Lancaster DS626 at East Moor airfield.
At 16.15hrs on 24th September 1943 this 1679 Heavy Conversion Flight aircraft was taxying at the end of the No.3 runway at East Moor airfield following landing when it tipped forward onto towards it's nose and then the tail then dropped back onto the ground. The tail of the aircraft and the tail wheel assembly suffered minor damage.
Pilot - Sgt Raymond Charles Burgess RCAF (R/133334).
Crew - Names unknown.
Lancaster DS626 was built to contract ACFT/239 by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton and was taken on charge as new by 115 Squadron at East Wretham on 26th March 1943. It transferred to 426 Squadron on 28th June 1943 at Linton on Ouse when the unit began to re-equip with Lancaster MkII's. Because of the shortage of converted crews for 426 Squadron the aircraft was used by 1679 Heavy Conversion Flight at East Moor from June 1943 though official records do not appears to show it was ever 'on charge' with them at all. It sustained Cat.Ac/FA damage at East Moor on 24th September 1043 and was repaired on site, with it being returned to 426 Squadron on 9th October 1943. The aircraft's AM Form 78 states it was transferred to 408 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 31st July 1944. It's operational career was over when it was transferred to 1668 H.C.U. at Bottesford on 5th September 1944. On 19th October 1944 it required a repair on site by a team from A.V.Roe with it being returned to 1668 H.C.U. on 28th October 1944. The aircraft is next recorded as being struck off charge on 20th March 1945.
Raymond Burgess was born on 28th January 1920 in Liverpool, England and was the son of John and Jessie Gillies (nee Davenport) Burgess. His family moved to Neslon, British Columbia, Canada when he was three years old. He had a brother who also would serve in the RCAF and a sister. He had been working for the Nelson Daily News newspaper as a proof-reader and printer for three years when he was drafted into the Canadian Army early in 1941. He then enlisted for RCAF service in Vancouver on 6th October 1941 and after training in Canada he was awarded his Pilot's Wings on 28th August 1942. He married Geraldine Grace Wallace on 28th April 1942 and she was pregnant with a baby boy when Ray left for service overseas in November 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 6 (P)AFU (posted there on 14th November 1942) and 24 OTU (posted there on 9th March 1943) before posting to 432 Squadron on 27th May 1943. On 3rd / 4th July 1943 Sgt Burgess was flying Wellington HF493 on an operational flight with 432 Squadron to bomb Cologne when the aircraft was hit by flak. Believing that the aircraft was severely damaged (and probably about time to bale out) the bomb aimer handed the navigator a parachute, he then made his way to the rear escape hatch and baled out. Sgt Burgess still had control of the aircraft and while the aircraft had indeed been damaged he did not give the order to abandon the aircraft. The crew jettisoned their bomb load and made for West Malling airfield to make a landing. Before they reached West Malling because of poor weather an instruction to divert to Hardwicke was sent to but not received by the aircraft because some of the radio equipment had been damaged by flak. Because of the poor weather they were unable to locate West Malling so the crew then baled out when the fuel began to run out. The Wellington crashed near "Codham golf couse, Kent" (Cobham, Surrey?) and the rest of the crew landed safely. The bomb aimer Sgt Albert Dabous RCAF (R/141458) survived and became a PoW.
Between 9th September 1943 and 7th October 1943 he was attached to 1679 Conversion Unit to convert to fly the four engined Lancasters. On 21st September 1943 he was in Lancaster DS632 when it swung out of control and the undercarriage collapsed. With this training complete in October 1943 he returned to 432 Squadron. He received a commission on 26th October 1943. On 16th November 1943 he was flying Lancaster DS847 on a cross country training flight, from base of East Moor they were to fly to Donnington and then Ramsey. During the opening part of the flight he reported to the crew that the starboard wing was low and the aircraft was hard to hold on course. The reached Donnington safely and with the problem not righting itself he decided to abandon the training flight and return to base. While over Lincolnshire the starboard outer engine failed and then caught fire, followed soon after by the failure of the starboard inner engine. P/O Burgess gave the order to abandon the aircraft, he and was last seen at the controls holding the aircraft level while his crew baled out. His and two other members of his crew did not escape the aircraft before it crashed in the area around Fillingham / Ingham, Lincolnshire. He was buried in Cambridge City Cemetery, and not the usual Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery as was more common.
