Wellington HE153 at Leconfield airfield, bullet damage found on airframe.
On 21st January 1943 this 466 Squadron aircraft took off for a mine laying flight at 16.47hrs but was struck by bullets in the starboard wing and port side of the fuselage before they returned home. The crew could not locate the dropping area in the Zuyder Zee and were met with heavy flak so returned to base with the mines and landed at 20.26hrs. The aircraft was soon repaired and crashed near Warter Priory in February 1943.
Pilot - Sgt Colin Foley Tozer RAAF (406585), of Mount Lawley, Western Australia.
Second Pilot - Sgt Ivor Malcolm Payne Morgan RAFVR (1334889). (196 Squadron pilot).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Harold Ernest Jones RAFVR (1375844).
Navigator - F/Sgt Gordon Kenneth Young RCAF (R/90189), of Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt R Treacher RNZAF (NZ.412910).
Air Gunner - Sgt R E Nurse RAFVR (1079130).
Gordon Young was born on 14th December 1920, he was twenty three years old when he died in April 1943 and was promoted to WO2 after his death. Sgt Jones was twenty one years old.
Colin Foley was born 10th September 1921 in Subiaco, Western Australia and enlisted in Perth on 3rd February 1941. After basic training and gaining his Wings on arriving in the UK he trained at 14 AFU (begining 9th March 1942), 1518 BAT Flt (begining 25th April 1942), 14 (P)AFU (begining 5th May 1942), 13 OTU (begining 23rd June 1942) and 14 OTU (begining 25th August 1942) before posting to 466 Squadron on 28th November 1942. He flew his first operational flight as a second pilot with a 10 Squadron crew on 10th December 1942 and as a result was the first Australian 466 Squadron pilot to fly an operational flight. While flying Ops to Essen on 5th March 1943 in Wellington HZ256 when it collided with 196 Squadron Wellington HE396 over the North Sea, Sgt Tozer flew his damaged Wellington back to base. On 12th March 1943 Tozer was the pilot of Wellington HZ271 again flying Ops to Essen when a flak burst struck the aircraft injuring Sgt Treacher in the shoulder. Colin Tozer received his commission to P/O on 15th March 1943. On the night of 16th / 17th April 1943 he was the pilot of Wellington HE501 on Ops to Mannheim which failed to return. He had flown fourteen operational flights by this date. He is buried at Seraincourt Churchyard, Ardennes, France and was twenty one years old. Sgt's Jones and Young were also with him on this night and were also killed.
Sgt Treacher was injured in the shoulder by shrapnel on Ops to Essen on 12th March 1943 in Wellington HZ271, he was posted as "non-effective sick" to SHQ Driffield by the end of March 1943. After this date nothing more is known about him.
Ivor Morgan was serving with 196 Squadron at the time of this incident, he was either flying in Wellington HE153 with 466 Squadron to gain operational experience or as a more experienced operational pilot sent to fly with this newly formed squadron on this night. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) (143666) on 27th March 1943. Sadly P/O Morgan died on 17th April 1943 on Ops to Mannheim when his aircraft, Wellington HE387, crashed in France. This was the same raid in which Tozer, Jones and Young died. Ivor Morgan was twenty two years old and is buried in Couvron et Aumencourt Cemetery, Aisne, France.
Wellington HE153 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden and was awaiting collection in November 1942. It was taken on charge by 466 Squadron at Driffield, probably on 26th November 1942 when their first batch arrived. The date it arrived is not listed on the aircraft's AM Form 78. 466 Squadron moved to Leconfield on 27th December 1942. As a result of very minor damage on 21st January 1943 Cat.A/FB was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site with it returned to 466 Squadron. On 15th February 1943 it crashed near Warter Priory on return from an operational flight to Cologne which killed one of the then crew, Cat.E/FB damage was recorded and it was written off.