Halifax JD164 damaged by fire, returned to Leeming airfield.
On the night of 11th / 12th June 1943 the crew of this 408 Squadron aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb Dusseldorf when outbound the port outer engine caught fire. The fire was put out and the engine was shut down but the crew continued to the target on three engines, released their bombs over the target area and made for home. They made a safe return to base on three engines, landing at Leeming at 04.34hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Robert Burns RCAF.
Navigator - Sgt Donald Lee Petteys RCAF.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt H Maule.
Wireless Operator - Sgt G A Phillips.
Air Gunner - Sgt Alvin Alston Patton RCAF (R/147171).
Air Gunner - Sgt R J Scofield.
Flight Engineer - Sgt L W McNally?
P/O Alvin Patton was still serving with 408 Squadron when he died on 31st March 1944 when Lancaster LL633 crashed in Germany. Three of the crew including him were killed while five became PoWs. He is buried in Durnbach War Cemetery.
Robert Burns later received a commission and was awarded the DFC for service with 408 Squadron, Gazetted on 24th May 1944. He was later posted to 1659 HCU to instruct and was mentioned in Despatches on 14th June 1945 for averting a forced landing when an aircraft suffered engine failure on take off from Topcliffe on 11th December 1944, he managed to fly a circuit of the airfield and made a good landing.
Donald Petteys was one of three former Leeming air force personnel who unvieled the memorial at Leeming in June 1993. He died in Canton, Michigan, USA in December 2010.