On the night of 27th / 28th March 1943 the crew of this 102 Squadron aircraft took off from Pocklington airfield at 20.04hrs to undertake an operational flight to Berlin. While over the Hannover area the aircraft received minor flak damage in the starboard wing. Despite the damage the crew were able to bring the aircraft safely back to base and landed at Pocklington airfield at 03.20hrs.
Pilot - WO2 James Livingston Lee RCAF (R/68499).
Navigator - Sgt George Arthur Jones RAFVR (1094912)).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt James Noel Underwood RAFVR (1267926).
Air Gunner - Sgt Frank Morley Traynor RAFVR (1055872).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Ronald McTavish Mather RAFVR (947323).
Air Gunner? - Sgt Robert Michael Curtis RAFVR (658376).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt W E J Murphy.
Second Pilot? - Sgt J A Marshall.
Sgt Mather survived the crash of Halifax HR803 near St.Neots on 24th July 1943 while serving with 35 Squadron. He was still serving with 35 Squadron on 27th September 1943 and flying Ops to Hannover in Halifax HR907, the aircraft was shot down and he became a PoW, all of his then crew were very experienced airmen.
F/Sgt Underwood was later posted to 97 Squadron and killed on 22nd November 1943 in Lancaster JB227 flying Ops to Berlin. Nothing was heard of the aircraft and it was lost without trace. F/Sgt Underwood is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, he was twenty two years old.
WO2 Lee, Sgt Traynor and Sgt G A Jones were also later posted to 35 Squadron, on the night of 29th / 30th May 1943 they were flying in Halifax HR833 on Ops to Wuppertal when the aircraft was attacked by a night-fighter and exploded over Hoogstraten, Belgium. Five of the crew were killed including Sgt Traynor and WO Lee but two survived by parachute including Sgt Jones. Those who died were later buried Schoonselhof Cemetery, Belgium. Sgt Jones survived and was hidden for three months by a M. and Mme. Spitals of 106 Lindenhof, Hoogstraten, but he was captured in Brussels with his helpers and they were imprisoned for nine months for helping Sgt Jones evade capture. Sgt Jones finished the War as a PoW but his first christian name is not yet known.
Halifax W7936 was built to contract B.73328/40 by Handley Page Ltd. at Radlett. The aircraft was taken on charge by 102 Squadron at Pocklington on 5th December 1942. As a result of sustaining flak damage on 28th March 1943 minor Cat.A/FB damage was the damage assessment and it was repaired on site at Pocklington. After this nothing more of the aircraft is known until it transferred to 1658 H.C.U. at Riccall on 19th March 1943. It's AM Form 78 then states that it sustained Cat.E (Burnt) damage on 19th August 1943 but this must be an error because it was not struck off charge until 9th October 1944. The 1658 HCU orb mentions no incident of substantial nature on 19th August 1943 that would relate to it being damaged then.
Back to monthly table.