Halifax LK764 damaged by a night-fighter, landed at Woodbridge airfield.
On the night of the 8th / 9th May 1944 the crew of this 432 Squadron aircraft were tasked bombing the Haine St.Pierre railway yards. The crew took off from East Moor airfield at 01.29hrs and released their bomb load at 03.25hrs. The aircraft was attacked by a night-fighter on the return leg which inflicted damage to the undercarriage, starboard mainplane and starboard inner engine but the pilot was able keep some form of control and was able to land safely at Woodbridge at 04.30hrs. I previously believed the landing was made at East Moor but this is not correct. Woodbridge is stated in a No.6 Group Flying Control log and that the crew were ordered to catch the train back to Yorkshire later that day.
Pilot - F/Sgt John Archibald McElheran RCAF (R/156974).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Alec Lee Mellor RAFVR (1671436).
Navigator - F/Sgt Robert Longworth Botsford RCAF (R/170668).
Air Bomber - WO2 Lawrence Westley Blanchard RCAF (R/117383).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Gustaf Adolph Dieno RCAF (R/172279).
Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Andrew Ludwig RCAF (R/192407).
Air Gunner - Sgt Peter Mervyn Steers RAFVR (3030868).
John McElheran was born on 11th April 1916 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was the son of George Harrison and Henrietta (nee Reed) McElheran. The family later moved to Hamilton, Ontario. After leaving college he ran his own restaurant in Hamilton. He enlisted for RCAF service in Toronto on 11th March 1942 and after training in Canada was awarded his pilots' Wings on 28th May 1943. On arrival in the UK he trained at 11 (P)AFU, 1524 BAT Flight, 24 OTU and 1659 HCU before posting to 432 Squadron on 6th March 1944. He received a commission on 3rd May 1944 and had completed thirteen operational flights with 432 Squadron between 22rd March 1944 and 7th June 1944. His brother Cpl Harrison Reed McElheran served in the Canadian Army during the war.
Robert Botsford was born on 26th March 1916 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Wilmot Galbraith and Mabel Margaret (nee Routley) Botsford. He worked for the Bank of Toronto as a young man and enlisted for RCAF service on 10th June 1942 in Toronto. After training in Canada he was awarded his air navigators' flying badge on 2nd April 1943. On arrival in the UK he trained at 6 (O)AFU, 21 OTU, 24 OTU and 1659 HCU before posting to 432 Squadron on 6th March 1944. He was granted a commission on 3rd May 1944.
Lawrence Blanchard was born on 3rd May 1912 at Scott, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of William Westley and Sadie (McClellan) Blanchard. After leaving school in 1927 he worked in farming until 1937 when he became a miner at Sudbury, Ontario until he enlisted for RCAF service. He enlisted at North Bay on 26th August 1941 and after training in Canada he was awarded an air navigators' flying badge on 30th December 1942. On arrival in the UK in 1943 he trained at 3 (O)AFU, 24 OTU, 22 OTU and 1659 HCU before posting to 432 Squadron on 6th March 1944. He was granted a commission on 11th June 1944. While he was a qualfied navigator he is believed to have been a bomb aimer while serving with 432 Squadron.
Gustaf Dieno was born on 16th November 1921 at Young, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Johann and Katherine (nee Schieler) Dieno. Both his parents were born in Russia but had emigrated to Canada. The family later moved to British Colombia. Gustaf left school in 1939 and joined the Canadian Army. He then enlisted for RCAF service on 23rd June 1942 in Vancouver. He was awarded his air gunners' flying badge after training in Canada on 24th March 1943. He married Archiena Lenora Preston in May 1943 just before heading overseas. On arrival in the UK he trained at 24 OTU and 1659 HCU before posting to 432 Squadron with the rest of this crew on 6th March 1944. He was granted a commission on 11th June 1944.
Halifax LK764 was built to contract ACFT 891 by Fairey Aviation Ltd at Stockport and was delivered directly to 432 Squadron at East Moor in February 1944. Following the incident above it was assessed on site and Cat.B/FB damage recorded. LK764 was on it's fifteenth operational flight with 432 Squadron when it was damaged on 9th May 1944, it went on to complete twenty three between 1st March 1944 and 1st July 1944. Repair was completed on site by Handley Page staff by the 12th June 1944 and it was later transferred to 434 Squadron at Croft in July 1944. Later in 1944 it transferred to 1659 HCU at Topcliffe but when this training unit disbanded on 10th September 1945 it was flown into MU storage at Clifton. It was then struck off charge and scrapped on 28th February 1947 and was almost certainly broken up at Clifton / Rawcliffe.
On 13th June 1944 many of those listed above were flying Halifax MZ601 on Ops to Cambrai when the aircraft crashed in sand dunes in the Dunkirk area. The top five named above were killed and are now buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery, France. Two survived (including Sgt Ludwig).