142 Squadron Wellington losses

The operational history of 142 Squadron will be on-line in due course.  As part of the research into 142 Squadron, the losses of its Wellington aircraft are listed below.  Please contact us if you can add further information, have photos of any of the airmen named below, or a relative served on 142 Squadron.  We would like to hear about any 142 Squadron aircraft crash sites that have been found.

There is a good account of 142 Squadron's Fairey Battle losses on the Traces of World War 2 site.  The names of the aircrew are listed in Bill Chorley's excellent "Bomber Command Losses" series and our men of 142 Squadron page up to the end of 1942. The squadron operated in the Mediterranean in 1943 and 1944. It was reformed in the UK at the end of 1944, as a Mosquito bomber squadron.

12/01/1941
Wellington II W5373 crashed almost immediately after take off from Binbrook for a training exercise.  Three of the crew were injured.

27-28/06/1941
Wellington II W5386 Failed to return from Bremen. The crew are buried in Hamburg cemetery, Ohlsdorf. Luftwaffe night fighters claimed 6 Wellingtons and 3 Whitleys, whereas Bomber Command lost 11 Whitleys and only 3 Wellingtons.  Five of the claims were in the Hamburg area and the crews of only three Whitleys are buried in Hamburg cemetery, so it is likely that W5386 fell victim to a night fighter. The relevant claims were made by Oblt Reinhold Eckardt of 6./NJG 1, Uffz Armin Behrend of 5./NJG 1 and Oblt Helmut Lent of 6./NJG 1.  Oblt Eckardt was credited with a victory at 01.42, at Ackermannstrasse, Hamburg Inner City, which has been attributed to this aircraft (ref. Nachtjagd War Diaries Volume One).

30-31/07/1941
Wellington II W5364 QT-H Crashed on heath land in Ashdown Forest, Kent, returning from Cologne.  All of the six crew were killed and there is a memorial at the site.  This is known as the Airman's Grave, although none of the crew are buried there.

12-13/08/1941
Wellington II W5433 Abandoned over Germany returning from Berlin, after the port engine failed.  All of the crew were captured and some were taken to Stendal airfield intially.

10/09/1941
Wellington II W5499 is recorded as "lost" on this date, but it is not mentioned in the Operations Record Book.  This appears to be an administrative error and W5499 may have been HA-Y of 218 Sqn which crashed at Barton Bendish on 10/09/1941, on return from Berlin, without loss of life.

19-20/09/1941
Wellington II W5384 Ditched 8 miles E of Orfordness, returning from Stettin. 5 of the crew failed to get to the dinghy and only 1 was rescued. The Wellington had been flying on the starboard engine for most of the return flight.

29-30/09/1941
Wellington II W5378 QT-A Failed to return from Stettin. Shot down near Kiel, where the crew is buried. W5378 was probably shot down by flak, as it does not correspond with any of the three night fighter claims for the night. Site found in Germany

21-22/10/1941
Wellington IV Z1210 QT-M Failed to return from Bremen. Presumed lost over the sea. 4 of the crew are buried in Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg. There were no night fighter claims.

07-08/11/1941
Wellington IV Z1211 QT-M Failed to return from Mannheim. Shot down by Oblt Egmont Prinz zur Lippe Weissenfeld of 4./NJG 1. 5 of the crew managed to bale out and were captured before the aircraft crashed into into the sea off Bergen-aan-Zee, Holland. The pilot was lost.

25/11/1941
Wellington IV Z1243 Stalled after take off and crashed 1/2 mile south west of Grimsby. 4 of the crew were killed and the rear gunner was injured.

30/11-01/12/1941
Wellington IV Z1202 Failed to return from Hamburg. Presumed lost over the sea. The crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Wellington IV Z1292 Failed to return from Hamburg. The crew are buried in the Kiel War Cemetery. Site found in Germany. Sgt Sumner and some details of the loss  Neither of these losses correspond with night fighter claims.

17-18/01/1942
Wellington IV Z1330 QT-B Failed to return from Bremen. Believed to have crashed in the sea off Bridlington, Yorks. The crew are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial. There were no night fighter claims.

20-21/01/1942
Wellington IV Z1207 QT-U Took off from Grimsby at 20-21 and failed to return from Emden. Presumed lost off the Dutch Friesian Islands, where 2 of the crew are buried.  Very likely to have been the Wellington claimed by Oblt Ludwig Becker of 6./NJG 2 at 21-37 hours, north of Terschelling.  Becker shot down Z8370 of 12 Sqn at 21-00 and this Wellington had taken off from Binbrook half an hour before Z1207 left Grimsby. The route for that night was base - Saltfleet - Juist - 53°25'N 07°25'E - Emden - return by same route.

06-07/02/1942
Wellington IV Z1247 QT-K Failed to return from Brest. Presumed crashed in the sea. The crew are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial. Although no bombers were claimed destroyed by night fighters, a 300 Sqn Wellington was attacked and crashed on return to Britain.

25-26/03/1942
Wellington IV Z1321 QT-V Failed to return from Essen. Shot down by flak and crashed at Vlaadingen, 10 km west of Rotterdam Netherlands.  5 of the crew are buried in Westduin Cemetery.

26-27/03/1942
Wellington IV Z1283 QT-N Failed to return from Essen. Believed to have crashed at Keilerstrasse Oberlohberg Wald NE Dinslaken. The crew are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. 15 RAF bombers were lost and there were 14 night fighter claims. Four of the crews are buried in Germany, all in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery and one of these aircraft is believed to have been shot down by flak. Two of the night fighter claims were in Germany and one of these (Lt Willhelm Johnen of 3./NJG 1 north west of Wesel at 23.30) is likely to have been either Wellington Z1283 or X3665 of 57 Squadron.

28-29/03/1942
Wellington IV Z1203 QT-O Failed to return from Lubeck. The aircraft was hit by flak as it crossed the coast near Kiel. This probably holed a fuel tank and as the aircraft had insufficient fuel to get home the pilot turned inland over Holland, allowing the crew to bale out.  The crew were taken prisoner, the rear gunner having baled out at Nieuw-Vennep and two others having come down at Kudelstaart. The Wellington and crashed at Mijdrecht, near Amsterdam Schipol airfield, Netherlands.
Wellington IV Z1274 QT-P Failed to return from Lubeck. The crew is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf. Night fighters claimed a Wellington near Dithmarscher and a Wellington crew is buried in Kiel War Cemetery (although this claim may have been X3477 which crash landed near Wilhelmshaven). 5./NJG 2 claimed an additional Stirling and a Wellington (by Uffz Heinz Grimm), but the locations are not known. 

