Wellington BK465 near Dishforth / Marton le Moor.
On 4th April 1943 a Wellington is listed in a vague police record as having crashed just off Dishforth airfield at the side of the Great North Road, Marton le Moor with the crew escaping injury. The aircraft is listed as having sustained damage to the front of the aircraft as well as the fuselage and the propellers. The incident almost certainly referred to 425 Squadron Wellington BK465 that took off from Dishforth at 20.44hrs on 4th April 1943 to undertake an operational flight to bomb Kiel. A problem with the port engine resulted in the crew jettisoning their bomb load and making an early return to base, the aircraft overshot on landing at Dishforth at 23.44hrs. Given the damage was listed as being to both propellers and the nose of the aircraft the undercarriage probably collapsed.
Pilot - Sgt Joseph Felix Henri Turcotte RCAF (R/55435).
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Joseph Claude Albert Laberge RCAF (R/79494).
? - Sgt R F Kemp.
? - Sgt Alan Henry Redman RAFVR (1320440).
? - F/Sgt S C Bybee.
Wellington BK465 was built to contract B124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden. It was received by 45 M.U. on 2nd November 1942 and was taken on charge by 425 Squadron at Dishforth on 24th January 1943. It was first used operationally by 425 Squadron on 11th / 12th February 1943 and the squadron records mention nothing untoward happening. It's AM Form 78 states that it sustained Cat.Ac/FB battle damage on 13th February 1943 but on this date it was not used operationally. It therefore seems possible it was found to be slightly damaged following the operational sortie of the previous night. The AM78 states it was returned to 425 Squadron on 20th February 1943 following repair on site by a team from Vickers at Weybridge. Unfortunately this is at odds with the 425 Squadron records that list BK465 as being used operationally on 19th / 20th February 1943. It was then used on 20th / 21st February 1943, 24th / 25th February 1943, 26th / 27th February 1943, 28th February 1943, 1st March 1943 and then on 3rd March 1943. The aircraft's AM78 states that it received Cat.Ac/FA damage on 5th March 1943. The squadron records do not list the aircraft as being flown on this date but they do state that eleven aircraft began an operational order to bomb Essen with one making an early return due to the starboard engine overheating. This early returning aircraft is not listed in the squadron records and they only list the ten that completed the operational order. It is possible that BK465 was the eleven aircraft and it received minor damage on landing. The damage sustained on 5th March 1943 was repaired on site by a team from Vickers at Weybridge and was returned to 425 Squadron on 20th March 1943. It next appears on operational use on 28th March 1943 and then on 4th April 1943. Here finally the squadron records and the AM78 agree. On 4th April 1943 it crashed near Dishforth / Marton le Moor. It then received Cat.Ac/FB damage on 4th April 1943 which, yet again, was repaired on site by a team from Vickers at Weybridge. It was returned to 425 Squadron on 19th June 1943 though appears to have been allotted to 16 O.T.U. but may never have gone there. On 26th July 1943 it received Cat.Ac/FA damage. On the aircraft's AM 78 it next appears on charge with 426 Squadron but the date it was received is not listed. This would seem to be an error as 426 Squadron were receiving Lancasters by this date and not Wellingtons. There may have been an error in recording the transfer to 426 Squadron prior to it arriving at 16 OTU and the undated entry on the AM78 may just reflect this. On 7th September 1943 it was transferred to 29 OTU. It was slightly damaged on 1st October 1943 and was again repaired by a team from Vickers at Weybridge. In April 1944 it sustained repairable Cat.B damage that was repaired in the works factory at Sywell. It was repaired by August 1944 and was taken on charge by 30 OTU on 13th August 1944. Much later on 10th April 1948 it was received by 18 MU. The date it was struck off charge is not given on the AM Form 78.
F/Sgt Laberge was posted from 425 Squadron to 429 Squadron in early June 1943. On 23rd June 1943 he was killed when Wellington HZ312 failed to return from an operational flight to Mulheim. He is buried in Reichwald Forest War Cemetery.
F/O Alan Redman was later posted to 432 Squadron. He was killed on 19th April 1944 when Halifax LW643 failed to return from Ops to Noisy-le-Sec, France. He is buried at Clichy Northern Cemetery, France.
The aircraft's AM Form 1180 and the 425 Squadron records do not correlate correctly during February and March 1943. Using both the history of the aircraft I have come up with is a best guess history.