On the night of 27th / 28th May 1943 the crew of this 77 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Essen and took off from Elvington airfield at 23.00hrs, they bombed the target area on PFF markers from 18,000 feet. The aircraft sustained pretty serious flak damage which resulted in damage to the starboard and port mainplanes, the fuselage, the starboard tyre and the fuel supply lines on the starboard side of the aircraft. The crew were able to make a safe return to Elvington and landed at 04.02hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Reginald Job Caseley RAFVR (1316997).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Frederick Ernest Ryder RAF (617495).
Navigator - Sgt Cecil Ritchie Boyd RAFVR (1203145).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt William John Henry Webb RAFVR (1576212).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt William Wright RAF (627912).
Air Gunner - Sgt William Robert Farrell RCAF (R/112769).
Air Gunner - Sgt Kenneth Enson Lees RCAF (R/83606).
Halifax JB856 was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by English Electric Co. Ltd. at Samlesbury and was taken on charge as new by 77 Squadron at Elvington on 16th March 1943. As a result of battle damage sustained on 1st May 1943 and on 28th May 1943 Cat.A/FB was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site. The aircraft was damaged by enemy action on 4th July 1943 on Ops to Cologne that saw one member of the crew killed and another seriously injured. A landing was made at Benson. Cat.Ac/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site, with it returned to 77 Squadron charge on 27th August 1943. On 23rd October 1943 the aircraft failed to return from Ops to Kassel that saw three killed and four being made PoW. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge on 23rd October 1943 having clocked up exactly 200 hours flying time from new.
All of the above apart from Sgt Wright were flying together in Halifax DT730 on the night of 3rd / 4th December 1943 to bomb Leipzig when the aircraft was shot down. All of the crew apart from the rear gunner were sadly killed and are buried Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany. Sgt Ken Lees survived and became a PoW, he returned home to Port Hope after the War and died in 2006 at the age of 85.
Reginald Caseley received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 31st August 1943.
William Wright was awarded the DFC for service with 77 Squadron while in the rank of Warrant Officer, Gazetted on 19th October 1943. He received a commission on 6th December 1943 (54229) to the rank of P/O and was promoted to F/O on 6th June 1944 and F/Lt on 6th December 1945.
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