Halifax LV955 damaged in the air, landed at Carnaby airfield.
On 27th August 1944 this 462 Squadron aircraft was one of several that was to have been flown on an operational flight to bomb Homberg. They took off from Driffield at 11.32hrs and set course but the
aircraft suffered a problem with the port outer constant speed unit on the propeller which eventually saw the engine become unserviceable. It also meant the crew could not feather the propeller on the
port outer engine. The crew turned for home, jettisoned the bomb load at 11.51hrs off the Yorkshire coast. The propeller and the reduction gear eventually broke away from the aircraft and fell away. The
aircraft also had no radio contact with the ground and around the time it crossed the coast in the Flamborough area the mid upper gunner baled out. The pilot then turned the aircraft toward Carnaby airfield and
landed there a short time later at 12.03hrs.
There are a few anomalies with the records for this incident. Driffield's record book states it was a 466 Squadron aircraft but names the pilot as F/O Cuttriss. Cuttriss had been with 466 Squadron but was part of the
group that was posted to 462 Squadron when it formed a few days earlier (both based at Driffield). The 462 Squadron records for this flight gives the aircraft as being Halifax LW955 but LW955 was not a Halifax. LV955 was
and was with 462 Squadron at the time so was probably the aircraft involved.
Pilot - F/O Alan George Cuttriss RAAF (410834).
Air Bomber - F/Sgt John Robert Gibson RAAF (423454).
Navigator - F/Sgt Keith Thomas Clarke RAAF (422421).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt John Daniel Trowbridge RAAF (417321).
Air Gunner - F/Sgt Leo Kevin Rahaley RAAF (434116). Baled out.
Air Gunner - Sgt William Edward Dyer RAAF (427638).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Dudley George Hall RAF (525537).