06-07/04/1942
Wellington IV Z1205 QT-W Failed to return from Essen. It has been reported as being shot down by flak over Cologne, which is too far south of the route to Essen. This loss was probably Wellington X3489 of 75 Squadron, lost in a raid on Cologne the previous night. Nothing is currently known about where Z1205 was lost. The crew are buried at the Rheinberg War Cemetery.

30-31/05/1942
Wellington IV Z1208 QT-S Failed to return from Cologne. The crew are buried at the Rheinberg War Cemetery.
Wellington IV Z1209 QT-Z Failed to return from Cologne. Believed to have been shot down off Vlissingen at 01.16, possibly by Oblt.Wittgenstein of III/NJG 2. The bodies of two of the crew were later recovered from the sea and are buried in Zeebrugge, Holland and Clemskerke, Belgium.

01-02/06/1942
Wellington IV Z1410 QT-Z Took off to operate against Essen, but turned back with failing engines and crashed in forced landing, at Thoresby Bridge, Lincs.  Only the rear gunner survived.

10/06/1942
Wellington IV Z1261 Hit a hangar on take off, Middle Wallop.

09-10/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1324 QT-A Failed to return from minelaying; shot down by Oblt Ludwig Becker of 6./NJG 2 over the North Sea, NE of Terschelling.  With one exception, the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

13-14/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1341 QT-L Operating against Duisberg, lost engine power in bad weather and crashed in forced landing, Scole Road, Diss, Norfolk.  Only the rear gunner survived.

21-22/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1408 QT-P Failed to return from Duisberg; lost without trace; the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Night fighters made 3 claims, all of which seem to have crashed in Holland.

25-26/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1287 QT-Q Failed to return from Duisberg; presumed lost in the North Sea: the pilot's body was later washed ashore and he is buried in Sweden, while the rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Z1287 was the only Wellington missing at sea on this night and, as there was only one night fighter claim over the sea, for a Wellington, it seems that Ofw Rolf Bussmann of 9./NJG 2 probably shot down Z1287 west of Bergen-ann-Zee at 03.26 hours. (Wellington X3975 of 150 Sqn had been plotted further north, off Den Haag before ditching due to engine failure.)

26-27/07/1942
The squadron was tasked to attack Hamburg.  The route given to the target was 54°35'N - 07°08'E - 54°06'N - 09°05'E - 53°48'N - 09°50'E – HAMBURG - 53°26'N - 09°54'E - 54°08'N - 06°42'E to Base.  Ten aircraft from 142 Squadron attacked the target and 3 of these were lost. A 4th aircraft had been attacked by a German night fighter before reaching the target.

Wellington IV Z1319 QT-W Failed to return from Hamburg; the aircraft was shot down by flak at 01.15 and crashed near Horst in the vicinity of Elmshorn, Holstein.  Research into the crash in Germany.  Two of the crew were originally buried at Utersen, 15 miles north west of Hamburg and now rest in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf; three were taken POW: W/O Collison and F/O Goring were captured near Hamburg.

Wellington IV Z1376 QT-M Failed to return from Hamburg; lost without trace; the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Wellington IV Z1461 QT-F Took off at 22.57 and failed to return.  The aircraft was brought down at Waddewarden, 6 kilometres northeast of Jever at 02.17 hours on 27 July 1942. The crew were buried by the Germans in Wilhelmshaven. In 1949 the crew was moved to Oldenbourg Sage British Military Cemetery.

29-30/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1316 QT-H Failed to return from Saarbrucken; shot down by Oblt Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin of 7./NJG 3 and crashed near Olmen, 11 km ESE of Geel, Belgium.  The crew are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery at Adegem.

04-05/08/1942
Wellington IV Z1487 QT-Z Failed to return from minelaying; the aircraft was shot down by ground defences on the island of Noirmoutier on the west coast of France and crashed in the sea nearby.  The crew is buried in Noirmoutier-en-L'Ile Communal Cemetery.

27-28/08/1942
Wellington IV Z1266 QT-M Failed to return from Kassel; unclear where the aircraft crashed, but 4 of the crew were taken POW, one being treated for his wounds in Duisberg.  One of the crew is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

Wellington IV Z1338 QT-D Failed to return from Kassel: after dropping its bombs just after midnight the aircraft was caught by searchlights on the return trip and shot down in flames by flak; the rear gunner baled out and was taken POW and the other four crew were killed when the Wellington crashed at Kalk near Cologne; the 4 crew are now buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Wellington IV Z1396 QT-B Failed to return from Kassel; crashed near Meppen on the Ems Canal.  The crew are buried in Hannover War Cemetery. Z1396 was probably shot down by Oblt Rudolf Altendorf of 6./NJG 3 - this was his 8th claim.

Wellington IV Z1411 QT-Z Failed to return from Kassel; circumstances unclear: the crew were originally buried in the 1st North Cemetery at Dusseldorf, so the Wellington presumably crashed in this area; the crew are now buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

Wellington IV Z1424 QT-F Failed to return from Kassel. The crew were originally buried in the North Military Cemetery at Dusseldorf, so presumably the Wellington crashed in this area. The crew now rest in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

142 Squadron suffered its worst losses of the whole war on this night (equalled by the Turin raid on 24-25 November 1943). The RAF's losses were high (31 of the 306 aircraft) and this was attributed to night fighter activity. Most of the night fighter action was over Holland. There appears to be more to the story though and it is possible that the Grimsby and Binbrook Wellingtons flew through the Rhur valley and close to Duisberg, falling victim to the heavy flak.

01-02/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1478 QT-B Operating against Saarbrucken, the aircraft crashed south of Aldham Rectory near Hadleigh, while trying to land at Wattisham, Suffolk.  All of the crew were injured.

02-03/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1466 QT-L Failed to return from Karlsruhe; circumstances unclear.  All of the crew are buried in Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland. Latest research suggests
that Z1466 was attacked by Fw Heinz Oloff and exploded in mid air at 01.47 hours, near the village of Echt in Holland. This was Oloff's second victory.

04-05/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1214 Failed to return from Bremen.  Chorley writes that Z1214 was shot down and crashed in the North Sea off Callantsoog, Holland.  Three of the crew are buried in Holland, one of them on the island of Schiermonnikoog, which is on a direct line from Bremen to Grimsby.  Lt Lothar Linke of 5./NJG 2 claimed a Wellington north of Vlieland at 04.03.  Oblt Ludwig Becker of 6./NJG 6 claimed Wellingtons north of Ameland at 04.15, north west of Ameland at 04.45 and west of Schiermonnikoog at 05.09.  It seems likely that Z1214 was one of Oblt Ludwig Becker's claims that night.  The other three losses are likely to have been Wellingtons Z1320, BJ602 and BJ891.

