Lancaster ED804 damaged by flak, returned to Breighton airfield.
On 20th / 21st April 1943 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were tasked with an operational flight to bomb Stettin and left Breighton at 21.24hrs. They bombed the target area at 01.13hrs from 12,000 feet with good visibility reported and the target area was already marked by the PFF. The aircraft was fired upon by a light flak ship and a burst damaged the bomb aimer's perspex window and two aerials. A safe landing was made at Breighton at 05.20hrs. This crew had sustained flak damage in Lancaster W4844 earlier in April 1943 and all were later posted to 156 Squadron, sadly all died before the end of 1943.
Pilot - Sgt James Joseph Hewerdine RAAF (414137).
Navigator - Sgt Leonard William Dallimore RAFVR (1318874).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Geoffrey John Hamley Stokes RAFVR (1336474).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James Frederick William Cullum RAFVR (1330446).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Thomas Edward Dickins RAF (696974).
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Oswald Buckle RAFVR (1335598).
Air Gunner - Sgt John Archibald RAFVR (1551096).
James Hewerdine's service records are on the NAA website and reading them adds a lot of information on his service. He was born on 22nd December 1922 in Maryborough, Queensland and was working as a farm labourer when he enlisted into the RAAF in Brisbane on 16th August 1941. After training in Australia he was awarded his Wings on 31st March 1942. On arrival in the UK in August 1942 he trained at 3 PAFU, 19 OTU, 1661 CU and 1660 CU before posting to 460 Squadron in March 1943. He was later posted to 156 Squadron in mid-May 1943 and received a commssion on 24th June 1943. He was twenty years old when he died as a result of being lost on Ops to Turin in July 1943.
Of those listed above Hewerdine, Dickins, Dallimore, Cullum and Archibald were flying Ops to Turin on 12th / 13th July 1943 in Lancaster ED919 when it failed to return to base, all are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Leonard Dallimore and John Archibald were twenty one years old. James Cullum's age is not given on CWGC but his birth was registered in 1923 in Dorking, Surrey.
Geoffrey Stokes received a commission on 22nd July 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). Both he and F/Sgt Ronald Buckle sadly lost their lives on 22nd November 1943 while flying in Lancaster JB703 on Ops which failed to return from Ops to Berlin, they were both twenty one years old and are also commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Lancaster ED804 was built to contract B.69274/40 by A.V. Roe and Co. Ltd. at Chadderton. It was taken on charge by 460 Squadron at Breighton on 31st March 1943. As a result of the battle damage sustained on 21st April 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. On 14th May 1943 460 Squadron moved to Binbrook. The aircraft failed to return from Ops to Essen on 28th May 1943. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge on 31st May 1943 having clocked up a total of seventy flying hours.