Wellington HF456 at East Moor airfield.
On the night of 20th / 21st September 1943 the crew of this 432 Squadron aircraft had been tasked with mine laying off the French Coast in the region of Brest. This was the first 432 Squadron operation since moving into East Moor from Skipton on Swale. At 00.40hrs this aircraft landed at East Moor airfield on their return but the aircraft overshot on landing on Runway No.3 and ran through the boundary hedge. The undercarriage collapsed, damage was sustained to the engines and fuselage structure. The crew escaped injury.
Pilot - P/O Stanley Kyle Atkinson RCAF (J/18229).
Navigator - Sgt Leo Frederick Cook RCAF (R/144405).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William Alexander Grant RCAF (R/116118).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O Alfred William Chubb RAFVR (155352).
Air Gunner - Sgt Herbert Albert Turner RCAF (R/18079).
P/O Atkinson was twenty years old and F/Sgt Cook was twenty two. P/O Chubb was an old man in terms of Bomber Command ages, at the age of thirty five he was one of the oldest members of 432 Squadron killed in the whole war, he received his commission on 15th July 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency).
Stanley Atkinson was the son of James Henry and Ethel (nee Treadwell) Atkinson and was born on 21st December 19422 in Fort Sakatchewan, Alberta, Canada. His father was a vicar and the family moved Kapuskasing, Ontario before 1930 where he went to school. He was still a student when he enlisted into the RCAF in North Bay, Ontario on 4th September 1941. After training in Canada he was awarded his Pilot's flying badge on 17th July 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 6 (P)AFU, 22 OTU and 1535 BAT Flight and was posted to 424 Squadron on 6th March 1943. He was then posted to 432 Squadron on 1st May 1943 and received a commission on 15th July 1943.
Wellington HF456 was built to contract B124362/40 by Vickers Armstrong's at Chester and was delivered to 48 MU at Hawarden on 4th May 1943. It was taken on charge by 432 Squadron at Skipton on Swale on 4th June 1943. On 23rd June 1943 it sustained minor Cat.Ac damage which saw it repaired on site. 432 Squadron moved to East Moor on 16th September 1943. It sustained Cat.Ac/FB damage at East Moor on 21st September 1943 and was again repaired on site. It was returned to 432 Squadron on 9th October 1943. On 11th November 1943 it was transferred to 12 OTU at Chipping Warden. Minor Cat.Ac/FA damage resulted on 6th September 1944 and a repair on site was carried out. The aircraft remained with 12 OTU until 17th June 1945, five days before the unit disbanded on 22nd June 1945. The aircraft was later struck off charge as scrap on 12th May 1947 after a long period of storage.
The first four named above were on board Wellington HE817 when it was reported as missing just days after this incident at East Moor when, on 27th September 1943 their aircraft was lost on Ops to Hannover. F/Sgt Grant became a POW, but P/O Atkinson, F/Sgt Cook and P/O Chubb were killed. In November 2007 I was contacted by the niece of Leo Cook, she informed me that the aircraft crashed on Schulensbergerlandstrasse 107 in Hannover, Germany and that an inquest in October 1948 confirmed the bodies of four airmen were found but unidentifiable and buried in Hannover War Cemetery having been found in the wreckage of this aircraft at the time. I would like to thank Ms K. Pakenham for contacting me and for this additional information. An account of the loss of Wellington HE817 is now to be found on "www.aircrewremembered.com".
Herbert Albert Turner RCAF (R/18079) was killed on 16th December 1943, he was twenty four years old. He was killed when Lancaster DS831 was shot down on Ops to Berlin and is buried at Leeuwarden Protestant Churchyard, Holland. This day became known as "Black Thursday" and is well documented on the internet and in a book written by Mr Richard Knott in the mid-2000's.