08-09/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1342 QT-T Ditched in English Channel after engine failure, returning from Frankfurt.  One of the crew was lost and the remainder were picked up the same morning.

10-11/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1477 QT-Z Failed to return from Dusseldorf; circumstances unknown: all of the crew are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery.

16-17/09/1942
Wellington III DF550 QT-N Failed to return from Essen; shot up by a night fighter; abandoned at 3,000 feet at St. Omer, Pas de Calais; two of the crew were taken POW, three evaded. Sgt James was captured the following day. Sgt Buckell was captured at Lumbres on 20 September.
Wellington IV Z1380 QT-A Failed to return from Essen; circumstances unclear: the crew are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
Wellington IV Z1480 QT-I Failed to return from Essen; crashed near Dusseldorf, the crew are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.

23-24/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1219 QT-V Failed to return from minelaying; presumed crashed in the target area and the pilot is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf.  The rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Only one Wellington was lost in this area and one was claimed by a night fighter, so it is very likely that Z1219 was shot down by Oblt Egmond Prinz Lippe-Wiessenfeld of 5./NJG 2. The action occurred 60km NW of Vlieland at 23.36 hours and was Lippe-Wiessenfeld's 37th victory.

05-06/10/1942
Wellington III BK281 QT-M Crashed at Princetown, Dartmoor, returning from Aachen.  Four of the crew were killed, one injured.

13-14/10/1942
Wellington III BJ653 PH-R Failed to return from Keil; aircraft borrowed from 12 Sqn.  The crash occurred at Linstrup, Denmark. All of the crew were taken POW. F/Sgt Heddon was captured near Esberg, Denmark and Sgt Webster was on the run for a week before being captured at Helsingor in Denmark.

15-16/10/1942
Wellington III DF642 QT-J Operating against Cologne, hit by flak and crashlanded at Manston on return.  Ran into a parked Hudson and damaged beyond repair, but the crew were unhurt.
Wellington III X3960 QT-Q Operating against Cologne, ordered to orbit base at 2,000 feet on return, but flew into the ground near Ludborough, Lincs.  There were no survivors.

24-25/10/1942
Wellington III BK385 QT-N Failed to return from minelaying; lost without trace; the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. It isn't clear where the mines were to be dropped. A Wellington was claimed shot down by Hptm Horst Patuschka 10km W of Goeree Island at 03-10 hours. This may have been BK385, or BK306 of 115 Sqn, which is known to have crashed off the coast of Holland.

Wellington III X3455 QT-D Failed to return from Milan; crashed in the North Sea west of Schouwen island.  All of the crew are buried on the Dutch coast. There was one night fighter claim in this area, 10km NW of Schouwen Island, at 02.48 hours. Lt Rolf Bussmann of 4./NJG 2 claimed a Stirling, but the only four engine bombers lost came down in France and can be attributed to other claims, so this was probably X3455 on its way home from Milan. Pieter Schlebaum's account of the loss.

26/10/1942
Wellington III BK298 QT-L had landed at Manston on return from Torino, but hit a hangar, taking off to return to Waltham.  Only the pilot was injured.

07-08/11/1942
Wellington III BK198 QT-P Failed to return from minelaying off Texel; claimed at 00.41 hrs by Flak unit 3.Lei.Abt/845. The Wellington crashed 7 km W of Bergen aan Zee into the North Sea.  Two of the crew are buried in Bergen General Cemetery, while the others are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. 142 Squadron had sent 10 aircraft on this minelaying sortie. The route was base - 52.43N 05.18E - 52.47N 04.32E - base.

08-09/11/1942
Wellington III BJ768 QT-Q Failed to return from minelaying; this crew was shot down by flak from the airfield of Vannes-Meucon; BJ768 crashed at Lesranigo and there is a memorial to the crew in the village of Grand-Champ, 11 km NW of Vannes.

09-10/11/1942
Wellington III BJ711 QT-Z Failed to return from Hamburg; circumstances unknown, the crew is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf. The only twin engine bomber claimed by the night fighters was shot down over Holland, so BJ711 is likely to have been a victim of the flak.

13/11/1942
Wellington III BK280 QT-F Crashed on take-off, Davidstowe Moor, when a tyre burst.  No injuries.

16-17/11/1942
Wellington III BK278 QT-C Failed to return from minelaying; circumstances unknown.  The whole crew were taken POW.  The only night fighter claim was for a Stirling at Gortel, Holland at 20.09 hours, but as BK278 took off from Grimsby at 17.14, this must have been another aircraft. Sgts Peake and Wilkinson later reported being captured in Schleswig Holstein on 16 November, Sgt Rae at St Peters, Schleswig Holstein and American W/O Renkiewicz 10 miles from the Danish/ German border. The pilot of BK278, F/O John Stower, was one of the 50 men murdered by the Gestapo on Hitler's orders after they escaped from tunnel Harry at Stalag Luft III - The Great Escape.

20-21/11/1942
Wellington III BK536 QT-C Failed to return from Turin; abandoned due to engine failure 30km east of Paris; 4 of the crew were taken POW, 1 evaded. P/O Edwards was captured at Montmorency near Paris on 21 November and W/O Gregory was also captured in the Paris area on the same day. Sgt Greaves was on the run for eight weeks before being caught at St Jean de Luz and was imprisoned in France for 8 months before being sent to Germany. Sgt R G Smith escaped in the French cutter Yvonne from Carentec in Brittany on 5 Feb 1943.

18/12/1942
Wellington III DF708 A tyre burst on take off from Gibraltar during the squadron's transit to Tunisia; damaged beyond repair on landing at Blida.  There were no casualties.

18-19/01/1943
Wellington III DF732 QT-V Damaged and set on fire over Bizerte Bay by Ju88C of II./NJG 2's 5 Staffel, flown by Uffz. Tolksdorf.  The rear gunner, P/O G M Waldie RAAF returned fire and damaged the Ju88, before his turret was hit and disabled. The pilot gave the order to prepare to bale out and it is thought P/O Waldie mis-heard and baled out.  The remaining crew extinguished the fire and belly-landed the aircraft at Blida.  P/O Waldie was not found and is commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

22-23/02/1943
Wellington III DF691 QT-C took off at 02-30 and failed to return from Bizerte docks. The route was base - Cape Bengut - La Galita - Bizerte - La Galita - 373N 0500E - base.  Several crews saw an aircraft crash in the sea north of the target. Sgt A Jensen RAAF, Sgt R F Peterson RAAF, Sgt E Hill, F/Sgt A Jowers RAAF and Sgt F R Marples are all commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

09-10/04/1943
Wellington QT-C Failed to return from Enfedaville, Tunisia.  The target was troop concentrations, railway junctions and roads.  Sgt G A Sherwood, Sgt F Long, Sgt H H Williams, Sgt P W Sanderson and Sgt J W Smith are commemorated in Massicault cemetery, Tunisia. This Wellington was probably not HF795 as has been reported elsewhere, because this serial appears as QT-A on numerous sorties in June 1943. It was probably DF561, listed by Air Britain as lost 10/04/1943, albeit on the raid below.

