Wellington HZ357 damaged by flak, returned to Burn airfield.
On the night of 10th / 11th April 1943 the crew of this 431 Squadron aircraft took off from Burn airfield at 23.10hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Frankfurt. The aircraft sustained flak damage to the tail, fuselage and wings over Germany but this did not prevent a landing being made at Burn at 03.30hrs. The 431 Squadron orb states that "HZ307 -S" was the aircraft damaged in this incident but HZ307 never served with 431 Squadron. HZ357 did, it was with 431 Squadron from March 1943 and also carried the "-S" squadron code later in April 1943.
Pilot - Sgt George Robert Yorston Wood RAF (658403).
Navigator - Sgt Edward Leo Gummer RAFVR (1379214).
Bomb Aimer -Sgt Innis Edward Mobley RAFVR (1575533).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Andrew Cresswell RAFVR (1210978).
Air Gunner - Sgt S Bamford.
The first four named above were flying in 431 Squadron Wellington HE440 on 12th / 13th May 1943 on Ops to Duisburg when the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter over Holland. All were killed and are buried at Winterswijk Cemetery.
Wellington HZ357 was built to contract B.92439/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Squires Gate and was flown to 45 M.U. at Kinloss on 11th March 1943. On 29th March 1943 it was taken on charge by 431 Squadron at Burn and sustained Cat.A/FB flak damage on 11th April 1943. The aircraft was swiftly repaired on site and on 15th April 1943 it failed to return from Ops to Stuttgart. Four of its five man crew were killed with the survivor becoming a PoW. Cat.Em damage was recorded on the paperwork and the aircraft was struck off charge having flown just over eighteen hours from new.