Halifax DK136 at Holme on Spalding Moor airfield.

On the night of 10th / 11th August 1943 this 76 Squadron aircraft was to be used on an operational flight to bomb Nurnburg and the aircraft took off from Holme on Spalding Moor airfield at 21.50hrs. Outbound the navigator became sick so the crew opted to abandon the flight and turned around. The aircraft landed at Holme on Spalding Moor at 01.07hrs but began to swung on landing. The pilot overcorrected the swing and the undercarriage collapsed.

Pilot - Sgt F E Rogerson RAFVR (1014791).

Air Bomber - Sgt James Harman RAFVR (1324251).

Navigator - Sgt Cyril William Hughes RAFVR (1670024). Injured.

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt E J Pearson RAFVR (1212180).

Air Gunner - Sgt J R Dennis RAFVR (1863069).

Flight Engineer - Sgt R McGinley RAF (618775).

Air Gunner - F/Sgt Laurence James Pringle RAAF (409592).

There appears to be an error in the squadron records for this night. The orb states DK136 was flown by Sgt David George Griffiths RAFVR (1313651) and his crew while Sgt Rogerson is listed as flying Halifax DK131. The problem was DK131 was never a 76 Squadron aircraft and had already been lost on Ops with 295 Squadron by this date. I am inclined to believe that the AM Form 1180 that names the pilot and also the casualty file, that lists the crew by name, to be correct. The squadron orb does state that Rogerson's aircraft crashed on landing with no mention to Griffiths' crashing on landing. This error has found it's way into Bill Chorley's Bomber Command losses book.

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