Lancaster ED315 damaged by flak, returned to Breighton airfield.
On the evening of 4th January 1943 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were undertaking Ops to bomb Essen and left Breighton at 17.30hrs. They bombed the target area at 19.51hrs as marked by Pathfinder flares but the pilot's escape hatch was blown off by a burst of flak above the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely at base of Breighton at 22.40hrs.
Pilot - P/O Lorraine Joseph Simpson RAAF (401542).
Bomb Aimer? - Sgt Colin William McLeod RAAF (403071).
Navigator? - Sgt Alastair Kennedy RAAF (403619).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Frederick John King RAAF (15471).
Wireless Operator? - Sgt Ronald Searle RAAF (412194).
Air Gunner - Sgt Walter Thomas Maltby RAFVR (1425111).
Air Gunner - Sgt K Sutton.
A photograph of all of the named airmen and Lancaster ED315 found on the Australian War Memorial website. Left to right.. Sutton, McLeod, Simpson, King, Maltby with Kennedy and Searle leaving aircraft.
Lancaster ED315 was built to contract B.69274/40 by A.V.Roe & Co. Ltd. at Chadderton and was awaiting collection in November 1942. It was initially taken on charge by 44 Squadron at Waddington on 30th November 1942 but transferred to 460 Squadron at Breighton on 3rd December 1943. As a result of minor battle damage on both 4th January 1943 and 17th January 1943 minor Cat.A/FB damage resulted and it was repaired on site each time. Both incidents were not recorded on the aircraft's AM78 movement card. On 14th May 1943 it moved with 460 Squadron to Binbrook where it carried the squadron coding "AR-P". On 28th June 1943 it crashed at Binbrook causing the undercarriage to collapsed, after this incident Cat.B damage was the initial damage assessment but it was later re-assessed as being beyond repair and was written off with Cat.E/FA damage with it being struck off charge on 8th July 1943.
Laurie Simpson was born on 22nd August 1918 in Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia and enlisted for RAAF service in Mebourne. He was awarded the DFC for sercive with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 9th July 1943. On the night of 27th / 28th January 1944 Simpson, Kennedy and McLeod were still serving with 460 Squadron, they were flying Ops to Berlin in Lancaster JB296 and failed to return and crashed near Cherbourg with all of the crew baling out. All were reported having taken as PoW. Laurie Simpson's son Andrew Simpson's book "Victory at all Costs" details his father's time in the RAAF.
Colin McLeod was born on 21st October 1915 in Dalby, Queensland and enlisted in Sydney. Little else is known about his RAAF service.
Alan Kennedy was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland on 29th August 1918 and enlisted into the RAAF in Sydney. He survived baling out of Lancaster W4816 on 17th January 1943 over Bridlington. For service with 460 Squadron he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 9th July 1943. He was made a PoW on 28th January 1944 in Lancaster JB296.
Frederick King was born on 3rd December 1920 in Sydney and enlisted there in June 1940. He initially undertook ground crew duties but later re-mustered as a flight engineer. He married a Goole lady whilst stationed in Yorkshire and received his commission on 8th April 1943. He was later posted to 12 Squadron. On the night of 24th / 25th March 1944 he was flying Ops to Berlin in Lancaster JB359 when the aircraft failed to return, he was initially buried locally to the crash site in Germany and is now buried in Berlin War Cemetery. He was twenty three years old.
Ronald Searle was born on 12th February 1920 in Ryde, New South Wales and enlisted in Sydney.
Walter Maltby later received a commission (169516) on 17th November 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation and was promoted to F/O (War Subs) on 17th May 1944 and F/Lt on 17th November 1945. He was probably born in Nottingham in 1922 and died there in 2004.