Wellington HE502 damaged by flak, returned to Burn airfield.
On the night of 8th / 9th April 1943 the crew of this 431 Squadron aircraft took off from Burn airfield at 21.30hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Duisburg. The aircraft sustained minor flak damage to the port wing and fuselage over Germany but they made a safe landing at Burn at 03.15hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Benjamin Parker Jackson RAFVR (1148949).
Navigator - Sgt Jack A Begg RCAF (R/127855).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Leslie E Cragg RCAF (R/144754).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt John Raymond Hill RAFVR (577735?) (or (1207451)?)
Air Gunner - Sgt George A Beattie RCAF (R/120715).
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.
Wellington HE502 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden and taken on charge by 431 Squadron at Burn on 30th January 1943. As a result battle damage sustained on 9th April 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment that saw it repaired on site and returned to 431 Squadron. On 15th June 1943 it again suffered battle damage. Cat.Ac/FB damage was the initial damage assessment but as work began to repair it a problem must have been found as on 27th June 1943 it was re-assessed as being Re-Cat.B damaged. It was then transported to Brooklands Aviation Ltd., at Doncaster for a repair in works. On 23rd October 1943 it was awaiting collection. On 15th November 1943 it was flown to 18 M.U. at Dumfries and on 30th March 1944 it was taken on charge by 17 O.T.U. at Silverstone. on 18th August 1944 the aircraft crashed on landing at Grimsby that saw severe damage resulting in a Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage assessment. The aircraft was then struck off charge on 1st September 1944.