On 8th September 1943 the crew of this 617 Squadron aircraft were undertaking a daytime training flight and possibly a low level training flight given 617 Squadron's history of low flying to their targets. The aircraft took off from Coningsby at 10.20hrs and pilot was removing his sunglasses the aircraft struck trees. The aircraft appears to have been landed at 11.30hrs possibly on an airfield, or possibly soon after hitting the trees. The location given on the AM Form 1180 is "Cawwood, Yorkshire" though that may be where it struck the trees rather than where a landing was made. I assume that the location should be Cawood, Yorkshire despite having any direct evidence for this. The AM Form 1180 states that it sustained possible Cat.B to aircraft and one engine and Cat.U (nil damage) to other three engines suggesting a wheel's down landing as more than one engine would have sustained damage. The 617 Squadron record books do not mention this incident.
The aircraft's AM Form 78 does not record a Cat.B incident during 1943 after June 1943 when 617 Squadron received this aircraft. It seems to me that the engine was damaged when it struck the tree and the rest of the aircraft escaped damage.
Pilot - F/Lt Edward Ernest George Youseman DFC RAFVR (113351).
Edward Youseman had earlier served with 99 Squadron and 214 Squadron earlier in the war with the award of the DFC coming for this service. He was posted to 617 Squadron after a spell instructing at an OTU on 26th July 1943. The 617 Squadron records do not state what training the crews were doing in September 1943. They were testing the S.A.B.S. bombsight prior to November 1943 and were also about to bomb a railway viaduct so their training may have involved some form of low level flying towards a UK railway viaduct and/or some form of S.A.B.S. bombsight test. Purely speculation on my part. On 15th September 1943 Youseman and crew flew the long trip to bomb the Antheor railway viaduct, on the southern France - Italy border, in Lancaster ED763 and returned to Coningsby. Unfortunately the bombing was not successful. The target was attacked again on 11th November 1943 by 617 Squadron. Eleven crews were detailed to carry out the raid but only ten flew the distance. Youseman and crew flew Lancaster ED735. Four crews bombed the target but no visible damage while six bombed railway embankment near Cannes. As ordered prior to take off the crew flew on to North africa and landed at Blinda. They remained in North Africa for a few days and are rumoured to have been loaded with produce to return home with. Over the 17th and 18th November 1943 the ten Lancasters begun the long return flight back from North Africa to England. Nine of the ten Lancasters returned to Coningsby, Youseman and crew were missing, presumed shot down by a fighter between the Iberian Peninsula and the Bay of Biscay. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
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