10-11/04/1943
Wellington III HF800 QT-O Failed to return from Decimomannu airfield, Sardinia. Sgt M F Lay RAAF, Sgt J W Campbell RAAF, Sgt E A Raby, Sgt W J Larcombe RAAF and Sgt A J Burwell RCAF are all bured in Cagliari Cemetery, Sardinia. The squadron records only mention -O and the serial is confirmed by one of the Australian personnel records. This also gives the route for the night as base-Cape Bengut-3906N 0818E-target and return by the same route. At 21.03 F/O Allen's Wellington was at 38058N 08011E when he saw debris falling and then a large flash on the ground behind Cape Teulada, so this was probably Sgt Lay's aircraft. Another aircraft was seen to be hit over San Pietro Island. Air Britain shows Wellington DF561 missing on this raid, but this is thought to be incorrect (see above).

17-18/04/1943
Wellington III DF696 Failed to return from Tunis. The flight would have been approximately parallel to the coast of Algeria and Tunisia. The pilot was Sgt Laurie S Staight, who is commemorated on the Malta Memorial.  He had recently flown operations in 428 Squadron. The crew are not listed in the squadron records, but they were Sgt Staight's regular crew: Sgt J C R Cook and Sgt W N Underwood are listed on the Malta Memorial, while Sgt H R Henley and Sgt D A Underwood are buried in Bone War Cemetery at Annaba in Algeria.  The bodies of Sgt Henley and Sgt Underwood were recovered from the sea, but the others were not found.  All the squadron's aircraft were diverted to Maison Blanche, where Sgt Holmes crash-landed due to damaged hydraulics. On this night, a Wellington was claimed shot down in the Tunis area by Fw Liebscher of II/NJG 2.

29/04/1943
Wellington III HF702 Engine cut; crashed in forced landing near Blida. Not mentioned in the squadron Operations Record Book.

29-30/04/1943
Ten Wellingtons were detailed to attack El Aounina airfield and 5 had taken off from Blida when, at 00.30, Wellington X HZ102 crashed on take off. The wreck caught fire and exploded. Sgt Lock and his un-named WO/AG escaped with injuries, but the rest of the crew were killed (they are not named in the squadron Operations Record Book).

06-07/05/1943
Wellington III DF552 Failed to return from a sortie to Trapani docks. Sgt Venning and crew were missing, believed to have ditched. The Wellington had actually forcelanded on a beach in bad weather, near Cap Oum Achiche, Algeria. After two unsuccessful attempts to pick them up with a naval landing craft, they were taken to Phillippeville. The crew were Sgt Shearwood, Sgt Hargreaves, Sgt Jefferies, F/O Churchouse. They rejoined the squadron four days after coming down.

09-10/05/1943
Wellington III QT-X (possibly DF731 or HZ200, both listed as lost this night) Engine cut on return from Palermo; Sgt Smith and his crew abandoned the aircraft near Montcalm. The bomb aimer Sgt T Pratt and rear gunner F/Sgt T G Davis were both injured on landing.

15-16/05/1943
One Wellington failed to return from Trapani; P/O Dick M A Banton and his crew were reported missing. Their regular aircraft was QT-H, but the individual letters for the night are not listed and Wellington III DF697 and Wellington III DF709 are both listed as being lost on this raid.  Sgt Gruffydd James Evans, Sgt Arthur Edward Whitall and Sgt Cyril Ray were members of P/O Banton's regular crew and are all listed on the Malta Memorial for this night.  Bomb aimer P/O S Jackson normally flew with this crew, but it appears that F/Sgt Jean Paul Denis Leclerc RCAF had taken his place, as he is also listed on the Malta Memorial.

20-21/06/1943
Wellington X HZ311 QT-F failed to return from railway marshalling yards at Naples. Sgt Pleydell ran out of fuel on the return trip and ditched off Cap Bone/ 6 miles NE Ras Mustapha. The crew was spotted in their dinghy by 142 Squadron the following day and were duly rescued by an Air Sea Rescue squadron. Further details on Aircrew Remembered website.

30/06/43
Wellington X HZ528 hit a van on take-off at night at Kairouan West. This occurred as the squadron was taking off to attack Cagliari. F/O Kirley ran off the runway and crashed.  This aircraft doesn't appear any earlier in the squadron records, so may have been a new arrival.

04-05/07/1943
Wellington X HZ474 QT-R was equipped to carry the 4000lb Cookie and was almost certainly carrying one when it failed to return from Catania, after reporting engine trouble an hour after take off. It crashed into the sea, 4 miles off Augusta, Sicily. This is close to Catania, so the crew probably resumed their sortie after solving the engine problem and may have been brought down by enemy action. There were no night fighter claims. The aircraft sank immediately and the navigator, P/O I I Samuels, was able to swim to the surface and was captured by the Italians at Augusta, ending up at Stalag Luft III, but the other 4 members of the crew were lost. The pilot, Squadron Leader A P Craigie DFC, belonged to the Malayan Volunteers Group in 1939.  Sgt James Croxall, the bomb aimer is commemorated on the Banstead War Memorial. The wireless operator/ air gunner was Sgt H Cox and the air gunner was Sgt George Stuart Brodie.  The story of the last sortie is told here. The squadron ORB incorrectly lists this aircraft as DF629 -O.

06-07/07/1943
Wellington X HE760 QT-N (serial confirmed in RCAF personnel file) Failed to return from Palermo. Sgt B D Cox, Sgt J E Potts, Sgt M H Galt, Sgt C H Pratt RCAF and Sgt T Armstrong were all missing and are listed on the Malta Memorial. Bernard Cox had trained at 36 SFTS in Canada. The squadron ORB lists this aircraft as HE333, but this serial appears in Sgt W Wallace's log book and also the ORB later in the month, so Wellington X HE760 listed by Air Britain as lost on this date appears to be the aircraft actually lost.  The ORB shows "HE670" (sic) as -N in June, so this is likely to have been a mix up over the two -Ns at the time (see also 13-14 July). The route was base - B.F. corridor 37.00N 11.25E Libeccia - Cape San Vito - Cape Gallio - target - return by same route. Post-war enquiries found records that the body of one of the crew had been found on the shore of Favignana island, off the west coast of Sicily on 9/7/1943 and was buried on the island.

