On the night of 15th / 16th September 1943 the crew of this 427 Squadron aircraft took off from Leeming airfield at 20.42hrs for an operational flight to bomb Montlucon, France to bomb the Dunlop rubber research laboratory that was being used in the German war effort. The aircraft was hit and damaged by flak before reaching the target, in all probability I guess this was over the Northern French coast. The crew opted to return to base and landed safely at Leeming airfield at 01.07hrs. Many of this crew were later posted to 405 Squadron by the end of 1943.
Pilot - Sgt Arthur Eric Darlow RAFVR (1336729)
Navigator - F/O Frank Lionel Webb RAFVR (129743).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt L Alex Nethery RCAF.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt A W Burrell RAFVR (1390377).
Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Gerard Maurice Renaud RCAF (R/135079).
Air Gunner - Sgt T E Utton RAFVR (1814673).
Flight Engineer - Sgt P W Richards RAF.
On the 8th / 9th May 1944 Darlow, Richards, Nethery, Burrell and Utton were flying 405 Squadron Lancaster ND347 on Ops to Haine-St-Pierre but would crash on the French / Belgian border. One member of their then crew was killed but all of the above survived. Darlow, Burrell and Utton became PoWs. Richards and Nethery evaded capture and was sheltered by locals until the Allied advance after D-Day reached the village in which they were hiding.
Arthur Darlow received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 6th April 1944 and later rose through F/O to F/Lt two years after his commission. Having survived the War he remained in the RAF but was sadly killed on 26th February 1947 while serving with 110 Squadron when 48 Squadron Dakota KK120 crashed into the South China Sea while on a flight between Singapore and Saigon.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.
Joseph Renaud was born on 18th May 1913 in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Valere and Regina (nee Beliveau) Reneau. He enlisted for RCAF service on 4th October 1941 in Montreal and appears to have initially begun wireless operator / air gunnery training but then switched to air gunnery training. He was awarded his air gunners' flying badge on 9th March 1943. Unusually he arrived in the UK on 4th June 1943, went through No.3 Personnel Reception Centre in a week and was posted straight to 427 Squadron on 12th June 1943, avoiding any further training at Air Gunnery Schools or Operational Training Units. He was then posted to 405 Squadron on 9th October 1943 and received a commission on 25th May 1944. He was killed on 3rd June 1944 when Pathfinding Lancaster ND507 crashed in France. He was thirty four years old and is buried in St.Desir War Cemetery.
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