Wellington DK186 damaged by flak, returned to Leeming airfield.
On the night of 24th / 25th June 1943 the crew of this 427 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Wuppertal when the aircraft receieved minor flak damage. The crew made a safe return to base, landing at Leeming at 04.30hrs. This aircraft carried the nose art "London's Revenge" and also featured the name of US actress "Lana Turner".
Pilot - S/Ldr Cyril Henry Earthrowl RAFVR (69450).
Navigator - F/O John Peter Michael Greening RAFVR (130516).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Alfred John Frederick Clark RAFVR (127281).
Wireless Operator - Sgt E A Perdue RCAF (R/74751).
Air Gunner - Sgt C L Bernier RCAF (R/35539).
Air Gunner - P/O Graydon Maurice Thornton RCAF (J/16938).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Richard Norris Dobney RAFVR (1432546).
Cyril Earthrowl was born in 1921. He begun his first Tour in November 1940 with 99 Squadron and after completing it a year later he served as an instructor for a time flying two of the 1000 Bomber raids in May/June 1942. He received his commission in the RAF 12th June 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation and was later promoted to F/O (war subs) on 12th June 1942. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 1st January 1943 and was promoted to F/Lt on 8th May 1943. He begun a second Tour of operational flying in February 1943 with 427 Squadron and for service with 427 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 13th August 1943. Following the completion of his second Tour nothing more is known of his wartime flying. After the war he served as a BOAC pilot for many years before leaving the company at the end of 1975. He died in New Milton, Hampshire in November 2012.
Richard Dobney received his commission on 16th December 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). By January 1944 he was serving with 434 Squadron and baled out of Halifax EB256 on 29th January 1944 over Flixton on return from Ops. He rose to F/O (war subs) on 16th June 1944 but left the RAF on the grounds of medical unfitness on 25th November 1945. He was born in 1923, married in early 1943 and died in 1991 all in the Spalding area of Lincolnshire.
F/Sgt Bernier was still serving with 427 Squadron when he survived the crash of Halifax LL191 on 21st January 1944 in Norfolk.
Graydon Thornton was born in 1911 in Birtle, Manitoba, Canada. He was awarded the DFC for service with 427 Squadron, Gazetted on 6th November 1943.
John Greening received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 27th October 1942. He was posted to 427 Squadron on 18th January 1943 and rose to F/O on 27th April 1943. He relinquished his commission in the RAFVR (on appointment to the Belgian Air Force) on 23rd October 1944 though the notification of this in the London Gazette was later cancelled in 1946.
Alfred Clark received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 20th July 1942 and rose to F/O on 20th January 1943. He received the DFC for service with 427 Squadron, this consisted of at least 25 operational flights spread over a long period between 9th January 1943 and 22nd May 1944. He was the squadron's Bombing Leader at the end of his tour, his DFC was Gazetted on 15th September 1944. He was promoted to F/Lt before the end of the war and remained in the RAF until 9th June 1955.
The wireless operator Sgt Perdue completed a Tour with 427 Squadron but later returned to begin a second. On 20th February 1945, while in the rank of Warrant Officer he was flying in Halifax NP842 was forced down over Germany, two of the crew died but he survived and saw out the last few months of the war as a PoW. I have not been unable to fully identify him, he may have been a US citizen.