Lancaster W4844 damaged by flak, returned to Breighton airfield.
On the night of 2nd / 3rd April 1943 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were tasked with an operational flight to St.Nazaire and took off from Breighton at 19.52hrs, they bombed the target area at 22.21hrs. The aircraft was slightly damaged on the port side of the "Mid Upper" (turret?) by a flak burst though this did not effect the pilot being able to bring the aircraft safely home and land at 02.10hrs. On 20th/21st April 1943 all of the crew listed below were flying in Lancaster ED804 on Ops to Stettin when their aircraft was again damaged by flak. All of those listed below were later posted to 156 Squadron and all were killed serving with there before the year was out.
Pilot - Sgt James Joseph Hewerdine RAAF (414137).
Navigator - Sgt Leonard William Dallimore RAFVR (1318874).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Geoffrey John Hamley Stokes RAFVR (1336474).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James Frederick William Cullum RAFVR (1330446).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Thomas Edward Dickins RAF (696974).
Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Oswald Buckle RAFVR (1335598).
Air Gunner - Sgt John Archibald RAFVR (1551096).
James Hewerdine's service records are on the NAA website and reading them adds a lot of information on his service. He was born on 22nd December 1922 in Maryborough, Queensland and was working as a farm labourer when he enlisted into the RAAF in Brisbane on 16th August 1941. After training in Australia he was awarded his Wings on 31st March 1942. On arrival in the UK in August 1942 he trained at 3 PAFU, 19 OTU, 1661 CU and 1660 CU before posting to 460 Squadron in March 1943. He was later posted to 156 Squadron in mid-May 1943 and received a commssion on 24th June 1943. He was twenty years old when he died as a result of being lost on Ops to Turin in July 1943.
Of those listed above Hewerdine, Dickins, Dallimore, Cullum and Archibald were flying Ops to Turin on 12th / 13th July 1943 in Lancaster ED919 when it failed to return to base, all are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Leonard Dallimore and John Archibald were twenty one years old. James Cullum's age is not given on CWGC but his birth was registered in 1923 in Dorking, Surrey.
Geoffrey Stokes received a commission on 22nd July 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency). Both he and F/Sgt Ronald Buckle sadly lost their lives on 22nd November 1943 while flying in Lancaster JB703 on Ops which failed to return from Ops to Berlin, they were both twenty one years old and are also commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Lancaster W4844 was built to contract B.69275/40 by Metropolitan Vickers Ltd. at Trafford Park. On 19th December 1942 it was taken to A.V.Roe and Co.Ltd, at Woodford for assembly. On 29th December 1942 it was taken on charge by 460 Squadron at Breighton. As a result of minor flak damage sustained on 3rd April 1943 Cat.A/FB damage would have been the assessment which saw it swiftly repaired on site. The aircraft then sustained further flak damage on 5th May 1943 where Cat.Ac/FB damage was the damage assessment. The repair was made on site and was begun on 8th May 1943. Once complete it was returned to 460 Squadron on 19th June 1943 but they had moved to Binbrook by this date. It was re-coded "AR-D". On 4th July 1943 it failed to return from Ops to Cologne with the loss of the seven crew. Cat.E(m) damage was recorded on the paperwork and it was struck off charge.