On the night of 22nd / 23rd August 1943 the crew of this 51 Squadron Halifax were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Leverkusen and had taken off from Snaith at 22.10hrs. The aircraft was over the target area at 00.12hrs and the crew released their bomb load from 17,000 feet but while over the target area a flak burst slightly damaged the starboard wing. The crew made a safe landing back at Snaith at 02.35hrs. The aircraft was swiftly repaired and was used by all of those listed below on the following night.
Pilot - P/O Robert John Cribb RAFVR (149347).
Navigator - F/O William James Arthur Nicholson RAFVR (127315).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt G E Lloyd RAF (1387111).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Dennis Oscar Samuels RAFVR (1383042).
Flight Engineer - P/O Dennis John White RAFVR (145356).
Air Gunner - Sgt Peter Erstine M Gosling RAF (1300797).
Air Gunner - Sgt J L Wright RAF (1324528).
William Nicholson received his commission on 31st July 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was later promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 31st January 1943 and to F/Lt on 31st July 1944 (war subs).
Dennis Samuels was probably born in London in 1922. His wartime service is not know but well after the war he was appointed to a commission in the Training Branch of the RAFVR as P/O on 11th February 1961. He was later promoted to F/O on 11th February 1963. He relinquished his commission of F/O (retaining the rank of F/Lt) on 11th February 1977. He died in Hertfordshire in 1994.
Peter Gosling was born in London in 1921 and died in Rugby, Warwickshire in 1978.
Dennis White received his commission on 7th February 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 7th August 1943 and F/Lt (war subs) on 7th February 1945.
Robert Cribb received his commission on 10th July 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 10th January 1944 and F/Lt (war subs) on 10th July 1945. Post-war he relinquished his commission in the RAFVR on appointment to the Army on 1st August 1951. Until it can be proven otherwise I am linking him to being a serving Chaplain in the Army from 1st August 1951 in the Royal Army Chaplains' Dept (service no.417567). The Rev. Robert John Cribb, Deputy Chaplain-General to the Forces was appointed Honorary Chaplain to The Queen on 12th March 1971 and a position he held until retiring on 1st August 1975.
On 26th May 1943 all of the above apart from Sgt Wright were flying Halifax HR747 on Ops to Dusseldorf when the aircraft suffered engine failure on return and they crash landed near Whitley Bridge, near Snaith slightly injuring a number of the crew. On the night of 23rd / 24th August 1943 all of the above were again flying in Halifax HR936 on Ops to Berlin, the aircraft suffered from a flying control failure and all on board baled out over Holland. All were captured and saw out the war as PoWs. Sgt Lloyd managed to evade capture for three months before being captured but his full identity is not yet known.