On the evening of the 3rd April 1943 this 10 Squadron aircraft left Melbourne airfield at 19.38hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Essen. The aircraft bombed the target area at around 22.00hrs from 18,000 feet but received minor flak damage to the nose of the aircraft. The crew were able to bring the aircraft back to base and landed at Melbourne at 00.23hrs without injury to any of the crew.
The aircraft's AM Form 78, movement card, states that 10 Squadron did not receive this aircraft until after this incident had taken place but the 10 Squadron o.r.b. is very precise in stating JB930 was used on 3rd April 1943. I would guess that for whatever reason it was not logged when 10 Squadron initially received it.
Pilot - P/O Raymond Price Hellis RAFVR (123117).
Navigator - Sgt Alfred Charles Paulton RCAF (R/98024).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt John Richard Hulley RAFVR (1132626)
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Kenneth John Bullock RAF (553917).
Air Gunner - Sgt Larkins (probably Albert Thomas Larkins RAFVR (1398705)).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Alfred Long Blair RAF (619934).
Air Gunner - Sgt Victor Gardner RAF (627184).
Second Pilot - Sgt Dunn.
Raymond Hellis had received a commission on 25th April 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and was promoted to F/O on 25th October 1942. He was awarded the DFC for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th August 1943 while in the rank of Acting F/Lt. He was promoted to F/Lt (War Subs) on 25th April 1944.
Alfred Paulton and Alfred Blair were awarded DFMs for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th August 1943.
Victor Gardner was also awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 13th August 1943. By 31st March 1943 Victor Gardner was serving with 156 Squadron PFF and on this date he was flying in Lancaster ND466 on Ops to Nurnberg. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter over the target area and he was killed. He is now buried in Berlin War Cemetery.
Albert Larkins was awarded the DFM for service with 10 Squadron, Gazetted on 17th August 1943. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 18th November 1943 and rose to F/O six months later and to F/Lt on 18th Noveber 1945. He stayed in the RAF after the war but I have yet found when he left the service.
Halifax JB930 was built to contract ACFT/1808/C4 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and the AM Form 78 states that it was taken on charge by 10 Squadron on 13th April 1943 who were based at Melbourne. A problem with this date arises the 10 Squadron records state that on 3rd April 1943 Halifax JB930 was damaged by flak on an operational flight. Minor Cat.A/FB damage would have been the damage assessment and the damage would have been repaired on site. The aircraft was damaged by flak on the night of 16th / 17th April 1943 that again saw Cat.A/FB damage be the damage assessment with a repair on site following. On 21st April 1943 the aircraft failed to return from an operational flight to Stettin. All the then crew became PoWs. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and the aircraft was struck off charge on 30th April 1943 having clocked up just 15.15 flying hours.
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