Wellington HE485 damaged in air, returned to Leconfield airfield.
This 466 Squadron aircraft took off at 22.51hrs on 25th July 1943 from Leconfield airfield to undertake an operational flight to bomb Essen. As they approached the target area the crew realised that the bomb doors would not open so spent some time trying to open them, in the process of attempting to release the door mechanism they broke part of the automatic bomb door opening mechanism to try to free the doors manually. Initially this did not work but after further attempts they succeeded in opening the bomb doors manually. At 01.15hrs the crew had found a flarepath and released their bombs from 17,000 feet over this believing to have been an enemy aerodrome. The aircraft landed safely at base at 03.12hrs on 26th July 1943 and the aircraft was soon repaired. The 466 Squadron ORB does not record any battle damage or flak damage incidents in July 1943 which I find hard to believe there were none, this incident appears to have been the only "damage" to any 466 Squadron aircraft this month and I appreciate this is not really a flying accident but have included the incident in this list.
Pilot - S/Ldr Charles Warren MiD RAF (33482).
Second Pilot - Sgt Harold Callaway Wills RAAF (412787)
Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Peter Alan Taylor RAFVR (1190808).
Navigator - F/O Kenneth Dudley Boyce DFM RAFVR (134529).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt David Birkbeck Coltman RAFVR (1256605).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Peter Henry Cameron RAF (639384).
Having completed his Tour with 466 Squadron he was posted 19 OTU and then 2 ODU and later to 232 Squadron in Transport Command and then to 243 Squadron where he saw out the War in the Pacific. He was awarded the MBE on 12th June 1947 following service in post-war Japan, he late returned to the UK and took part in the Berlin Airlift. On 22nd October 1956 he was flying in Ballioi WG184 when it collided with a Chipmunk over Middle Wallop and the trainee he was flying with was killed in the resulting crash. W/Co Warren baled out of the aircraft and survived but left the RAF in 1957. He died in October 2005. His medal set sold at auction in 2007.
Harold Wills was born on 18th March 1917 in Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia and enlisted into the RAAF in Sydney on 20th July 1941. On 16th March 1944 he was the pilot of Halifax HX341 detailed to bomb Stuttgart but was shot down by a night-fighter on the return flight. He was made a PoW. He was married to Raynor Hope Nisbet and at that time his wife is listed as being St.Annes Rectory, Strathfield, New South Wales (her father was a vicar living at that same address).
Kenneth Boyce had enlisted into the RAFVR in 1940 and was posted to 104 Squadron in 1941 after training. He survived the crash of Wellington W5435 on 3rd September 1941 near Boroughbridge while serving with 104 Squadron (which is detailed on this website). For service with 104 Squadron he was awarded the DFM, Gazetted on 7th July 1942 and the citation refers to the incident near Boroughbridge; it reads.. "This airman has participated in 40 sorties, 22 of which were over Germany and occupied territory in France. On one occasion, after a night raid on Brest, one engine of his aircraft caught fire in the air, and Sergeant Boyce was compelled to crash land. While operating from Malta, he received multiple injuries when an engine failed when landing and his aircraft crashed. After his recovery, he insisted on participating in further operations. During an attack on a convoy, Sergeant Boyce scored hits on a merchant vessel which subsequently sank. He has on many occasions been responsible for successful attacks in most difficult conditions." He was posted on the 104 Squadron detachment to Malta and later to Egypt. After posting back to the UK he joined 466 Squadron. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 8th October 1942. He was promoted to F/O on 8th April 1943 and F/Lt on 8th October 1944. He died on 21st February 1946 while still serving in the RAF and is commemorated on a memorial wall in Billing Road Cemetery, Northampton. He was thirty one years old. The events surrounding his service death are not yet known though his name is not listed in any flying accident on this date in Colin Cummings' "Final Landings" losses book for the period.
S/Ldr Charles Warren's service is very well documented by Simon Muggleton on this website "www.152hyderabad.co.uk/html/w_c_c_warren_d_f_c.html" from which the text below is partly drawn from. He was born in Essex in November 1918 and joined the RAF in 1935 at the bottom as a fitter apprentice. He was later awarded a Cadetship at Cranwell in 1938 and trained as a pilot, he was awarded his Wings in April 1939 and received his commission in October 1939. His first operational squadron was a posting to 152 Squadron initially flying Gladiators but later converting to Spitfires and he remained with them into the Battle of Britain. In late-September 1940 he was posted away, firstly to 419 Flight and then to 12 OTU as an instructor. Towards the end of 1940 he volunteered to transfer to Bomber Command and trained with 15 OTU as an instructor. He was recommended for the AFC for his work with 15 OTU but this came through as a Mention in Despatches on 1st January 1943. He was posted to 466 Squadron on 19th October 1942 as a Flight Commander. For service with 466 Squadron he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 10th September 1943, the citation reads.. "Following an arduous operational tour during the Battle of Britain he changed to Bomber Aircraft during which as Flight Commander displayed considerable skill and courage whilst on operational sorties to some of the most heavily defended objectives. He is a cool and courageous pilot, who by his personal example has sustained the high morale and fighting spirit of the flight".
David Coltman received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 12th August 1943 and was promoted to F/O on 12th February 1944 and F/Lt on 12th August 1943. He later served with 635 Squadron PFF and for this he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 15th August 1944.
Peter Cameron was awarded the DFC as Warrant Officer for service with 466 Squadron, Gazetted on 17th October 1944. Nothing more is known of his wartime service.
Peter Taylor received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 15th May 1943 (147908) and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 15th November 1943. The 466 Squadron ORB for this incident in July 1943 gives his rank as F/O so must have been Acting F/O.
F/O Peter Taylor was killed flying with 156 Squadron PFF on 13th August 1944 when Lancaster ND444 failed to return from Ops to Russelsheim with the loss of the whole of his then crew. He is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery and was still only twenty one years old.