Lancaster ED422 damaged on Ops, returned to Holme on Spalding Moor airfield.
On the night of 20th / 21st April 1943 the crew of this 101 Squadron aircraft undertook an operational flight to bomb a target at Stettin. The aircraft took off
from Holme on Spalding Moor airfield at 21.30hrs. At 00.32hrs and prior to reaching the target area the Lancaster was struck by flak. A fire started in the port outer engine following a direct hit. The mid upper turret was also knocked out of action and a fuel tank was holed. The crew jettisoned the bomb load and made for home. The fire was put out and a safe landing at Holme on Spalding Moor was made at 05.05hrs on the three remaining engines.
Pilot: - F/Sgt Kenneth Douglas Gray RAAF (401943).
Flight Engineer - Sgt H W Radford (Possibly Sgt Herbert Walter Radford RAFVR (1157658)).
Navigator - Sgt Edward Stewart Moore RAAF (414063).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Dening Geall RAFVR (1294425).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Geoffrey Arthur Webb RAAF (412779).
Air Gunner - Sgt Harry Yates RAF (640253).
Air Gunner - Sgt Raymond Haines Leonard RAAF (416436).
Lancaster ED422 was built to contract B.69274/40 by A.V. Roe and Co. Ltd. at Chadderton and was taken on charge by 101 Squadron at Holme on Spalding Moor on 21st December 1942. As a result of the battle damage on 21st April 1943 Cat.Ac/FB damage was the assessment. A repair on site commenced on 24th April 1943 and it was returned to 101 Squadron on 5th June 1943. On 15th June 1943 101 Squadron moved to Ludford Magna. On 10th November 1943 the aircraft was transferred to 166 Squadron at Kirmington. On 17th November 1943 it struck a tree near Kirmington, the resulting crash killed five of the eight crew. Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 27th November 1943 having clocked up a total of 410 hours total flying time.
Raymond Leonard was killed on 11th September 1944 when 156 Squadron Lancaster ND534 failed to return from Ops to Gelsenkirchen. He is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.