Wellington HE688 at Skipton on Swale.
On the night of 11th / 12th June 1943 this aircraft was one belonging to 432 Squadron that had carried out an operational flight to bomb Dusseldorf, this crew set out at 23.19hrs and had successfully carried out their orders. They landed safely at base of Skipton on Swale at 04.27hrs but before the engines were stopped one of the crew left the aircraft and walked towards the front. He walked into a propeller that was still rotating and was seriously injured, he sadly died later that morning in Northallerton Friarage Hospital.
Pilot - Sgt William Harold David Meaden RCAF.
Navigator - Sgt J D Barker.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – F/Sgt Donald Robert Kelly RCAF (R/55516), aged 21, of Richmond, Quebec, Canada. Buried Ripon Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt W West.
Air Gunner - Sgt K Ward.
Donald Kelly was born on 11th August 1921, he was the son of James and Myrtle Eleanor (nee Moreton) Kelly of Richmond, Quebec and was educated at St.Francis College High School, Richmond. After leaving school he worked for the Canadian Bank of Commerce from 1939. He enlisted into the RCAF on 16th September 1940 and after basic training went overseas in November 1942. On arrival in the UK he further trained at 22 OTU before posting to 427 Squadron at the end of March 1943. He was then posted to 432 Squadron on 1st May 1943. The photograph shown of him was originally published in a memorial booklet prepared by the Canadian Bank of Commerce and later displayed on CVWM. The CWVM account mentions that he shot down a Junkers Ju88 on Ops to Wuppertal in May 1943 before baling out of his aircraft but exactly what this relates to has not yet been discovered because the squadron records do not make any mention of this what so ever. If this is true then it must have occurred on 29th / 30th May 1943 in Wellington HE688 but I have not located an reference to confirm this in orginal source documents so question the truth of it.
William Meaden was born in Edmonton in 1922 and later awarded the DFC for service with 432 Squadron, Gazetted on 30th June 1944.
Wellington HE688 was built to contract B.124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong’s Ltd. at Hawarden and was taken on charge by 427 Squadron at Croft as new on 6th March 1943. On 29th / 30th March 1943 the aircraft was flown on an operational flight to Bochum and is stated on it's AM Form 78 to have sustained Cat.Ac/FB damage on this date. The 427 Squadron records state that on 29th March 1943 a Ju88 approached this Wellington but they do not state the Ju88 actually attacked the Wellington. The Wellington gunners opened fire and witnessed bursts hit the Ju88 which dived straight down out of sight (duval). The unit orb states that the Wellington landed at 01.43hrs at Croft but does not mention any damage resulting on this night at all. The aircraft was then not flown operationally for a few weeks so this would fit for it being damaged. The aircraft was repaired on site by a team from Vickers at Weybridge and was returned to 427 Squadron charge on 10th April 1943. On 2nd May 1943 the aircraft was transferred to 432 Squadron at Skipton on Swale. On 28th May 1943 it sustained minor battle damage on Ops, Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. On 12th June 1943 it was involved in a ground accident at Skipton on Swale that killed a member of the crew who walked into a rotating propeller, probably no damage to the aircraft resulted. On 16th July 1943 the aircraft was transferred to 17 O.T.U. at Silverstone. On 15th November 1943 it was flown to 13 M.U. at Henlow for modifications and was returned to 17 O.T.U. on 13th December 1943. On 23rd March 1944 the aircraft was being flown on a cross country training flight when it suffered an engine failure, the pilot eventually lost control near Northallerton and the aircraft crashed near Osmotherley sadly killing all of the six crew on board. Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the damage assessment and the aircraft was struck off charge on 30th March 1944.