On 4th April 1943 this 10 Squadron aircraft left Melbourne airfield at 20.21hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Kiel and whilst near the target area the Halifax was attacked and damaged by a Junkers Ju88 night-fighter. The Halifaxes rear gunner returned fire and the attacker was driven off. The damage must have been serious enough for the crew to abandon the operational flight and they jettisoned the bomb load at 23.18hrs and around the same time one of the starboard engines appears to have failed. On their return to England the crew were diverted to land at Thornaby and while on the final approach to land there the other engines cut out at 500 feet, the aircraft crash landed in a field on the eastern side of Thornaby airfield just short of the runway at 02.31hrs on 5th April 1943 but the crew are not thought to have been injured. It is highly likely that all the members of this crew were later posted to 35 PFF Squadron.
Halifax DT785 was built to contract B982938/39 by English Electric Co. at Samlesbury and was delivered to 10 Squadron at Melbourne on 2nd February 1943. As a result of the accident at Thornaby on 5th April 1943 Cat B/FB was the initial damage assessment. It would have been transported away to a works factory but once work began the damage was deemed to be more serious than first thought and it was Re.Cat.E on 16th April 1943 and was struck off charge.
Pilot - Sgt Ronald Charles Williams RAFVR (1377791).
Flight Engineer - Sgt William Laverick RAF (545207).
Navigator - Sgt Joseph Hooson RAFVR (1206791).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Eric John Stone RAFVR (1332888).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt R H G Wray RAF.
Air Gunner - Sgt F C Redman RAFVR (914991).
Air Gunner - Sgt Jack Smith RAFVR (1128922).
On 29th December 1943 F/O Williams DFC (146333), Sgt Laverick DFM, P/O Hooson DFM (158427) and F/O Stone DFC were killed when their 35 Squadron Halifax HR986 crashed near Doberitz, they were initially buried locally but now lay in Berlin War Cemetery. I thank Mr Graham Sharpe for the photographs of their gravestones. Sgt Redman survived and became a PoW.
Ronald Williams had trained at 20 EFTS at Yeadon and while there he was the pilot of Tiger Moth T7051 that force landed near Harrogate on 28th August 1941. He later received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 10th May 1943 and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 10th November 1943. His DFC was Gazetted after his death on 18th January 1944 and for service with 35 Squadron.
Joseph Hooson received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 30th August 1943.
William Laverick was awarded the DFM for service with 35 Squadron, Gazetted on 16th November 1943.
Eric Stone received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 10th May 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 35 Squadron Gazetted on 16th November 1943.
Jack Smith was also posted to 35 Squadron and was awarded the DFM for service with them in May 1944.