Halifax LK991 damaged by flak, returned to Tholthorpe airfield.

On the evening of 22nd November 1943 the crew of this 431 Squadron aircraft took off from Tholthorpe airfield at 16.52hrs for an operational flight to bomb Berlin. The aircraft was struck by flak in the port wing near the port inner engine during the course of the evening, and an engine would fail but this did not prevent a return to Yorkshire, landing back at Tholthorpe at 23.42hrs.

Pilot - F/O Gerald Bernard Philbin RCAF (J/13999).

Navigator - F/O Albert Carnelley Brook RCAF (J/10422).

Bomb Aimer - F/Sgt Thomas Edwin Lee RCAF (R/116821).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie George Stamp RAFVR (1270317).

Air Gunner - Sgt Lloyd Roger Barker RCAF (R/181954).

Air Gunner - F/Sgt Irvine George Klein RCAF (R/147712).

Flight Engineer - Sgt William Brown Gracie RCAF (R/114324).

Halifax LK991 was damaged on 21st December 1943 at Croft when it was struck by 1659 HCU Halifax BB251 that had landed there. BB251 was badly damaged but LK991 was deemed repairable. It was later passed to 1667 HCU at Sandtoft and crashed there on 13th May 1944, this time the damage was deemed too severe to warrant a repair.
431 Squadron were posted to Croft airfield in December 1943. On the night of 15th March 1944 the first six of the above named airmen were flying together in Halifax LL152 on Ops to Dieppe and was landing back at Croft just before midnight, as the aircraft run down the runway a hung-up 500lb bomb that had gone un-noticed fell from the aircraft and exploded tearing the rear of the Halifax apart. Both air gunners were killed instantly and while the front part of the aircraft tipped onto its nose and then caught fire everyone else on board managed to get clear and escaped injury. P/O Irvine Klein and P/O Lloyd Barker were buried at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery.

In June 1944 Philbin, Gracie, Lee and Stamp were posted to 425 Squadron who were based at Tholthorpe. On 5th August 1944 they were flying together in Halifax LL594 on Ops to St.Leu when the aircraft was shot down by flak and crashed in France. Gracie, Stamp and Lee were killed and were buried in France. S/Ldr Philbin survived but sustained broken ribs and bones in both feet. He was still being held in a French hospital when he (and the crew of a USAAF B17) broke free with the help of French nationals. They eventually found their way to Allied lines and after treatment in a French field hospital was flown back to the UK. He was subsequently awarded the DFC Gazetted on 15th September 1944 and the citation refers to the fka incident recorded at the top of this page, it states "This officer has participated in many attacks on distant and well defended targets such as Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Essen. One night in November 1943, shortly after completing an attack on Berlin, the starboard outer engine of his aircraft failed and during the return flight damage from anti-aircraft fire was sustained. Despite this, Squadron Leader Philbin flew the aircraft safely to base. This officer has invariably displayed commendable courage and determination."

Albert Brook was awarded the DFC for service with 431 Squadron, Gazetted on 30th June 1944 for a Tour that began on 26th March 1943 and ended pretty much exactly a year later when he was posted to 22 OTU for instructional duties. He died in January 2010 in Winnipeg.
Ken Clothcliff's superb book "Under The Maple Leaf" gives an excellent account of this crew's time with 431 Squadron and then 425 Squadron.

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