Wellington HE394 damaged in the air, returned to Burn airfield.
On the night of 14th / 15th April 1943 the crew of this 431 Squadron aircraft took off from Burn airfield at around 21.00hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Stuttgart. The aircraft sustained minor flak damage to the starboard wing and fuselage and they made a safe landing at Burn at 04.25hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Benjamin Parker Jackson RAFVR (1148949).
Navigator - Sgt Jack A Begg RCAF (R/127855).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Leslie E Cragg RCAF.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John Raymond Hill RAFVR (577735?).
Air Gunner - Sgt George A Beattie RCAF (R/120715).
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.
Benjamin Jackson was born in Coxhoe, Durham in 1917 and was educated at the Alderman Wraith Grammar School in Spennymoor. He joined the RAF in 1941 and after training began operational flying in February 1943. He was granted a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 23rd May 1943. For service with 431 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 10th December 1943. The recommendation for his DFC (as located by Hugh Halliday) refers to a flak incident to HE502 on 15th June 1943 and reads.."This officer has completed many operational sorties including attacks on well defended targets in the Ruhr. He has always shown great courage and coolness in emergency. One night in June 1943, he piloted an aircraft to lay mines at Lorient. Whilst running into his mining area, the bomber was engaged by anti-aircraft fire, causing it to deviate from its track. In spite of this, Pilot Officer Jackson pressed home the attack and successfully completed his detail. As captain of aircraft, this officer's leadership has been an inspiration to his crew." He was promoted to F/O on 23rd November 1943 and to F/Lt on 23rd May 1945. Post-ww2 he returned to working as an electrician at Thrislington Colliery. In 2012 he was featured in a "Northern Echo" newspaper article regarding a display on his wartime service in West Cornforth library. He died in February 2014.
Les Cragg married a girl from York while in the UK and they had a baby daughter. After the war they moved to Canada where Les died in 2006.