Halifax BB253 damaged by flak, returned to Snaith airfield.
On the evening of 9th January 1943 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft had left Snaith airfield at 16.35hrs to carry out a mine laying flight. They released one mine in the Borkum area but one other mine would not release, the aircraft sustained slight flak damage around the time of the drop and minor damage was sustained to the upper escape hatch and perspex. The crew made a safe landing at Snaith at 20.36hrs where one assumed the hatch was soon replaced. All of the crew listed below apart from the wireless operator were flying in Halifax DT506 which crashed at Pocklington on 15th Januuary 1943 but all escaped injury.
Pilot - Sgt Bruce Thomas Brett RAFVR (1312833).
Navigator - Sgt Robert Kerr Guy RAFVR (1365885).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt John Alexander Daragon RAFVR (1321773).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Peter Shortland RAFVR (1223560).
Flight Engineer - Sgt John Cyril Waring RAF (635944).
Air Gunner - Sgt Clifford Vandy RAFVR (1316342).
Air Gunner - Sgt Basil Raymond Fyfield RAFVR (1322336).
Sgt Clifford Vandy was the son of Lieut.Comdr. Henry Vandy, O.B.E., R.N.R.
Halifax BB253 was built to contract B.124357/40 by the London Passenger Transport Board Ltd. at Leavesden. It was taken on charge by 51 Squadron at Snaith on 22nd November 1942. The operational order on 8th / 9th January 1943 was the first flights 51 Squadron made with Halifaxes. As a result of the damage sustained on 9th January 1943 minor Cat.A/FB damage was the assessment and it was repaired on site. It was not used by 51 Squadron operationally again. On 14th May 1943 it was taken on charge by 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit at Riccall and was slightly damaged in a landing accident there on 11th July 1943. Minor Cat.Ac/FA damage resulted and it was repaired on site. It was returned to 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit on 10th August 1943. The aircraft later moved to 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit at Wombleton on 10th April 1944. On 5th January 1945 it was flown to Hooton Park where it was stored until being struck off charge on 1st November 1945.
On 20th / 21st April 1943 Sgt's Brett, Waring, Shortland and Vandy were flying Ops to Stettin in Halifax DT628 and failed to return to base, believed crashed ino the North Sea. All were commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Their aircraft was almost certainly shot down over Denmark but their remains were not identified and were buried in an unmarked grave in Bispebjerg, Denmark. In 2011 evidence suggested that these unidentified graves were probably this Sgt Brett's crew and the graves were to be re-named as Brett's crew. However, later in 2011 the Air Historial Branch changed their mind about the identity of the crew and it is not known whether the graves were ever re-named. Sgt Brett was twenty one years old, Sgt Vandy was twenty, Sgt Shortland was twenty two years old and Sgt Waring's details are ommited from the CWGC online search page when this webpage was created in June 2014. The webpage "www.airmen.dk/p152ops.htm" has further details about this crew and incident with photographs of many of the crew sourced by 51 Squadron historian Mr Neil Smith.
Sgt Robert Guy was killed flying Ops to Essen in Halifax DT738 on the night of 3rd/4th April 1943. He was thirty years old and is now buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.