A slightly larger photograph of the crashed 75(NZ) Squadron RAF Lancaster at Mepal. The back of the photograph says it is ND914, but the date does not tally with any of the Ops the aircraft flew. Courtesy Peter Wheeler/ NZBCA archive
Last December I posted a series of wonderful images from Arthur Rhys Williams, Flight Engineer with Fred Hubbard’s crew. One of the photographs was of an obviously crashed Lancaster. The images clearly showed the aircraft’s lettering – AA-H, but tantalisingly, the serial number was indecipherable. A search through the ORB for the period that Arthur, Fred and the boys were at Mepal, suggested 2 possible candidates:
ND914 ‘swung on landing’
ND782 ‘written off on an air test’
I am very pleased to say – and thanks as always to Peter for passing it onto Chris – a photograph from the NZBCA archive collection seems to have provided us with the answer.
The reverse of the photograph above identifying AA-H as ND914 – however the quoted date does not tally with an of the 4 Ops flew with the Squadron before it was written off in this crash……….Courtesy Peter Wheeler/ NZBCA archive
As of writing I am not sure the origin of the photograph – though I am sure if Chris can find out he will lets us know – but it seems at least that we can now be sure that the aircraft in the photograph is in fact Lancaster Mk.III ND914 AA-H. Based on this fact, the database shows a rather short career for ND914, however, the final Op listed for ND914 is the 31st of March 1944 – apparently 3 days after this photograph was taken……..
I would be very interested if anybody could shed some further light on ND914 and the crash – my gut feeling is that this is certainly ND914, I suppose however, the question exists around the date – either the date on the photograph is wrong, or the ORB’s have a mistake regarding the identification of ND914, when in fact perhaps another aircraft was flown
The 4 Ops flown by ND914, whislt with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF and its crew details are as follows:
10/05/1944 – Attack Against Courtrai
Lancaster Mk.III ND914 AA-H (1)
S/L Lindsay Johnson Drummond , RNZAF NZ413043 – Pilot.
F/S P. Dean, RAFVR – – Navigator.
F/S William Philip Matthews, RAAF AUS.426258 – Air Bomber.
Sgt. A. Lyon, RAFVR – – Wireless Operator.
P/O Hugh Henry, RAFVR 621460/ 54218 – Flight Engineer.
Sgt. Gordon Ross Ellis, RCAF J.89174 – Mid Upper Gunner.
F/O William Henry Cotterill, RAFVR 51720 – Rear Gunner.
Take Off 22:55 – Landed 00:42
Flight Time 01:47
21/05/1944 – Attack Against Duisberg
Lancaster Mk.III ND914 AA-H (2)
F/L Henry Leonard Burton, RNZAF NZ415863 – Pilot.
P/O Samuel Seymour, RAFVR 147993/ 173885 – Navigator.
P/O Herbert Donald Pitt Becker, RAFVR 171280 – Air Bomber.
F/S Robert Carroll, RAFVR 1367069 – Wireless Operator.
Sgt. H. Sturminger, RAFVR 1803026 – Flight Engineer.
F/S R. McGregor, RAFVR 1699864 – Mid Upper Gunner.
F/O Thomas Andrew Anderson, RAFVR 1021289/ 172814 – Rear Gunner.
Take Off 23:05 – Landed 03:20
Flight Time 04:15
22/05/1944 – Attack Against Dortmund
Lancaster Mk.III ND914 AA-H (3)
P/O Colin Roy Baker, RNZAF NZ42999 – Pilot.
F/S Charles Le Gallals Gardner, RNZAF NZ425204 – Navigator.
F/O Raymond Alexander Ramsay, RNZAF NZ416866 – Air Bomber.
Sgt. G. Marden, RAFVR 1585273 – Wireless Operator.
Sgt. W. P. Watson, RAFVR – Flight Engineer.
Sgt. H. R. Renwick, RAFVR 1002868 – Mid Upper Gunner.
Sgt. R. Cornish, RAFVR 1280506 – Rear Gunner.
Take Off 22:40 – Landed 03:05
Flight Time 04:25
31/05/1944 – Attack Against Trappes
Lancaster Mk.III ND914 AA-H (4)
F/L Richard Bruce Berney, RNZAF NZ40750 – Pilot.
F/O Murray Charles Fearon, RNZAF NZ425190 – Navigator.
F/S Roy John Robert Young, RNZAF NZ425410 – Air Bomber.
F/S Eric Stephen McNamara, RNZAF NZ417220 – Wireless Operator.
Sgt. W. J. Todd, RAFVR 546595 – Flight Engineer.
Sgt. F. Hubbard, RAFVR – Mid Upper Gunner.
Sgt. S. Bellis, RAFVR 2215940 – Rear Gunner.
Take Off 00:08 – Landed 04:38
Flight Time 04:30
75(nz)squadron 