Halifax LW446 at Snaith airfield.
On the night of 20th / 21st July 1944 this 640 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational flight to bomb a target at Ardouval / Foret d'Eawy and took off from Leconfield at 22.27hrs. The crew released their bomb load onto the target area from 9,000 feet at 00.36hrs onto the glow of target indicator markers. On their return to England this crew were diverted to land at Snaith almost certainly owing to poorer weather nearer the coast. Visibility was still poor around Snaith with patches of cloud at 300 feet and drizzle effecting visibility. At 02.29hrs the aircraft made a rough landing at Snaith but ran into the overshot area, the pilot swung the aircraft to avoid an obstruction in this area but the undercarriage then collapsed when it ran through a dis-used defence trench. 640 Squadron Halifax MZ640 also overshot on landing at Snaith eight minutes later.
Pilot - P/O William Norman Harper RAFVR (179938).
Navigator - Sgt G A Fisher.
Air Bomber - F/O Robert Allan Perry RCAF (J/35522).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - P/O T R Shipley.
Flight Engineer - Sgt Frank Greenwood.
Air Gunner - Sgt J G N Bird (Possibly Sgt John George Norman Bird RAFVR (3050831)).
Air Gunner - Sgt R Bailes.