Halifax HR668 damaged by flak, returned to Pocklington airfield.
On the night of 14th / 15th May 1943 this aircraft was one belonging to 102 Squadron that had carried out an operational flight to bomb Bochum, this crew set out at 23.38hrs and were releasing the bomb load when a flak burst a flak burst close to the front of the aircraft damaged the nose perspex and temporarily blinded the bomb aimer. The crew released the bomb load from 17,500 feet. They were able to make a safe return to base, landing safely at Pocklington at 05.37hrs.
Pilot - Sgt James Newell Whitehouse RAFVR (155020).
Navigator - F/O Geoffrey Salter Smith RAFVR (129363).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Charles Brown RAFVR (1313225).
Air Gunner - Sgt W T N Dolan.
Air Gunner - Sgt Harry Turner RAFVR (950345).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Milton Spencer RAFVR (954342).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Crosby Frank Read RAFVR (127125).
P/O Whitehouse, F/O Smith, Sgt Brown, F/Sgt Turner and Sgt Spencer were killed on 26th July 1943 when Halifax JD169 failed to return from an operational flight to Essen . They have no known grave and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
F/O Read killed on 13th / 14th July 1943 when 102 Squadron Halifax JD297 failed to return from Ops to Aachen and the aircraft crashed in France. He is buried in Maubeuge-Centre Cemetery, France.