Lancaster DS851 damaged in the air, further damaged at East Moor airfield.
On the night of 2nd / 3rd December 1943 the crew of this 432 Squadron Lancaster were tasked with an operational flight to bomb Berlin. The aircraft took off from East Moor at 17.06hrs and the crew released the bomb load onto the target area from 21,000 feet at 20.43hrs. During the course of the night this aircraft was damaged by cannon and machine-gun fire from an unidentified aircraft on the return flight. The pilot managed to shake the (presumed) enemy aircraft off but not before the mid-upper turret was knocked out of action and hydraulics damaged. On landing at East Moor at 00.35hrs the aircraft overshot the runway and ran into the fields beyond, coming to rest badly damaged. While there is no mention of it running into trees, the map reference found in a police report suggests that it did. Correspondence with historian Marcel Huizenga in June 2012 resulted in details from a letter from the pilot to himself in which the pilot referred to the aircraft as being very badly shot up prior to making the landing. Further letters from other members of the squadron recall seeing this aircraft on it's belly in a field off the end of the runway for some time before it was removed. The police record of it being near the "Wigginton to Sheriff Hutton road" suggests it was off the north end of the runway, but technically there is not a road directly between the two places. From a sketch map I have been supplied with, sketched by someone based at East Moor at the time, it actually crashed off the Strensall Lane (South) end of the airfield. The crew escaped serious injury.
Lancaster DS851 was built to contract AC.239 by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton and was taken on charge by 432 Squadron at East Moor as new on 20th October 1943. It was destroyed at East Moor on 3rd December 1943 with Cat.E2/FB being the damage assessment. The aircraft was struck off charge on 4th December 1943.
Pilot - F/O Crawford Vincent Wales RCAF (J/6174).
Navigator - F/Sgt John Stanley Evans RAFVR (1391057).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William John Thomas Garvey RAFVR (1445910).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John Howard Aplin RAFVR (1270708).
Rear Gunner - Sgt Joseph Dickinson RAFVR (1865285).
Mid Upper Gunner - F/Lt Guy Henri Rainville DFM RCAF (J/15751).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Alfred Leonard Joseph Thomas RAFVR (1548711).
All of those named above, excepting Sgt Dickinson, were on board Lancaster DS850 on 14th January 1944 on Ops when it was hit by incendiary bombs from above which holed the aircraft's fueltanks. Realising the situation the pilot ordered the crew to bale out, two of the crew were killed including Sgt Aplin who is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery who was twenty one years old. The rest of the crew survived but became PoW's. My thanks to Mr Graham Sharpe for the photograph of Sgt Aplin's gravestone.
Crawford Wales was born in Portage la Prairie and joined the RCAF in 1940. While P/O Wales was training in Canada in Anson 6561 on 3rd September 1941 the aircraft's starboard propeller clipped water on the St.Lawrence River near Gannonque, Ontario. He was not the pilot at the time and although his instructor landed safely the instructor was blamed for the incident. He completed his training was later posted overseas and arrived at 432 Squadron. Having returned home to Canada after the war he later moved to Winnipeg where he worked for Ford and Standard Aero. He died on 21st May 2004, aged 87.
F/Lt Rainville's DFM was gained whilst he was serving with 419 Squadron. His award was effective from 16th June 1942 (as per London Gazette of 22nd September 1942). He was born in Montreal in 1913 and his home was in Quebec where he was an agriculture student. He enlisted there 29th June 1940. Later he served in 425 Squadron and was Gunnery Leader with 419 Squadron when the DFM was awarded. He was invested with his award by King George VI on 18th May 1943. The citation reads.. "This airman is employed as an air gunner. He has at all times displayed exemplary qualities and his work had been completed in an assuming yet forceful manner. By his skill and teamwork he has played a good part in the success of the crews with whom he has flown. He has participated in attacks on dockyard installations and industrial targets both in Germany and German occupied territory. His courage and tenacity have been noteworthy." In the recommendation for the award the date is missing however he is listed as completing thirty eight operational flights (totalling 188 hours and 35 minutes) when the DFM was awarded with the following recommendation.. "F/Sgt Rainville has completed thirty eight sorties against the enemy, thirty one of which were with this squadron. His determination in the execution of his duties account in a large part for this number of sorties. He displayed at all times most exemplary qualities and his work was carried out in an unassuming yet forceful manner. His cool and cooperative execution of his duties while on operations has played a great part in the successes of the crews with which he has flown." and "F/Sgt Rainville is of French-Canadian descent, and as such he has set a fine example for future French-Canadian aircrew. His ability, courage, tenacity and coolness qualify him for official recognition." The following is a list of these thirty eight operational flights. Information found in Hugh Halliday's RCAF awards research and full credit to him.