Wellington HE394 damaged in the air, returned to Burn airfield.
On the night of 29th / 30th May 1943 the crew of this 431 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Wuppertal when the aircraft sustained minor flak damage to the port wing which also holed the forward fuel tanks, the crew returned to base safely and landed in the early hours at Burn airfield.
Pilot - F/O Herbert Henry Vincent Wilkinson RAFVR (110542).
Navigator - F/O Robert Lionel Harman Ball RAFVR (130156).
Bomb Aimer - P/O N Walker.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Kenneth Lomas RAFVR (1077211).
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Lascelles Jenkins RAFVR (1321940).
Herbert Wilkinson received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 1st November 1941 and was promoted to F/O on probation on 1st October 1942. He is commemorated on the St.Andrew's war memorial, Wakefield.
Robert Ball received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 12th October 1942 and rose to F/O on 12th April 1943.
Wellington HE394 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden and was flown to 23 M.U. at Aldergrove on 16th November 1942. The aircraft was taken on charge by 196 Squadron at Driffield on 8th December 1942 but was transferred to 431 Squadron at Burn on 21st December 1942. As a result of flak damage on 15th April 1943 minor Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment which saw it repaired on site. As a result of flak damage on 28th May 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was again the damage assessment which saw it repaired on site swiftly. On 30th May 1943 it again received flak damage on Ops that saw Cat.A/FB damage be the damage assessment and it was repaired on site yet again. On 23rd June 1943 it failed to return from Ops to Mulheim that saw it's crew of five killed. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and the aircraft was struck off charge on 30th June 1943 having clocked up a total of 156 flying hours.
Wilkinson, Ball, Lomas and Jenkins were later posted to 10 Squadron and converted to flying the Halifax type. On 22nd October 1943 all were flying in Halifax JB974 on Ops to Kassel, all were killed when the aircraft crashed in Germany and are now buried Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.