Mon 26 Feb 1945



A RECORD OF NEW ZEALANDERS WHO HAVE DIED WHILE
SERVING WITH THE RNZAF AND ALLIED AIR SERVICES SINCE 1915
Volume two: fates 1943 – 1998

FOR YOUR TOMORROW
By Errol W Martyn

BOMBER COMMAND

Raid on the Hoesch benzol-oil plant at Dortmund, Germany (by 149 Lancasters – 1 lost)
75 (NZ) Squadron, RAF (Mepal, Cambridgeshire – 3 Group)
Lancaster I ME450/W – took off at 1052 and when returning over the base apparently lost power in one or
both starboard engines, a puff of smoke being seen to come from the starboard outer before the bomber
broke formation. It began a gentle turn to starboard, continued to lose height and crashed NW of the
airfield a mile north of Chatteris. Of the seven crew only the RAF flight engineer, rear gunner and RNZAF
wireless operator Flt Sgt A Francis survived, all with injuries. The flight engineer died two days later,
however. The captain was buried on 3 March at Ilford (Barkingside) Cemetery, Essex. Investigations
could find no defect in the engines and concluded that the failure was due to either faulty petrol cock
manipulation or through accidental knocking of the cross feed cock to ‘off’.

Captain: NZ428168 Fg Off Noel Humphrey THORPE, RNZAF – Age 21. 517Hrs. 14th op.

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Document Outline

• Mon 26 Feb 1945
• FOR YOUR TOMORROW
  • • BOMBER COMMAND

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