North Luffenham AFB

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham in the early morning on an operation to Cherbourg. While outbound, the starboard engine caught fire and the heavily laden aircraft began to lose height. The pilot was reluctant to jettison the bomb load for fear of injuring people on the ground, but as a precaution he ordered six of the crew to bail out. The two pilots then tried to make an emergency landing, but in the pitch black conditions they failed to see a line of trees and the Manchester crashed at 0620LT at Wiltshire Cross near Tidworth. Both pilots were killed and all six other crew members parachuted to safety.
Crew:
P/O Douglas Spencer Matthews, pilot, †
P/O Thomas Ivor Ravenhill Wilson, copilot, †
F/O C. A. Giles, navigator,
Sgt Lorimer, wireless operator,
Sgt Fryer, wireless operator,
P/O S. P. Walsh, air gunner,
Sgt J. Brown, air gunner,
P/O Lancaster, regional control officer.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Hüls. Damaged by a German fighter, it crash landed in Gaanderen, southeast of Doetinchem. A crew was killed and three others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt William Rowland Cheesman, wireless operator, †
Sgt Thomas Edwin Barnett,
Sgt William Gilbey,
Sgt Thomas Samuel Jones.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Hüls. It failed to return to base and is believed to have crashed somewhere in the North Sea. Lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt Edward Boyce Whitaker, pilot,
Sgt Alfred Collier,
Sgt John Frederick Skingsley, wireless operator,
Sgt Jack William Woodall.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on a mine laying operation off Brest. Believed to have crashed into the sea off the target area. Lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt Richard Alfred Palmer Vincent Atkinson,
P/O David McLaren,
Sgt Thomas John Pearce,
Sgt Ronald John Pulham,
Sgt Alfred Harry Taylor.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Brest. While returning to base, it is believed that it crashed in The Channel of the Sussex coast. Maybe it was damaged over the target area. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Arthur John Benning Monk, pilot,
P/O Christopher Bradley Payne, pilot,
P/O Archibald Locksley Smiley, observer,
P/O John Humphrey Dunn, wireless operator,
Sgt Charles Edward Gailey, wireless operator.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Aachen. Over Belgium, it was shot down by a Me.110 and crashed in Oteppe, west of Liège. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Frank Kert Calcutt, pilot,
F/Sgt Arthur Henry Lawrence, observer,
Sgt Richard Eric Hirons, wireless operator,
Sgt Geoffrey Barnes, wireless operator.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Düsseldorf. While returning to base, in crashed into high ground near Birdlip. Moments before the crash, the Hampden had broken through low cloud. A crew was killed.
Crew:
Sgt George Herbert Cornish, wireless operator, †
Sgt Robinson,
Sgt Martin,
P/O Farrington.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham in the afternoon on an operation to Hamburg. While returning to base in the late evening, it swung on touchdown and collided with the airfield control caravan. All four crew members escaped uninjured while two airmen in the caravan were killed and a third was injured.
Crew:
Sgt Nightingale,
Sgt Sparks,
Sgt Gailey,
Sgt Ward.
Ground crew:
AC2 Frederick George Malin, †
AC1 George Roberts, †
LAC A. T. Higgins.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Cologne. It was hit by the German Flak and while returning to base, it crashed upon landing and was damaged beyond repair. All four crew members were uninjured.
Crew:
Sgt Woodhall,
Sgt Pomroy,
Sgt Todd,
Sgt Lynch.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an anti-shipping operation. It was shot down by enemy fire and crashed into the sea off Spiekeroog Island. Three crew members were killed and a fourth became PoW.
Crew:
P/O Frederick Lawrance Kidd, pilot, †
Sgt Peter Mcleod Reed, observer,
Sgt Edgar Crowe, wireless operator, †
Sgt James Blair Blackwood, air gunner. †