Halifax JB782 damaged on Ops, returned to Pocklington airfield.
During the night of 9th / 10th July 1943 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft were tasked with bombing Gelsenkirchen, during the course of the night the aircraft received minor damage to the starbord wing due to flak. They landed at Pocklington at 05.35hrs.
Pilot - F/O Eric Snowden Kelly RNZAF (NZ.391525).
Navigator - P/O Frank James Steer RAFVR (145107).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt J Hugill.
Air Gunner - Sgt T H McCarthy RAFVR (1602963).
Air Gunner - Sgt D E Cosford RAFVR (1294639) (Possibly Douglas Esca Cosford).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Ernest William Jerrum RAF (577247?)
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Richard Fowler RAFVR (1347405)
Second Pilot - Sgt Geoffrey Underwood Fulford.
Acting F/Lt "Ned" Kelly was awarded the DFC for service with 102 Squadron, but Gazetted after he was taken PoW on 11th February 1944.
Ernest Jerrum was probably born in Greenwich, London in 1924. After he was made a PoW nothing is known about his service until he was appointed to a commission in the RAF of F/O as Master Engineer on 31st October 1963 and was promoted to F/Lt on 31st October 1966 and retired from the RAF at his own request on 1st January 1974 as F/Lt.
On 22nd October 1943 Kelly, McCarthy, Cosford, Jerrum and Fowler were flying in Halifax JN908 on Ops to Kassel,
their aircraft failed to return. Precise details are not known about what happened to the aircraft at the time of creating
this webpage but it crashed in the Niesen area of Germany. F/Sgt Fowler was killed and is now buried in Hanover War Cemetery,
the other member of the crew survived and became PoWs.
Frank Steer received a commission on 28th March 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation, he was promoted to F/O on 28th September 1943 and was awarded the DFC for service with 102 Squadron, Gazetted on 19th October 1943. He was later promoted to F/Lt (war subs) on 28th March 1945. Post-War he transferred to the RAF and was granted a commission as F/Lt (permanent) on 23rd October 1948 and finally retired from the 20th December 1962.
Halifax JB782 was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by English Electric Co. Ltd. at Samlesbury and was flown to Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett on 19th February 1943. Why this happened is not clear. The aircraft was then taken on charge by 102 Squadron at Pocklington on 18th March 1943. As a result of flak damage sustained on 27th April 1943 Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment which saw it repaired on site. On 28th May 1943 it sustained flak damage on Ops to Essen, Cat.A/FB damage was again the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. 25th June 1943 it sustained flak damage on Ops to Wuppertal, Cat.A/FB damage was again the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. On 10th July 1943 it sustained flak damage on Ops to Gelsenkirchen, Cat.A/FB damage was again the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. On 10th August 1943 the aircraft failed to return from Ops to Mannheim. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge on 13th August 1943 having clocked up a total of 201 flying hours from new.