Wellington DF621 collided in the air, returned to Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 13th / 14th February 1943 the crew of this 424 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Lorient and took off from Topcliffe airfield at 17.37hrs. They dropped their bombs on the third run over the target at 21.00hrs. On the return to base this aircraft collided with a Halifax at 00.34hrs around three miles west of Linton on Ouse airfield. The other aircraft appeared directly in front of Wellington DF621 and both aircraft were approaching head-on, the Halifax passed over the top of this Wellington. The Wellington sustained damage to the front turret when it was struck by the tail wheel of the Halifax and control was initially lost. The Wellington pilot ordered his crew to bale out and two complied but the pilot then regained control and made a safe landing at base of Topcliffe at 01.01hrs. The bomb aimer of DF621 sustained an injured left ankle on landing and was admitted to Catterick Military Hospital. It was thought that a haze over the general area of Linton on Ouse airfield and a searchlight canopy had created a glare in sky that was affecting visibility flying at the time.
Pilot - F/Sgt L W Forbes RCAF (R/100025).
Navigator - Sgt G Wood RCAF (R/94894).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Murray Marshall Duncan RCAF (R/119361). Baled out, injured on landing.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt H A Martin RAFVR (1378675).
Air Gunner - Sgt Jack D MacGillivary RCAF (R/75261). Baled out.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Amos Walter Kimmerly RCAF (R/82402).
Amos Kimmerly was born on 31st July 1921 in Napanee, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Arthur and Frances Kathleen (nee Donnelly) Kimmerly. He was killed on 11th April 1943 flying Ops to Frankfurt in Wellington HE159. When the aircraft was on the outward leg of the flight it developed engine problems and crashed near Rolvenden, Kent. He is buried in Maidstone Cemetery, Kent.
Wellington DF621 was built to contract B.92439/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Squires Gate. It was received by 44 MU on 14th July 1942 and placed in MU storage until being taken on charge by 424 Squadron at Topcliffe on 23rd October 1942 soon after the unit formed on 15th October 1942. Along with DF618 they were their first two aircraft to arrive. As a result of the damage sustained on 14th February 1943 minor Cat.A(c)/FB damage resulted and it was repaired on site with it returned to 424 Squadron on 6th March 1943. It was transferred to 12 O.T.U. at Chipping Warden on 26th March 1943 where it sustained minor damage three times and then a fourth damage on 29th October 1944 to Cat.B status. This saw it being taken away for repair by 8 MU on 2nd November 1944. Whether it was ever repaired is questionable as it was then struck off charge on 29th January 1945.
Jack MacGillivray was born in 1919 and was the son of Rose and Alec MacGillivray and grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Post-war he worked in the grain trade in Winnipeg for forty years before retiring to Sidney, British Columbia. He died in Sidney in September 2003.