Halifax JD263 damaged by flak, returned to Snaith airfield.
On 24th July 1943 this aircraft took off from Snaith airfield at 23.01hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Hamburg. The crew released their bombs over
the target area from 16,000ft at 01.34hrs but just after releasing their load the aircraft sustained flak damage. The damage partially severed the elevator controls
and the I.F.F. set was stopped working. The crew were able to bring the aircraft back to Yorkshire and they landed safely at Snaith airfield in the early hours of
25th July 1943 at 04.37hrs. The following night this crew were all lost on Ops to Essen.
Pilot - Sgt Eric James Jones RAFVR (1248002), of Lye, Worcestershire.
Navigator - Sgt William Charles Wallace RAFVR (657762).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Walter Agar Leopold Huddy RAFVR (1319885), of Whimple, Devon.
Wireless Operator - Sgt William Reid RAFVR (1367429), of Kirkcaldy, Fife.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Joshua Crowther RAFVR (1514591), of Belfast.
Air Gunner - Sgt John Ritchie RAFVR (1341377), of Bonnyrigg, Midlothian.
Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie Bennett York RAAF (420098), of Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia.
This crew were killed on Ops on 25th / 26th July 1943 flying Halifax HR749 on Ops to Essen and were lost without trace. They are all
commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. It was possible that the aircraft was shot down over the North Sea by a night-fighter.