Lancaster W4329 damaged on Ops, returned to Breighton airfield.
On the night of 26th / 27th March 1943 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were undertaing an operational flight to bomb Berlin and left Breighton airfield at 20.16rs. The crew dropped their bomb load over Berlin at 23.14hrs and made for home but the aircraft was hit by flak below and behind the mid-upper turret. The Lancaster landed safely at Breighton at 03.44hrs.
Pilot - P/O Kenneth Hugh Grenfell RAAF (403735), of Watsons Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
Navigator - P/O Stephen Falcon Scott McCullagh RAAF (403754), of Mosman or Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Phillip Wesley Dunn RAAF (411010), of Watson's Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Ronald Cordingley RAFVR (1008290), of Salford, Lancashire.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Sydney Frederick Norman Fox RAFVR (1264562).
Air Gunner - Sgt Sidney George Webb RAFVR (955673), of Blackmore Park, Worcestershire.
Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Lincoln Potter RAAF (406680), of Perth, Western Australia.
Kenneth Grenfell was born on 23rd May 1914 on the tiny island of Ocean Island (Banaba), Gilbert Islands and needless to say was probably their only native to fly from Yorkshire airfields in the War. Phosphate mining took place on the island around that time but his parents were there working for the Church. He and his family were living in Watsons Bay, New South Wales, Australia when he enlisted into the RAAF on 3rd March 1941 in Sydney and he would receive his commission on 7th November 1941. On arrival in the UK he trained at 27 OTU, he, Sgt Potter, Sgt Dunn and Sgt Cordingley of those listed above survived the crash of Wellington Z8949 at Tatenhill on 6th October 1942. He and almost certainly Potter and Cordingley were then posted to 460 Squadron together in late October 1942 but remained there for just a few days as 460 Squadron were about to convert to fly Lancasters so he was posted out convert with 1656 HCU in November and December 1942 to return to 460 Squadron on 19th December 1942. He flew his first flight with 460 Squadron the following day. While in the UK he married and his wife, Sister Mabel Grenfell, worked at Stockton and Thornaby Hospital, Stockton on Tees, Co.Durham. The photograph of him shown above was found on the Australian National Archives website.
On the night of 29th / 30th March 1943 all of the above except Sgt Fox were flying in Lancaster W4327 on Ops to Berlin when they were attacked by a night-fighter and shot down, both the Lancaster crews air gunners returned fire before control was lost and are reported in succeeding in shooting down their attacker. Both aircraft crashed in Holland with the loss of the whole of the Lancaster crew and probably the whole of the Luftwaffe crew. All the Lancaster's crew are buried in Hardenberg Cemetery, Overijssel, Holland.
F/Lt Grenfell was twenty eight years old.
Sgt Cordingley was twenty nine years old.
F/Sgt Potter was thirty one years old, he was born on 9th March 1942 in Claremont, Western Australia and enlisted in Perth.
F/O McCullagh was twenty nine years old, he was born in Seattle, USA on 11th August 1913 but enlisted into the RAAF in Sydney, Australia.
F/Sgt Dunn was 22, he was born in Botany, New South Wales on 18th August 1920 and enlisted into the RAAF in Sydney.
Lancaster W4329 was built to contract B.69274/40 by A.V.Roe and Co.Ltd. at Chadderton and was awaiting collection in October 1942. On 23rd October 1942 it was taken on charge by 460 Squadron at Breighton and was originally coded "UV-T". On 22nd December 1942 it was attacked and damaged by a Ju88 while on Ops to Munich, despite damaget to the port wing and rudder the then pilot was able to bring the aircraft home where Cat.A(c)/FB damage was the damage assessment. It was repaired by a team from A.V.Roe with work commencing on 30th December 1942. It took exactly a month for it to be returned to 460 Squadron at Breighton. On 3rd February 1943 it received unspecified damage that required a further repair on site at Breighton. On 8th February 1943 it was returned to 460 Squadron but it's squadron code changed to "UV-K". As a result of flak damage sustained on the night of 27th / 28th March 1943 Cat.A/FB damage resulted and it was repaired on site. On 14th May 1943 460 Squadron moved to Binbrook and their squadron code prefix changed, so this aircraft became "AR-K". On 13th June 1943 it failed to return from Ops to Bochum which saw it's then crew of seven killed. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was written off.
P/O Sydney Fox was reported as missing believed killed on 30th July 1943 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, he was aged thirty. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 5th April 1943 (143802).