Halifax DT580 damaged by flak, returned to Snaith airfield.
At 20.00hrs on 27th March 1943 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft took off from Snaith airfield to carry out an opertional flight to bomb Berlin. While over the target area the aircraft was hit by flak and received slight damage to the starboard outer engine air intake. The crew were able to return to Snaith airfield and land safely at 03.08hrs on 28th March 1943.
Pilot - F/Lt Ronald Sidney Williams RAF (45374).
Navigator - F/O Geoffrey Bond RAFVR (113918).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Arthur Kenneth Dean RAFVR (1602671).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O Favell Clinton Annand RCAF (J/16435).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Alexander William Forbes RAFVR (817282).
Air Gunner - P/O Sydney Gwyn Price RAFVR (116503).
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert William Lorenzo RAFVR (1231021).
Ronald Williams received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 27th February 1941 (with seniority of 5th February 1941) rising to F/O exactly a year later with the same back-dated seniority of 22 days and to F/Lt on 27th February 1943 with the same back-dated seniority. For service with 51 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 20th April 1943. He was posted to 158 Squadron on 13th April 1943 and killed on 14th July 1943 while flying Ops to Aachen in Halifax JD116. He is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery and was twenty nine years old.
Sydney Price received a commission on 14th February 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on 1st April 1943 and F/Lt on 14th August 1944. Postwar he remained in the RAFVR at least until 1949 when he transferred to the Equipment Branch.
Geoffrey Bond received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 13th December 1941 and rose to F/O on probation on 1st October 1942 and F/Lt on 13th December 1943. For service with 51 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 9th July 1943 and was later posted to 10 Squadron, for further service he was awarded the Bar to the DFC, Gazetted on 26th October 1945.
Arthur Dean received a commission to the rank of P/O on (142557) 11th March 1943. For service with 51 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 19th October 1943.
Robert Lorenzo was granted a commission on 1st June 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (148092) and was promoted to F/O on 1st December 1943 and F/Lt on 1st June 1945.
He was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron.
Alexander Forbes received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 21st May 1943 and rose to F/O on 21st November 1943 and F/Lt on 21st May 1945. He was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron, Gazetted on 6th June 1944 (D-Day).
Favell Annand was born in 1919. He was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron, Gazetted on the citation reads.."Since Pilot Officer Annand was posted to this unit he has completed numerous anti-submarine patrols and bombing raids. He is a wireless operator of outstanding ability and exceptional keenness. Throughout a long and arduous tour of operations his fine fighting spirit has never wavered and in addition to his work in the air he has given much assistance in training aircrews. Pilot Officer Annand has participated in attacks on Emden, Berlin, Kiel and Frankfurt and many other heavily defended targets." A Canadian newspaper mentioned that he returned to Canada in early 1944 to become an instructor and that he had been in aircraft that had ditched in the sea three times while serving in Europe. He died in 1997.
Halifax DT580 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was awaiting collection on 2nd November 1942. The aircraft was taken on charge as new by 51 Squadron at Snaith but the date it arrived is not yet known.
It was first used operationally by 51 Squadron on 15th January 1942. As a result of battle damage sustained on 4th March 1943 and then 28th March 1943 minor Cat.A/FB damage resulted each time with repairs on site carried out. It was next used by 51 Squadron on 16th April 1943. The aircraft was later transferred to 78 Squadron at Breighton (but the date is not known) and finally to 1658 Heavy Conevrsion Unit at Riccall (again on an unknown date). By June 1944 it was considered beyond economical repair and was place in MU store for disposal. It was struck off charge on 27th June 1944.