Lancaster DS740 damaged by flak, returned to East Moor airfield.
On the night of 29th / 30th December 1943 the crew of this 432 Squadron Lancaster were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Berlin. The aircraft took off from East Moor at 17.13hrs. At 20.05hrs the aircraft suffered flak damage which damaged the rear turret and hydraulics but the crew pressed on to the target, they released their bomb load onto the target area from 20,500 feet at 20.29hrs. Despite the damage the crew returned to East Moor and landed at 00.47hrs.
Pilot - P/O Donald Arthur Rae RCAF (J/17895).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Kenneth Edgar Evans RAFVR (1605227).
Navigator - F/O Geoffrey Vernon Holmes RAFVR (129368).
Bomb Aimer - P/O David Thomas Lyng RCAF (J/19590).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James William Chadwick RAFVR (1397359).
Air Gunner - Sgt Charles Francis Tarr RAFVR (1068226).
Air Gunner - WO2 Williard Henry Hoppus RCAF (R/105586).
A superb photograph of David Lyng, the photograph was found on the internet and uploaded by his nephew Mr David Courtemanche.
Geoffrey Holmes' birth was registered in Chorlton, Lancashire in 1921. He attended Sale High School and Manchester Grammar School and was employed by the Yorkshire Insurance Company when he joined the RAFVR. He received a commission on 17th August 1942 to P/O on probation (emergency), he rose to F/O (war subs) on 23rd January 1943. CWGC list his age as being twenty two years old when he died as a result of the loss of Lancaster DS740 in Germany on 14th January 1944.
Donald Rae was the son of William and Elsie Rae and was born on 29th September 1922 in Regina, Saskatchewan. His mother was born in Stockton on Tees, Durham, England. He enlisted into the RCAF on 10th July 1941 in Regina and was a student at the time but working part time in a department store. He gained his Wings in Canada in early 1942 and arrived in England in May 1942. Having trained at 12 (P)AFU (June to August 1942) and 22 OTU (from 18th August 1942) his service record does not list where he was posted to next but he was eventually posted to 432 Squadron by July 1943. Where he was in the months in between is not yet known. He received his commission on 2nd July 1943. P/O Rae had crash landed 432 Squadron Wellington HF494 on 19th July 1943 at Yearsley, near Easingwold (detailed on this website). He and his crew left 432 Squadron on 20th September 1943 to undertake their conversion training to fly the Lancaster at 1679 Heavy Conversion Flight, this was complete on 17th October 1943 and they returned to 432 Squadron ready to fly Lancasters at East Moor. P/O Rae and his crew were killed on 14th January 1944 while flying Lancaster DS740 on Ops to Brunswick and all were initially buried locally near Lagershausen at Imbshausen cemetery but now rest in Hannover War Cemetery. This final flight was P/O Rae's sixth with 432 Squadron on Lancasters and the aircraft's fourth. The incident detailed at the top of the page was Rae's third since returning to 432 Squadron after converting to Lancasters.
Williard Hoppus as born on 1st August 1918 to Clarence Leroy and Lottie Amanda Hoppus, of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada.
Lancaster DS740 was built to contract AC.239 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was initially taken on charge by 426 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 13th October 1943 around the time the unit converted to Lancaster B.II's from Wellingtons. On paper it transferred to 430 Squadron at Hartford Bridge on 15th October 1943 but this is clearly an error on the part of the scribe as 430 Squadron were an Army Co-operation squadron operating Tomahawks and would have little use for a Lancaster! It almost certainly was transferred correctly to 432 Squadron at East Moor instead but the date of transfer is missing from the aircraft's AM Form 78. Following the damage sustained on 30th December 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. On 14th January 1944 the aircraft failed to return from Ops to Braunschweig, crashing at Lagershausen, near Northeim. The seven crew were sadly lost, with many being the same as those named above. Cat.Em damage was recorded on the paperwork and the aircraft was struck off charge.