13-14/07/1943
Wellington X HE629 QT-C crash landed near Cape Bon on return from Messina. F/Sgt A E Jones, Sgt H Woodhams, Sgt F C Horspool, Sgt N Williams and Sgt J Lewis are believed to have been unhurt. The damage to the aircraft must have been light, as it was soon returned to service.

Wellington QT-N failed to return from Messina and was believed shot down in the target area. P/O I D C Evans, P/O A P Reed RAAF, P/O S C Sykes, P/O N Avery, P/O L H Burn and P/O D B Surette RCAF were all missing and are listed on the Malta Memorial. P/O Reed had only just joined the squadron and was flying as second pilot.  His Australian personnel record lists the aircraft as Wellington HE580, which Air Britain records flying with 142 and 150 Squadrons before transferring to an OTU. P/O Surette's personnel file lists the aircraft as HE850, which flew with 150 Sqn, surviving until June 1944. It is more likely to have been HE333, known to have been -N at the time, which no longer appears in the ORB after this date (see also 6-7 July).

16-17/07/1943
Wellington X HE600 QT-Q Failed to return from Naples. The Wellington was shot down and crashed in Fossitelli street in the eastern part of Naples. The aircraft is listed as HF699 in the squadron Operations Record Book. It was not possible for the Italian authorities to identify the crew, who were buried in Poggio Reale cemetery, Naples. Sgt R J Hutchings, Sgt J S Tubb, Sgt A Hillam, Sgt N E Philbrick and Sgt C Willson are all listed on the Malta Memorial.

22-23/07/1943
Wellington X HZ353 QT-U Took off 23.28 to attack Capodichino (Naples), Italy and failed to return. Aircraft crashed approx. 03.00 at Pomigliano d'Arco, 7m NE of Naples, presumably as a result of enemy action.  F/Sgt R T Bilsby RAAF, F/Sgt B Buckley RCAF, Sgt J Scott RAFVR, F/Sgt T P Laird RAAF and F/Sgt L G Potts RAAF area all buried in the Cassino War Cemetery.

05-06/08/1943
Wellington X HE629 QT-C Failed to return from sortie to Cap Peloro beaches near Messina. F/Sgt A C Wiltshire RAAF, Sgt R R Elsdon-Howard, Sgt O W St.C Alleyne, Sgt M T Perkins, F/Sgt R L Eaton RAAF were all missing and are listed on the Malta Memorial.

06-07/08/1943
Wellington X HF763 QT-T Failed to return from Messina beaches. S/Ldr A E Thompson (OC 'A' flight), F/O P J Playfair, Sgt W K Elderson, F/Sgt W W Marsh, F/Sgt P F O'Loghlen RAAF were all missing and are listed on the Malta Memorial.

08-09/08/1943
Wellington X HE586 QT-X Ran out of fuel returning from a sortie to Cap Peloro beaches and was abandoned 15m S of Cap Serrat near Bizerta. F/Sgt K J Turley, Sgt E W Lawrence, Sgt R J Pollard, P/O K J Strong and Sgt J E Wood were all unhurt.

11-12/08/1943
Wellington X HE437 QT-R Took off at 22-48 and attacked Messina beaches. The starboard engine and fuel tanks were hit by flak and the aircraft ditched at 03-20 hours, off Cape Bon. The crew was F/Sgt E B Caton, Sgt G W Jones, Sgt I J Phipps, Sgt K E Payne and Sgt M W Biles-Barford. They spent 4 days and nights in a dinghy before being rescued and re-joined the squadron on 19/08/1943.

16-17/08/1943
Wellington X HE266 QT-A Failed to return from Viterbo landing ground - believed to have exploded over the sea. W/Cdr A R Gibbes RAAF, Sgt W A Ewart, Sgt N J Meen, WO1 N G Shultz RCAF and Sgt J C Pratt are listed on the Malta Memorial and have a page on Aircrew Remembered.  Pilot was W/Cdr Gibbes.  Another page on W/Cdr Gibbes. The route was base - Kelibia corridor - Marittimo - 4200N 1157E - Lake Bracciano - target - Marittimo - Kelibia corridor - base.

29-30/08/1943
Wellington X HE951 QT-N Failed to return from Torre Annunziata. F/Sgt J M Prentice, Sgt G R Thomas, Sgt J M Shand, F/O D H McLauchlan and Sgt W S Backway were not found and are commemorated on the Malta Memorial. Although HE951 had been flying with 142 Squadron previously (in June 1943 for example), Air Britain lists it belonging to 150 Squadron at the time of its loss. It isn't yet clear which squadron it belonged to, although the crew were from 142 Squadron and 142/ 150 often "lent" aircraft to one another.

09-10/09/1943
Wellington III DF551 -E Failed to return from a raid on Grossetto marshalling yards, after taking off at 18-00 hours. The starboard engine failed half way to the target. The bombs were jettisoned but the pilot was unable to feather the failed engine and was forced to ditch at 23-00 hours, at 38.22N 11.10E. F/Sgt A Kilburn, F/O H W G Burton, F/Sgt W Pipe, Sgt W E Nesbitt and Sgt J Quirie were picked up by a hospital ship after 24 hours in the dinghy. The squadron Operations Record Book gives the serial HE557, which is incorrect. F/Sgt Pipe's log book confirms it was actually DF551 -E, which was the crew's regular aircraft that they had ferried out from Moreton-in-Marsh.  Air Britain notes DF551 as ditching 80 miles north of Bizerte on 09/09/43, 'on a ferry flight'. The crew got back to the squadron on the 13th, F/Sgt Pipe at least being flown back from Bone by Sgt Wallini in Wellington -K, but F/Sgt Kilburn had sustained head injuries and left for treatment the following day. His crew was then 'awaiting disposal', having been declared operationally tired.

23-24/09/1943
Wellington X HE972 -N had an engine failure on its way out to drop flares for an attack on marshalling yards at Pisa. It flew on for 20 minutes, but was forced to ditch just north of Cape Bon, at 19-45 hours. The crew, F/Sgt K Flitcroft, F/Sgt W J Moore, Sgt B Duncan, F/Sgt G Lumby and Sgt B Bowell, was picked up by a tank landing craft and landed at Syracuse in Sicily. They returned to the unit on the 27th.

