Halifax HR869 damaged by flak, returned to Snaith airfield.
On 29th July 1943 this aircraft took off from Snaith airfield at 22.21hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Hamburg. This aircraft sustained very minor flak
damage to the mid upper turret. They bombed the target area from 19,000ft at 00.52hrs. The crew were able to bring the aircraft back to Yorkshire and they landed safely at Snaith airfield in the early hours of 30th July 1943 at 03.37hrs. It will be recalled that
this bulk of this crew had flown this same aircraft to Hamburg a couple of nights earlier and sustained similiar minor flak damage and in June 1943 with the same bulk of the cerw and aircraft combination.
Pilot - F/Lt Thomas Reginald Dobson RAFVR (106875), of Selby, North Yorkshire.
Navigator - Sgt Leslie Frank Merricks RAFVR (1333995).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Alexander Aloyisius McGregor RAF (617161), of Glasgow.
Wireless Operator - Sgt Herbert Francis Maughan RCAF (R/106632), of Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Donald William Kemp RAFVR (1162793), of Werrington, Staffordshire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Donald John Cameron RCAF (R/99776), of London, Ontario, Canada.
Air Gunner - P/O Robert William Lorenzo RAFVR (148092).
Thomas Dobson received his commission on 13th September 1941. I assume he had flown operationally before arriving at 51 Squadron but have yet to learn with whom.
Sgt Maughan had previously served with 158 Squadron and arrived at 51 Squadron on 12th February 1943.
The first six named above were were killed on 28th August 1943 while still serving with 51 Squadron, they were flying the same aircraft, Halifax HR869,
on Ops to Nuremburg when the aircraft crashed in Germany and they are now buried in Durnbach War Cemetery.
Robert Lorenzo was granted a commission on 1st June 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation and was promoted to F/O on 1st December 1943 and F/Lt on 1st June 1945. He was awarded the DFC for service with 51 Squadron.