Sale's life and RCAF career is well documented on the internet and while not wanting to copy these works I would like to add some of Hugh Halliday's RCAF awards research to make this webpage more complete. For service with 35 Squadron (and after evading capture) he was awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 8th October 1943. He returned to 35 Squadron and was awarded the Bar to the DSO, Gazetted on 1st February 1944, for his actions in December 1943 in flying a badly damaged aircraft back the UK. He was also awarded the DFC for further service with 35 Squadron, Gazetted on 27th June 1944. By this stage he had been seriously injured on Ops on 19th February 1944 flying with 35 PFF Squadron in Halifax HX325 and all had baled out over Germany. He was admitted to hospital but sadly died in captivity on 20th March 1944. He is now buried in Choloy War Cemetery and was thirty years old.
Halifax BB243 was built to contract B.124357/40 by the London Passenger Transport Board Ltd. at Leavesden. The aircraft was taken on charge by 102 Squadron at Dalton on 10th October 1942 and was transferred across to 102 Conversion Flight at Dalton the next day. The aircraft was used by 102 Squadron on operations on 6th November 1942 and then 7th November 1942. On 21st November 1942 it was transferred to 10 Squadron at Melbourne. As a result of battle damage sustained on 20th December 1942 minor Cat.A/FB resulted and it was repaired on site at Mebourne. It was again slightly damaged by flak on 23rd January 1943 and was repaired by Handley Page in their works factory. Once servicable it was flown to 48 MU on 7th May 1943 and was then taken on charge by 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit at Winthorpe on 26th October 1943. It was then slightly damaged in a flying accident on 30th December 1943 that saw Cat.Ac/FA damage be the damage assessment. It was returned on site and was returned to 1661 H.C.U. on 14th February 1944. The aircraft was transferred to 1656 H.C.U. at Lindholme on 13th May 1944. On 17th January 1945 it was flown to 48 MU. It was struck off charge on 25th January 1945 when it was deemed beyond repair. This history is drawn from the aircraft's AM Form 78, it is substantially different to the published Air Britain history and I have no idea why this would be the case.