On the night of 5th / 6th September 1943 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft took off from Snaith airfield at 19.51hrs for an operational flight to bomb Mannheim. They bombed the target area at 23.33hrs from 18,000 feet but the trailing aerial was believed to have been shot away by a flak burst. A few minutes later the Halifax was attacked by an Me110 made two attacks, damage was sustained to th eport aileron and the mid upper turret but the rear gunner returned fire on both occasions. The Me110 was seen to dive away steeply with smoke trailing from it and then burst into flames just before it struck the ground. The crew managed to make a safe return to Snaith landing at 03.45hrs claiming the Me110 as destroyed.
Pilot - F/Sgt Reginald Levy RAFVR (1380172).
Navigator - Sgt Howard Graham Phillips RAFVR (1503032).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt John Noel Collins RAFVR (658205).
Wireless Operator - Sgt H Graham.
Flight Engineer - Sgt William Fox RAFVR (1537779).
Air Gunner - Sgt Roy Victor Burch RCAF (R/180228), of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Air Gunner - Sgt Thomas Barrass Walker RAFVR (547821).
On 30th October 1942 Reginald Levy was flying with 105 Squadron on a low-level attack on Leeuwarden airfield when his Mosquito was hit by flak, both he and his navigator, Sgt Leslie Hogan, sustained injuries caused by the flak but he was able to fly the aircraft back to England. he appears to have left 105 Squadron and after converting to fly Halifaxes joined 51 Squadron. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 10th October 1943 and was later posted to 578 Squadron when it formed, with whom he was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 23rd May 1944. He remained in the RAF until relinquishing his commission of F/Lt on 4th August 1955. He later would find himself the subject of world news as being the captain of the Sabena Airlines Boeing 707 that was hijacked by terrorists in May 1972 on his fiftieth birthday, he negotiated with them before the aircraft was stormed by the Israeli military who freed him and his passengers. He died in August 2010, aged 88.
Roy Burch was born on 5th August 1916 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to British parents Roy Bruce and Amy (nee Berry) McMillan. His father had died and his mother then re-married Burch and Roy then took the surname of his step-father. He enlisted for RCAF service in Winnipeg on 23rd July 1942 and had briefly served with 76 Squadron before posting to 51 Squadron on 30th June 1943. He was also later posted to 578 Squadron on 5th February 1944. He received a commission on 21st March 1944 but was killed on 24th March 1944 when Halifax LW472 failed to return from Ops to Berlin. He was twenty eight years old and is buried in Berlin War Cemetery.
Howard Phillips received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 11th October 1943 and rose to F/O six months later.
Following service with 51 Squadron he was later posted to 578 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 19th September 1944. He was promoted to F/Lt on 11th October 1945.
John Noel Collins received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 14th February 1944 and rose to F/O six months later.
Following service with 51 Squadron he was later posted to 578 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 17th October 1944.
Thomas Walker received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 17th January 1944 and rose to F/O six months later. He too was later posted to 578 Squadron following service with 51 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 13th October 1944. He remained in or later rejoined the RAFVR after the war, being appointed to a commission of F/O on 16th June 1950 but this was then cancelled six months later.
William Fox received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 17th March 1944 and rose to F/O six months later.
He too was later posted to 578 Squadron after service with 51 Squadron and was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 19th September 1944.
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