Halifax HR716 on Driffield Wold.

On the night of 20th / 21st January 1944 this 102 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational sortie to attack Berlin, the crew took off from Pocklington at 16.46hrs. The crew released their bomb load onto the target area from 18,000 feet but the time is not stated in the squadron records. While over Germany tha No.3 fuel tank was struck by flak and a fuel leak occurred, on their return to Yorkshire a lack of fuel presented the crew with a problem. They managed to return to the Pocklington landing circuit but with only ten minutes flying time estimated on the remaining fuel they found that the starboard undercarriage would not come down. Informing flying control of this the crew were ordered to fly toward the coast and bale out. Having reached the Driffield area the fuel ran out. The crew quickly abandoned the aircraft and the aircraft crashed around five miles north of Driffield at around 00.10hrs in the region of Clitheroe Farm, on Driffield Wold. All seven airmen appear to have escaped injury in their night landings. Bill Chorley states in his Bomber Command losses book that the pilot force-landed the aircraft, he clearly got his information from somewhere but all the documentation I have located states the crew all baled out. Five other 102 Squadron aircraft were lost on Ops on this night with another crashing in Norfolk, sixteen airmen were killed and twenty two being made PoW. Clearly one of the worst nights for the Yorkshire-based squadron in the whole war.

Pilot - F/O Alexander Hall Hall RAFVR (151580).

Navigator - F/O Arthur Joseph Painter RAFVR (151098).

Air Bomber - F/Sgt Ivan Arnold Weir RCAF (R/166331).

Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Christopher George Woplin RAFVR (1423134).

Flight Engineer - Sgt Norman Pearce RAFVR (1737174).

Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Dennis Loke RAFVR (1819350).

Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Joseph Clarke RAFVR (1823047).