Date & Time:
Apr 11, 1943 at 0445 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
ED478
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Skellingthorpe - Skellingthorpe
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Skellingthorpe at 0016LT on an operation to Frankfurt. It turned back with a technical defect and called requesting permission to jettison the bomb load. This was given and at 0257LT, the crew signaled to say all bombs have been dropped over the sea. At 0310LT, a Royal Observer Corps post reported an aircraft heading inland, but very feint w/t signals were picked up at 0445LT and the Lancaster was the thought to be some 100 km off Skegness. An air sea rescue search was mounted and a few small pieces of wreckage were found in the search area. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O Francis Gerard McGrath, pilot,
Sgt Robert Francis Wilson, flight engineer,
Sgt Ronald Coulson, navigator,
F/Sgt Peter Lawford Mansfield, bomb aimer,
F/O Alfred Cheetham, wireless operator,
Sgt Alfred Henry Jeffery, air gunner,
Sgt Cyril Birtles, air gunner.
Crew:
W/O Francis Gerard McGrath, pilot,
Sgt Robert Francis Wilson, flight engineer,
Sgt Ronald Coulson, navigator,
F/Sgt Peter Lawford Mansfield, bomb aimer,
F/O Alfred Cheetham, wireless operator,
Sgt Alfred Henry Jeffery, air gunner,
Sgt Cyril Birtles, air gunner.
