Halifax HR713 damaged by flak, landed at Leeming airfield.
On the night of 26th / 27th March 1943 the crew of this 408 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Duisburg and took off from Leeming at 19.04hrs. The crew released their bomb load at around 22.00hrs. The aircraft was slightly damaged by flak in the tail and a flak burst injured the rear gunner in the foot. The aircraft was landed safely at Leeming at 00.12hrs and the injured air gunner was admitted to hospital. Ironically the injuries to the rear gunner would save his life as the rest of his crew failed to return from Ops a few days later. The 408 Squadron orb states that the aircraft was Halifax "DT713" but this was not a Halifax, HR713 was a Halifax and also on the books of 408 Squadron at this time and must have been the aircraft involved.
Pilot - F/Lt Robert Hodgson Perry Gamble RCAF (J/9337).
Navigator - WO2 Donald Leslie Jarrett RCAF (R/90781).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Albert James Hawkins RAFVR (919537).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Kenneth Septimus McColl RAAF (401712).
Air Gunner - P/O Edmund Rothwell Ray RCAF (J/11851).
Rear Gunner - Sgt E C Crook RAF (probably Sgt Edward Charles Crook RAFVR (1323044)). Injured.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Robert Walton Barker RAFVR (9889712).
Second Pilot - P/O Alan Osborne Smuck RCAF (J/15677).
F/O Alan Smuck was killed on 14th July 1943 with his 408 Squadron crew when Halifax DT769 failed to return from Ops to Aachen. He is buried in Tilburg General Cemetery, Netherlands.
There were only ever two L C Crook's who served in the RAF and one was a flight engineer who died in June 1943. I presume that if the Sgt Crook listed above was British then he was who I suggest above.
Halifax HR713 was built to contract ACFT/1688/42 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. On 18th February 1943 it was flown to 18 M.U. at Dumfrie. On 16th March 1943 it was taken on charge by 408 Squadron at Leeming. As a result of flak damage sustained on the night of 26th / 27th March 1943 on Ops to Duisburg Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment. It was repaired on site at Leeming overnight. The following night on Ops to Berlin on 27th / 28th March 1943 it was damaged by flak and a night-fighter. Cat.A/FB was again the damage assessment and it was again repaired on site at Leeming. On 4th April 1943 it crashed into the North Sea off Holland on Ops to Essen with the loss of the whole crew. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge when the paperwork caught up on 12th April 1943. The aircraft had flown just over 37 hours in total from new.
On the night of 3rd / 4th April 1943 Gamble, Jarrett, Hawkins, McColl, Ray and Barker were flying together with a different air gunner in Halifax HR713 on Ops to Essen when the aircraft crashed in the Ijssel, off Amsterdam. They have no known grave and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.