Halifax HR751 damaged by flak, returned to Lissett airfield.
On the night of 27th / 28th March 1943 the crew of this 158 Squadron Halifax undertook an operational flight to bomb Berlin and took off from Lissett airfield at 20.08hrs. The crew bombed the target area from 18,000 feet at 23.25hrs but the aircraft was slightly damaged by a flak burst. A nose cone from a flak shell was found to have come through the windscreen in front of the second pilot's seat, struck the two port throttle levers leading to a loss of power, then bounced up and hit the pilot on the head. Having regained control the pilot managed to fly back to Lissett and landed at 03.22hrs.
Pilot - F/Sgt Herbert Bond RAFVR (655415).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Joseph Henry McGuigan RAF (542443).
Navigator - P/O Philip Richmond Burt RAFVR (120036).
Bomb Aimer - P/O John Burgess RAFVR (128714).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Cyril Roland Rowsell RAFVR (798667).
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt Stephen Pickering Wright RAFVR (1323702).
Rear Gunner - Sgt Samual Walker Oman RAFVR (1196324).
Cyril Rowsell begun his first Tour flying with Coastal Command in Summer 1942. He later received a commission and served with 415 Squadron for a second Tour. He was awarded the DFC for service with them, Gazetted on 7th November 1944.
Samual Oman was later posted to 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit to join their staff. On 14th October 1943 he was flying in Halifax JD419 when it crashed at South Kilvington slightly injuring him. He received a commission in February 1944. He was later posted to 640 Squadron to fly another Tour but was killed on 13th August 1944 when Halifax MZ345 failed to return from an operational flight. He is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Herbert Bond didn't fly the following night but did on 29th March 1943 so any injury must have been slight. He had received a commission the previous month but the London Gazette did not print notification until April 1943 and the squadron records still list him as being in the rank of F/Sgt in March 1943. He was awarded the DFC for service with 158 Squadron in September 1943.
John Burgess was killed in the early hours of 4th April 1943 when Halifax HR754 crashed at Sigglesthorne, Yorkshire. This incident I detail on it's own webpage.
Halifax HR751 was built to contract ACFT/1688/42 by Handley Page Ltd, at Radlett and was taken on charge by 158 Squadron at Lissett on 12th March 1943. As a result of this minor flak incident on 28th March 1943 Cat.A/FB damage resulted in a repair on site at Lissett. On 3rd August 1943 it failed to return from Ops to Hamburg which saw one of the then seven crew killed and the others becoming poWs. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the aircraft's paperwork and it was written off.
Stephen Wright was killed on 26th July 1944 when 432 Squadron Halifax NP687 was abandoned over France on Ops to Stuttgart but his parachute did not open. He is buried at Villampuy Communal Cemetery, France.
Philip Burt was born in London in 1919. He received a commission to P/O on probation (emergency) on 6th May 1942 and on 6th November 1942 he was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs). He recovered from injuries sustained on 16th October 1942 in the crash of Halifax W1038 near Wigginton, York and flew a Tour with 158 Squadron. He was awarded the DFC for this, Gazetted on 10th September 1943. He was later promoted to F/Lt on 6th May 1944 and posted to 35 Squadron. He was to be killed on 5th July 1944 when Lancaster ND846 was shot down by flak on Ops to Villeneuve, France. He is buried at Clichy New Communal Cemetery.