Halifax HR783 damaged by flak, returned to Snaith airfield.
This 51 Squadron aircraft took off from Snaith at 23.04hrs on 24th June 1943 to undertake an operational flight to bomb Wuppertal. On the run into the target the aircraft was hit by flak and received slight damage, one fragment of flak landed on the navigator's table. The crew bombed the target area at 01.13hrs from 18,000ft. The crew were able to bring the aircraft safely back to base and landed at Snaith in the early hours of 25th June 1943 at 04.26hrs.
Pilot - P/O Cecil Agar Lambert RAFVR (146864).
Navigator - P/O Jack Austin Wilkins RAFVR (146788).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt J C Moore RAFVR (1386076?).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Percy Alfred Newland RAFVR (1330769).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Edward Watson RAFVR (1127753).
Air Gunner - Sgt Gerald Alfred Warren RAFVR (1465627).
Air Gunner - Sgt Charles Martin Johnson RCAF (R/83461).
Cecil Lambert was married and left a young daughter. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 8th May 1943. He was awarded the DFM on 24th July 1943 but the circumstances surrounding the award of his DFM do not appear in the London Gazette. Through information collated by the pilot's son-in-law Mr Chris Posnett and correspondance between him and the crew's regular wireless operator who was not on this aircraft when it crashed; Cecil Lambert's DFM was awarded as a result of his piloting a badly damaged aircraft out of a searchlight and flak barrage, and continuing on to bomb the target before returning to the England. I thank Mr Posnett for contacting me, it is possible that the account of piloting a damaged aircraft through flak refers to the incident detailed at the top of this page.
Jack Wilkins received a commission on 9th May 1943 to P/O on probation (emergency). I would like to thank his niece Mrs Linda Steel for contacting me in March 2013 and for the additional information she was able to give. CWGC list him as being a bomb aimer but his family inform me that he was infact a navigator. This is backed up by the squadron ORB which also lists him as a navigator.
On 6th August 1943 Lambert, Wilkins, Watson, Warren and Johnson were flying Halifax HR783 on an airtest when the starboard outer engine caught fire in the air, the pilot lost control and the aircraft crashed near Crockey Hill, York with the loss of all on board. This incident I detail on my website.
Percy Newland received a commission on 28th June 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency)(149161). He was awarded the DFC for service with 102 Squadron, Gazetted on 25th September 1945.
Sgt Moore was posted to Tempsford on 7th August 1943 and after this nothing more is known of him.
Halifax HR783 was built to contract ACFT/1688/42 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett and was taken on charge by 51 Squadron at Snaith on 31st March 1943. During its life it sustained battle damage on a number of occasions. On 5th May 1943, 28th May 1943, 24th June 1943, 4th July 1943 and also on 14th July 1943 Cat.A/FB resulted each time from flak damage and a repair on site was carried out each time. On 6th August 1943 the aircraft crashed at Crockey Hill, York that saw seven airmen killed. Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 16th August 1943. It had logged 140 flying hours in total from new.