Wellington HE961 B. Mk. X - Ferry Flight - 1943-06-01 to 1943-06-01
Squadron: 420 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1943-06-01
Completion Date: 1943-06-01
Mission: Ferry Flight
Operation: unspecified
Target City:
Target Specific:
Base: Middleton St George
Take Off Time:
Squadron Code:
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Bay of Biscay
Crash Specifics: unspecified
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim: Uffz Heinz Hommel of 13/KG 40
War Diary Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable

420 Snowy Owl Squadron (Pugnamus Finitum), RAF Middleton St George. 420 Squadron RCAF was detached from Bomber Command from 1943-05-15 until 1943-11-06 and sent to the Middle East. Wellington X aircraft HE 568 lost in a daylight transit flight from RAF Portreath in Cornwall to Ras El Ma, North Africa was intercepted and shot down over the Bay of Biscay by Uffz Heinz Hommel of 13/KG 40

Aircrew: Flight Sergeant JC Nichol (RCAF), Flying Officer GS McCulloch (RCAF), Flying Officer PJM Greig (RCAF), Flight Sergeant GD McDougall (RCAF), Flight Sergeant KM Gillies (RCAF) as well as Ground Crew: Corporal ACJ Coates (RCAF), and Leading Aircraftman JB Leitch (RCAF) were all missing, presumed killed in action

The missing have no known graves and are all commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial

Wellington X HE 961 was one of a group of 20 aircraft transferring air and ground crew to North Africa and one of two aircraft shot down by German fighters within minutes of each other during the transit flight. Please see aircraft HE 568 for additional information

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