Halifax DT697 damaged in the air, landed at Driffield airfield.
On the evening of 13th February 1943 the crew of this 158 Squadron aircraft took off from Rufforth airfield at 18.42hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Lorient. As the aircraft began to climb away it started to uncontrollably climb steeply to starboard. The flight engineer was forced to assist the pilot to keep the aircraft level and the aircraft reached the sky over Selby the aircraft before a spin developed at 2,500 feet above the ground. The crew jettisoned the bomb load over farm land in the Selby area, the pilot only recovered the aircraft three hundred feet off the ground. The crew managed to fly the aircraft back towards Rufforth but were refused permission to land there. They then sought assistance from a direction finding system that guided them to Driffield airfield where they managed to land safely at 19.35hrs.
The mainplane skin was found to be stressed and rippled, an undercarriage door was found to be missing and there was believed to be damage to the main spar of the aircraft. The missing undercarriage door was located on the ground near Selby, probably below where the aircraft was pulled out of the uncontrolled spin. The damage was repaired.
Pilot - Sgt Thomas Donald Plenderleith RAFVR (1385693).
Navigator - Sgt David Rosenthal RCAF (R/29515).
Air Bomber - Sgt William Cruikshank Low McKay RAFVR (658188).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James Douglas Koch RCAF (R/91295).
Air Gunner - Sgt Leonard Alfred Lenox RAFVR (1468946).
Air Gunner - Sgt Granville Harold Wheatcroft RAFVR (1219834).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Eugene Heweston RAFVR (610183).
William McKay was later granted a commission and was awarded the DFC for service with 158 Squadron. He was later awarded a Bar to the DFC for service with 78 Squadron in 1945.
David Rosenthal was awarded made a PoW on 29th January 1944 when 158 Squadron Halifax HX333 was damaged by flak over Berlin and the he was forced to bale out.
Leonard Lenox was awarded the DFM for service with 158 Squadron in November 1943 but was killed on 30th July 1944 while flying with 97 Squadron when Lancaster NE121 was badly damaged over France. Some of his then crew were able to bale out before a fire spread and control was lost. He and five others died in the resulting crash and he is buried in Bayeux War Cemetery, France.
Granville Wheatcroft was awarded the DFM for service with 158 Squadron, Gazetted in September 1943. He was killed on 2nd September 1944 and is buried at Montecchio War Cemetery, Italy. CWGC state that he was serving with 24 Squadron at the time but I cannot find any mention of his name in their record book on this date.
James Koch was awarded the DFC for service with 158 Squadron, Gazetted on 7th November 1944.
The first five listed above were posted in to 158 Squadron from 1652 H.C.U. on 3rd January 1943. What happened to this crew in the long term is not yet confirmed, they look to have stayed at 158 Squadron as spare aircrew after Thomas Plenderleith was posted to Driffield Sick Quarters as "Non-Effective Sick" on 18th April 1943. He does not appear to have suffered a phyiscal injury so perhaps the mental strain had taken it's toll on him and he was withdrawn from operational flying. At that period in history if this was the case then it must have been a difficult time for him with little help available from the RAF. Post-war Thomas Plenderleith became an accomplished artist as well as a teacher. He died in 2005.
F/Sgt Heweston was killed on 3rd October 1943 when 158 Squadron Halifax LW296 failed to return from Ops to Kassel. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Halifax DT697 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was taken on charge 158 Squadron at Rufforth on 29th December 1942. As a result of the damage sustained on 13th February 1943 minor Cat.Ac/FB was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site at Driffield. The aircraft was returned to 158 Squadron after repair towards the end of April 1943. It was transferred to 1658 Heavy Conversion Unit at Riccall on 27th May 1943. It crashed in Leicestershire on 21st August 1943, Cat.E2/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 1st September 1943.