On the night of 11th / 12th June 1943 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft took off from Melbourne airfield at 23.35hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Dusseldorf. They bombed the target area at 02.06hrs from 20,000 feet on the PFF target markers. During the course of the flight the aircraft sustained minor damage to the perspex nose of the aircraft due to hitting a bird. Despite the damage the crew managed to make the return to base and landed at Melbourne at 04.55hrs. This was one of six 10 Squadron Halifaxes damaged on this night.
Pilot - F/Sgt Arthur Morley RAAF (411593).
Navigator - Sgt R L Watson RAF (658633).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Ronald James West RAFVR (1314899).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt R C Samways RAFVR (1324626).
Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Sadler RAFVR (1186870).
Flight Engineer - Sgt W R Readhead RAFVR (1150484).
Air Gunner - Sgt J R Barlow RAFVR (1065014).
On the night of 3rd / 4th July 1943 all of the above were flying in 10 Squadron Halifax DT784 on Ops to Cologne when the aircraft was badly damaged by an enemy aircraft over Belgium and the aircraft crashed in Belgium. Morley and Sadler died while the other five became PoWs. Arthur Morley was thirty one years old and Frank Sadler a couple of years younger. Both men are buried in Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium. A memorial has since been erected at the crash site.
Halifax DT786 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was taken on charge as new by 10 Squadron at Melbourne on 4th February 1943. The aircraft sustained battle minor damage on 28th May 1943 that saw a Cat.A/FB damage assessment. On 12th June 1943 it sustained Cat.A/FB when the nose perspex was broken following a bird strike on Ops to Dusseldorf. On 25th June 1943 it sustained Cat.A/FB damage on Ops to Wuppertal when the port inner engine caught fire resulting in minor damage. On 18th August 1943 it sustained Cat.A/FB battle damage on Ops to Peenemunde. After each of these incidents repairs on site were carried out. The aircraft was transferred to 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit at Marston Moor on 29th January 1944 and then to 1669 Heavy Conversion Unit at Langer on 4th October 1944. During November 1944 1669 H.C.U. ceased operating this aircraft variant. On 20th February 1945 this aircraft was flown to Pilkington Bros. Ltd., at Doncaster for a major repair but was subsequently struck off charge on 6th March 1945.
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