Halifax LV771 at Carnaby airfield.
On 18th July 1944 this 158 Squadron aircraft was flown on an early morning daylight operational flight to bomb a target at Caen and took off from Lissett airfield at 03.31hrs. The crew released their bomb load from 6,250ft at 05.49hrs. On their return the crew appear to have had a problem in lowering the port undercarriage once in the landing circuit of Lissett. As a precaution and so not to block the runway at Lissett this crew diverted to Carnaby emergency landing strip to land. While attempting to use the emergency undercarriage lowering hydraulic cock the flight engineer mistook this hydraulic cock for that of the bomb door emergency opening hydraulic cock and opened the bomb doors in error. On landing at Carnaby at 07.45hrs the port undercarriage leg was still not locked down and subsequently collapsed on landing.
Pilot - P/O Gerald Henry James Leonard RAFVR (173235).
Navigator - P/O Donald Ross Cromarty RAFVR (176589).
Air Bomber - P/O John Cecil Hoy RCAF (J/87595).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O Reginald John Cuthbert Gilham RAFVR (173308).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Kenneth Ross RAFVR (1602928).
Air Gunner - Sgt N Hardwick RAFVR (2220505).
Air Gunner - Sgt Arthur Harold Stagg RCAF (R/203005).
Sgt Hardwick's correct identity is proving hard to prove. He had served with 10 Squadron in late-1943 and early 1943 before posting to 158 Squadron in or close to May 1944. His 10 Squadron postings do not give his service number and his 158 Squadron posting in or out I have not located. There are a few Hardwick's posted into 158 Squadron with the most likely one being given Sgt Stagg's service number. The 158 Squadron website attempt to identify him with a service number but the one they quote was not given to any person with the surname according to National Archives AIR78 files.