Halifax LK765 damaged by flak, landed at East Moor airfield.
During the evening of 11th September 1944 this 415 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational flight to bomb a synthetic oil plant at Castrop Rauxel and took off from East Moor airfield at 16.09hrs. The crew released their bomb load onto the target area from 19,500 feet at 18.45hrs and while over the target the aircraft sustained flak damage to the starboard flap. Despite the damage the crew returned to East Moor and landed at 21.227hrs.
Pilot - F/O C I Gue RCAF (J/29831).
Flight Engineer - F/Sgt Albert I/L Simpson RAF (1583157).
Navigator - P/O Walter Halcro Calvin Boyd RCAF (J/20711).
Bomb Aimer - F/O A V Horie RCAF (J/28494).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - W/O A P McQueen RCAF (R/286798).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt J O Scott RCAF (R/208657).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt R Bell RCAF (R/214766).
Air Gunner - W/O C K Rowe RCAF (R/92187).
Walter Boyd was awarded the DFC for service with 415 Squadron, Gazetted on 16th January 1945.
In a letter to the "Ex Air Gunners' Association of Canada" Magazine in 1997 Albert Simpson was trying to trace members of his former crews and stated that he flew with 415 Squadron between July and September 1944. He listed the initials of his crew (which corrects many of those listed in Brian Shields' book "The Eastmoor Experience"). He also made reference to have flown in the crew of DFC holder Douglas Cook with 419 Squadron.
"Chuck" Gue and his crew commenced Halifax ops with 415 Squadron on 28th July 1944 having earlier flown with another RCAF Squadron.
Halifax LK765 was built to contract ACFT/891 by Fairey Aviation Co.Ltd. at Stockport and was taken on charge as new by 432 Squadron at East Moor on 16th February 1944. On 24th February 1944 the tail wheel assembly broke on landing at East Moor which saw a Cat.Ac/FB damage assessment. The aircraft was repaired on site and it was returned to 432 Squadron on 15th March 1944. 432 Squadron used the aircraft until July 1944 when it appears to have been loaned to 415 Squadron, also at East Moor. Following a flak incident on 5th August 1944 it then appears to have had a Cat.A/FB damage assessment which required a repair on site by a team from Handley Page. Had it received an more serious damage the damage assessment would probably have been logged on the AM Form 78 and it is not. The aircraft was servicable on 18th August 1944 and two days later was officially transferred to 415 Squadron. It was then twice slightly damaged by flak on 11th September 1944 and on 12th September 1944, each incident it only suffered very minor Cat.A/FB damage and neither was recorded on the AM Form 78. On 1st October 1944 it's Form AM78 records it as having sustained minor Cat.Ac/FB damage which was downgraded to Re-Cat.A the following day and also returned to 415 Squadron that day. Unfortunately the 415 Squadron orb scribe omits to list any aircraft used operationally during September 1944 by serial number so whether the damage was battle damage related it is not yet known. The aircraft was transferred to 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit at Wombleton on 3rd November 1944 and then to 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit at Dishforth on 29th November 1944. This unit disbanded on 6th April 1945 and the aircraft was flown into long term storage at 45 M.U. on 21st April 1945 where it remained until being struck off charge on 21st December 1946 when it was scrapped.