Halifax DK170 damaged in the air, landed at Driffield airfield.
On the night of 28th / 29th April 1943 the crew of this 76 Squadron aircraft undertook an operational flight to bomb Stettin. The aircraft took off from Linton on Ouse airfield at 20.17hrs and laid their mines at 00.05hrs from 3,000 feet and landed at 03.40hrs at Linton on Ouse. The squadron records do not state that anything out of the ordinary happened on this flight nor do they mention any form of flying accident.
There is however an AM Form 1180 for damage sustained in a flying incident on this night that involved Halifax DK170 being involved in a collision, which must be a mid-air collision based on the chits clipped on the side of the AM Form 1180, and the aircraft then landing at Driffield seven hours after taking off.
Pilot - P/O Ronald Stanley Perks RNZAF (NZ.417128)
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Eric John Shiplee RAFVR (1322229).
Navigator - Sgt Clement Russell Strang RNZAF (NZ.413725).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt P E Lee (Probably Sgt Peter Edward Lee RAFVR (1289185)).
Air Gunner - Sgt T Stempniak.
Flight Engineer - Sgt H D Halliday.
Air Gunner - Sgt R F Reader.
Clement Strang was killed on 27th June 1944 when Mosquito MM139 of 692 Squadron failed to return from an operational flight on Gottingen. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
F/Sgt Lee (1289185) was killed on 18th October 1943 flying in 101 Squadron Lancaster DV266 on Ops to Hannover. 101 Squadron were using second wireless operators around this period for special duties. While I cannot locate his posting into 101 Squadron he was there by 1st September 1943. I strongly suspect that both the P E Lee at 76 Squadron and this Peter Lee are one and the same.
This crew were posted to 76 Squadron on 17th January 1943 and with their tour complete were posted their seperate ways on 3rd July 1943.
Halifax DK170 was built to contract ACFT/891/SAS C4 by Fairey Aviation Ltd. at Stockport and was taken on charge by 76 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 20th April 1943. As a result of the damage sustained on 29th April 1943 Cat.Ac/FB damage was the assessment. The aircraft was repaired on site and returned to 76 Squadron use on 11th May 1943. On 12th June 1943 it failed to return from Ops to Dusseldorf that saw six of it's then crew killed and one made a PoW. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge on 15th June 1943.