Wellington HE506 damaged by flak, returned to Leconfield.
On the night of 5th / 6th March 1943 the crew of this 466 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Essen and left Leconfield at 19.03hrs, the crew dropped their bombs over the target area at 21.15hrs from 17,000 feet but the aircraft sustained flak damage. The pilot was able to make a safe return to Leconfield and land at 00.20hrs. The 466 Squadron record book AM Form 540 states that this was one of two of their aircraft damaged by flak on this raid but the ORB AM Form 541 only mentions HE506 as being damaged by flak.
Pilot - Sgt Henry Simon Raoul Lloyd RAFVR (1334109), of Godmersham / Chilham, Kent.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Anthony Vyvian Harper RAFVR (1319319), of Druid Stoke, Bristol.
Navigator - Sgt William Roy Hendon RAFVR (1166713), of Warlingham, Surrey.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Sydney Charles Luke RAFVR (1380482), of Plymouth.
Air Gunner - Sgt William James Blundell RAFVR (1380227), of Chorley, Shropshire.
Wellington HE506 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden and was awaiting collection in January 1943. The aircraft was immediately taken on charge by 466 Squadron at Leconfield on 30th January 1943. It sustained minor Cat.A/FB as a result of the battle damage on 6th March 1943 and was repaired on site. The incident dos not feature on it's AM Form 78. It was then lost on Ops to Frankfurt on 11th April 1943 with the five crew being killed. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork. It was struck off charge on 1st May 1943.
Henry Lloyd, Anthony Harper and William Hendon all received commissions on 24th April 1943, but the London Gazette only printed the notifications after their deaths as all of those listed above were killed. On 30th May 1943 they were flying 466 Squadron Wellington HE212 on Ops to Wuppertal, the aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter. P/O Lloyd and P/O Harper were both twenty one years old, P/O Hendon and Sgt Luke were twenty two years old and Sgt Blundell was just nineteen. All are buried in Brussels Town Cemetery, Belgium. Since the crash a memorial has been erected on the crash site.