12-13/10/1943
Wellington -Q had its port engine cut on its way to attack a railway bridge at Civitavecchia and brought its bombs back to Kairouan, where it crashed on landing. There were no injuries to the crew. This was probably Wellington X HE216, which was written off after its 'undercarriage collapsed on landing at Kairouan' on this date, although the squadron records note -Q as a Mk III.

20-21/10/1943
Wellington X LN350 -Q Failed to return from an attack on Furbara airfield. During the attack, an aircraft was seen to explode and go down in flames. Air to air firing had been seen earlier and one crew reported seeing a Bf 109 in the area. F/Sgt S M Close RAAF, F/O S Potts, W/O J J Cramer RAAF, F/Sgt R C Williams RAAF and Sgt P L Smith are all buried in Rome War Cemetery.

12/11/1943
During the afternoon F/Sgt Jones' Wellington swung on take off at Kairoun and ran into a line of parked aircraft, wrecking itself and damaging another Wellington of 142 Sqn and one of 150 Sqn. The crew were not seriously hurt.  The aircraft has not yet been identified.

24-25/11/1943
An attack on the Fiat ball bearing factory at Turin went disastrously wrong, due to terrible weather over northern Italy. 205 Group lost 19 aircraft and the enemy didn't even know which city had been the target. 142 Squadron lost 5 aircraft: its worst losses of the whole war (equalled by the Kassel raid on 17-28 August 1942). Only two of the 14 aircraft sent out by 142 Squadron managed to reach Turin, but were unable to identify it through 10/10 cloud cover.

Wellington X HZ305 -M Failed to return from Turin. The crew could not locate the target, so bombed the coastal road to Genoa. On the way back an engine cut. An SOS was sent before the Wellington ditched near Bastia/ Borgo, Corsica. F/Sgt S Bryant RAAF, Sgt J Armstrong, Sgt J Sadler RAAF, Sgt A Hehir RAAF and Sgt J Champagne RCAF were all picked up safe. They returned to the squadron on 2nd December.

Wellington X HE929 -V Failed to return from Turin. Sgt S J Ouellette RCAF, F/O C M Mair RCAF, Sgt G P Armstrong RCAF, Sgt G Bowering and Sgt G U Topp were all originally buried in Adelano cemetery and are now buried in Florence War Cemetery. In 2014, aviation archaeologists re-discovered fragments of this aircraft at Fornovolasco/Vergemoli, near Lucca in Tuscany.

Wellington III HF694 -F Failed to return from Turin. Crashed at Polverara north of La Spezia.  The crew were buried locally and later re-interred in the Staglieno Cemetery, Genova. Sgt R H Betts, Sgt P Hurnell, Sgt S F Smith, Sgt C T Bowman and Sgt S A Barton were all killed. Site dedicated to Sgt Stephen Fraser Smith.

Wellington X LN466 -P Failed to return from Turin. Crashed into a mountain near Issime in the Lys Valley, Italian Alps.  F/Sgt J P Wade RAAF, F/Sgt A C Glenwright RAAF, F/Sgt J F Knapp RAAF, Sgt K R Carter and Sgt L E Lawrence are buried in Milan.

Wellington X LN566 -D Failed to return from Turin. F/Sgt R C Tyas RAAF, Sgt F E Summers, Sgt W R Knight, Sgt H A Clark, Sgt J A LeBoldus RCAF, Sgt A D J Smith RAAF (flying as second pilot) are all buried in Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa.

30/11/1943
Wellington III DF695 Caught fire on ground, Oudna. No casualties.

01-02/12/1943
Wellington X JA137 -N Failed to return from from a leaflet drop over the battle area. The Wellington was returning early with engine trouble when it is believed to have collided with Beaufighter V8843, over the sea NNE of Bizerte, at position 37.20N 10.20E. Lights were seen on the sea from a second Beaufighter. F/Sgt G W Jones, F/Sgt K E Payne, F/Sgt I J Phipps and Sgt M W Biles-Barford were all missing and are commemorated on the Malta Memorial. Their pilot, F/Sgt E B Caton, is buried in Catania War Cemetery, Sicily.

08/02/1944
A 150 Squadron aircraft brought a 500lb bomb back to Cerignola no. 3 landing ground from a raid. This had a 6 hour fuse and had evidently been armed. It eventually went off at 15-30 hours, destroying the aircraft.  142 Squadron's Operations Record Book notes 'no other damage', but Wellington III DF703 was 'damaged beyond repair in accident' on this date, so may have been a victim of the blast. There were no casualties.

24-25/02/1944
The night's target was the Daimer-Puch factory at Steyr, Austria. The route was base - Start Point - Bravigne East - end of Lake Grade - Lake Millstatter - Lake Traum - target and return by the same route.

Wellington X HE584 was abandoned over Corsica, returning from Steyr. F/Sgt C Charman RAAF, Sgt M Scott, Sgt A Rooke, F/Sgt R Gallagher and Sgt W Wickens were all unhurt.
Wellington X HE815 Crashed 6 miles north of Avino, Italy, returning from Steyr. F/Sgt P V Bashford RAAF, F/Sgt F J Everett and F/Sgt P Kennedy RAAF were killed (all buried in Bari War Cemetery). F/Sgt G Coldridge and Sgt W Borton were hospitalised.
Wellington X HF537 Crashed at Castel Nuovo, Italy, returning from Steyr. F/O N H Koetsveld RAAF and Sgt R Foster were injured, but F/O V T Rutter RAAF, Sgt G D V Howard RAAF and Sgt F C Churcher were killed.  F/O Koetsveld died of his injuries on 4 March 1944. All the fatalities were buried in Bari War Cemetery.

15-16/03/1944
Wellington III HF764 Hit hills 20m W of Foggia returning from Sofia. F/Sgt R O'Malley and Sgt W H S Tite were only slightly injured, but F/Sgt J W S Fisher RAAF, F/Sgt C R C Hoddinott and Sgt J B Morton were killed and are buried in Bari War Cemetery. This aircraft also seems to appear in the records for 40 Squadron.
Wellington X LP119 The crew baled out at 06-30 near Taranto on return from Sofia: Lt J F Van de Westhuizen, F/O W Jones, Sgt J Gough, Sgt P O'Donnell and Sgt F J McCambridge.

16-17/04/1944
Wellington X HZ135 Crashlanded at Amendola on return from Budapest. F/O K Jones, Sgt J Maydew, Sgt M Harris, Sgt G D'Assonville and F/Sgt J O'Farrell were all unhurt, but unfortunately five USAAF airmen were killed in their tent.

Wellington X JA127 -H Failed to return from Budapest. The aircraft was shot down over Gyal, Hungary. F/Sgt K J Turley, F/Sgt D F Stunt (2nd pilot), F/Sgt J S Boden RAAF, F/Sgt C R Hitchcock, W/O F E James RAAF and F/Sgt J E Wood were all killed. They were buried in Gyal cemetery and later moved to the Commonwealth War grave cemetery, Budapest.

Wellington X LN503 -F Failed to return from Budapest. 6./NJG101 claimed one bomber near Dalj, Yugosalvia (now Croatia) and a wounded crew-member was taken to Osijek hospital. (Foreman Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims says Oblt Hans Krause of 6./NJG101 claimed a Wellington north of Breca at 23-58 hours.) F/Lt E W Wiseman, F/O G Fisher RNZAF, Sgt R W Burgess and W/O H H Wright are all buried in Belgrade War Cemetery. F/O F Montague RCAF was taken POW but was unsure where in Yugoslavia he was captured.

21-22/04/1944
The docks at Genoa were to be disrupted throughout the night, by sending waves of bombers. The weather was poor, so the last wave didn't take off and the first was recalled, but some crews attacked and returned to find the cloud base down to 1,000 feet over base.

Wellington X LN848 Failed to return from Genoa. This aircraft was probably -F and does not appear earlier in the records, probably because it was a new replacement for LN503 -F, lost the previous night. It was last heard from at 02-18 hours. The crew of -F was P/O W A McKinley RCAF, F/Sgt J Spencer, Sgt J Bissey, Sgt J F Parker and Sgt J P Chapman. All the airmen seem to have survived and McKinley, Parker and Chapman were taken POW: P/O McKinley at Cassino and Sgt Chapman at Mount Olivia. On 30 May, the squadron learnt that F/Sgt Spencer had come down in enemy territory but had escaped through the battle lines. It isn't clear whether Sgt Bissey also evaded capture.

Wellington X ME873 -Z arrived back at base from Genoa at 03-00, but the crew could not break cloud, so baled out. F/Lt J Anderson RAAF, F/O G Millard, F/Sgt H Jones, F/Sgt A Hart and F/Sgt J Dolman came down at Gor Barletta, leaving the Wellington to crash near Tortorella airfield. All were unhurt.

Wellington X -O was last in contact at 01-25 and on return from Genoa the crew baled out in the Spinazola area. Lt E Cathrine, Lt L Stone, Sgt J Graham, Sgt H Bailey and Sgt R Asplin were all unhurt, although it was some time before Sgt Asplin was found.  The identity of -O isn't clear, but it may have been JA530, which was struck off charge on 12 May.

28-29/04/1944
Wellington X LP113 -U was attacked by a Ju88 night fighter on its way to San Stefano port. The rear gunner, Sgt W Wickens, was injured and the aircraft was badly damaged. The crew abandoned the operation and the pilot had to crash-land at base because the undercarriage failed. F/Sgt C Charman RAAF, F/Sgt R Dean, F/Sgt M Scott, F/Sgt A Rocke and F/Sgt R Gallagher RAAF were unhurt, but Sgt Wickens was admitted to hospital. The aircraft is noted as "lost 30/04/1944" so presumably was written off due to this incident.

05/05/1944
During a training exercise to practice dropping mines at low level, a Wellington hit a cable stretched between two islands and crashed in the sea. The pilot, Lt E Cathrine, and his crew were unhurt, except for Sgt R H Asplin, who went down with the aircraft. He is buried in Bari War Cemetery. The serial of this Wellington has not been traced.

07-08/05/1944
Wellington X MF198 -D Failed to return from Bucharest. At 00-50 hours, a small amount of flak was seen near Caracal and an aircraft flying at 11,000 feet was seen to be hit and fall in flames. MF198 crashed at Farcasele in Romania, 8km NE of Caracel. Hptm Ulrich Meien.von of 2./NJG 100 claimed a Wellington shot down SE of Craiova at 00.46 hours and this could have been MF198, as no other aircraft crashed in this area during the night. F/Sgt C Wray, F/Sgt O G Griffiths, Sgt R Padgett, Sgt C P Whalley and F/Sgt P A Scott were all killed.  According to Macdonald 'Through Darkness to Light', all were buried at Tâncăbești but they are now buried in Bucharest War Cemetery.

29-30/05/1944
Wellington X LN318 -X Failed to return from Feuersbrunn airfield. It crashed near Hofstetten, 7 km SW of Sankt-Polten, Austria and all of the crew became Prisoners of War. The Wellington was claimed shot down at Sankt-Polten, at 00.55 hours, by Ofw Ludwig of 6./NJG 101 and F/O Keen later confirmed this. The crew was F/O H Keen RAAF, F/O W Todd RAAF, Sgt J Gallagher, Sgt W Yeo and Sgt B Halligan RAAF. Further information can be found on the Lost Aircraft and RAF Commands websites.

09-10/06/1944
Wellington X LP125 -F was unable to maintain height en route to Trieste and ditched 20 miles north of Biferno. F/Sgt T Slade, Sgt R Taylor, Sgt C Best, F/Sgt R Briscoe and Sgt J Barber were picked up by an air-sea rescue Walrus.

13-14/06/1944
Wellington X LN700 -R Failed to return from Munich. It is understood that the Wellington was attacked by a Ju 88 night fighter and that the crew baled out, before the aircraft crashed near Lenggries, 50 km S of München. The pilot, F/Sgt R A Budgett, was the last to bale out and was killed when his parachute failed to deploy in time. The rest of the crew, Sgt R E Bramble, Sgt S N Smith, Sgt K Shillito and Sgt A A Sales, were all taken prisoner of war. Sgt Sales and Sgt Smith were captured at Lenggries. After the war, on the assumption that the pilot's unidentified remains were of an American airman, the grave was moved to the US cemetery at St. Avoid in France. Later he was identified and F/Sgt Budgett was reinterred in the Choloy War Cemetery, 28 km W of Nancy, France.

25-26/06/1944
Wellington X LN748 -E Failed to return from Budapest. The target was the distillation plant of the Shell Koolag oil refinery. The Wellington was claimed shot down by Wilhelm Johnen, Staffelkapitan of 8./NJG 6. Johnen's photographs. The Wellington crashed in south eastern Hungary at 00-20 hours (local time). F/Sgt J W Scholefield, F/Sgt J Thompson, Sgt G R McKnight and Sgt D Nelson are all buried in Budapest, Hungary. The sole survivor was the rear gunner, Sgt J Robertson RCAF R161677, who was taken prisoner in the Budapest area. This aircraft had forcelanded 1/4 mile off the runway at Foggia on return from Sofia on 15-16 March when both engines had cut out in the circuit.

13-14/07/1944
Wellington X HE293 -D Failed to return from Milan/ Lambrate marshalling yards. The aircraft crashed in the Pass of Portuls, north west of Bergamo. Sgt K Fairclough, F/Sgt E Dawson RCAF, Sgt G E Smith RCAF, F/Sgt E Berwick and Sgt W Kirkland were all killed and were buried by local partisans.  They now rest in the Milan War Cemetery.

Wellington X MF120 -Q Took off at 19:49 and failed to return from Milan/ Lambrate marshalling yards. The route was base - Ancona - Po di Garc - target - 45N-10E-44 - 35N-1216E - Ancona - base. This aircraft collided with Wellington LN806 -S of 70 Squadron over Pizzighettone and crashed near PIZZIGHETTONE (Po river valley). F/Lt S Garland RCAF, F/Sgt B Cashin, F/O S Ware, F/Sgt D Purdue RAAF and F/Sgt D Taylor were all killed. They were initially buried in the local cemetery and now rest in Milan War Cemetery.  LN806 crashed nearby, at San Bassano Cremonese. Two of its crew were killed, but the remaining 3 were taken prisoner of war.

21-22/07/1944
Wellington X LN808 -B Failed to return from the Fonto Oil Refineries at Pardubice in Czechoslovakia. Disappeared en-route to the target, possibly near St. Pölten. Possibly a victim of Oblt. Josef Kraft of III/NJG 6. P/O E H H Galloway, Sgt H K L'Estrange, Sgt T Donelan, Sgt F E Dalby, Sgt S E Wiltshire were never found and are all listed on the Malta Memorial.

07-08/08/1944
Wellington X LP233 -U Failed to return from an attack on Szombathely airfield. It crashed at Koszeg, 15km north of Szombathely, on the Austrian/ Hungary border. Believed to have been shot down by Oblt. Rudolf Thun of III/NJG 6 (his 4th of 7 eventual victories). In spite of Thun claiming to have aimed for the port engine with the Bf110's "Schräge Musik" upward-firing cannon, to allow the crew to escape, there were no survivors. The five members of the crew were originally buried in the Catholic cemetery of Koszeg and re-interred at Budapest CWGC after the war. Thun's account includes this incident - see Mid-'44 in Hungary... The crew was Captain J F Van Der Westhuizen (SAAF), F/O J N Sincock, Sgt J J Gough, Sgt P M O'Donnell and Sgt F J A McCambridge.

09-10/08/1944
The squadron attacked the Romana Americana oil refinery in Ploesti, Romania and lost 3 aircraft. The route was base - Lake Snagon - target - 4502N 2601½E - 4350N 2252E - base.

Wellington X LN972 -W Failed to return from Ploesti. The Wellington was shot down by a night fighter in a frontal attack at 00-28 hours near Lom on the Danube. Lt E Cathrine SAAF, F/Sgt W McDonald (2nd pilot), Lt L Stone SAAF, Sgt J Graham, F/Sgt J Taylor, Sgt R McKay all managed to bale out and were taken POW. There is an account of the incident in Macdonald 'Through Darkness to Light'. Their captivity was brief and the squadron heard that they were back in Allied hands on 18 September.

Wellington X LN857 (serial confirmed from RCAF personnel records). The crew was F/Sgt R Marsh RCAF, Sgt W Chambers, F/Sgt J Watts, Sgt F Bullard and Sgt M Watts. The Wellington crashed and exploded at Orac near Snagov, 25km north of Bucharest and there were no survivors. According to Macdonald 'Through Darkness to Light', all were buried at Tâncăbești but they are now buried in Bucharest War Cemetery. Sgt Marsh' personnel file names the crash site as Tamasi and says the crew were originally buried in Ostratur cemetery. The squadron Operations Record Book lists this aircraft as MF631 -C, which is incorrect (see below) and LP540 is also listed as failed to return from Ploesti while flying with 142 Squadron on this night, which is probably also incorrect.

Wellington X LP189 -M (serial and letter from RCAF personnel records) Failed to return from Ploesti. Post-war records say the Wellington caught fire and exploded in the air over Dolno - Linevo and crashed at Turnuseverin, Romania.  The crew were buried near the scene of the crash and were later moved to Sofia War Cemetery: F/Sgt C G Hill RAAF, F/Sgt P Shepherd, F/Sgt R Thurlow RAAF, F/Sgt W Grisedale and Sgt G Pond. This may have been the aircraft that Lt Cathrine saw blow up, almost over the Danube. The aircraft is listed as LP548 -H in the squadron Operations Record Book, but this aircraft seems to have survived the war and Sgt Pond and F/Sgt Thurlow's personnel files state that the Wellington was LP189.

20-21/08/1944
Wellington X LP213 -R (?) Had a tyre burst on take off from Regina, causing it to crash. The pilot, F/O A Buhr RCAF received injuries to his leg. P/O C Brookes, Sgt E Press, Sgt G Smith and Sgt H Lynch were unhurt.

Wellington X LP245 -R Failed to return from St. Valentin. Lt K A Kelly SAAF, Lt P J Mockford SAAF, Sgt H M Atherton, F/Sgt W R Clifton and F/Sgt R E Steed are all buried in Klagenfurt War Cemetery, Austria. Four Wellingtons were claimed shot down by NJG 6 and NJG 101, including two in the Steyr area, so LP245 may have been shot down by a night fighter.

02-03/09/1944
Wellington X MF631 -C Failed to return from Ferrara marshalling yards. Sgt D S Farley, Sgt J F Cleary, Sgt J Scaife, Sgt J G C Whitworth and P/O H Lyndon-Adams were not found and are commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

17-18/09/1944 (all aircraft down before midnight)
Wellington X MF249 -P Failed to return from Brescia. It was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed at Libiole on the bank of the River Po in the district of Serravalle Po. Lost aircraft website reference. F/O D F Richer, Sgt F Harrison, F/Sgt N A Good RNZAF, Sgt N F Nash and Sgt W H Harper were all killed. F/O Richer and Sgt Harper are buried in Padua War Cemetery, but the others have no known grave and are commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

14/12/1944
Wellington X MF423 Overshot landing at Araxos; abandoned & captured by communist guerrillas. By this time, 142 Squadron had disbanded in Italy.

If you further information or photographs relevant to the squadron or any of these losses, or a relative was in 142 Squadron, please contact us.