Lancaster at East Moor.

On 2nd of January 1944 the crew of this aircraft bombed Berlin successfully but on their return and over Southampton area they were fired upon by 'friendly' A.A. and suffered minor damage. The aircraft landed safely at East Moor and Cat. A(c)/FB damage was recorded.

The aircraft was built to Contract ACFT/239 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and delivered to MU store in October 1943 but quickly was issued to 432 Sqdn at East Moor in November 1943. It suffered Cat. A(c)/FB damage in the incident detailed above and was repaired on site with repair completed by 5th January 1944. It was transferred to 426 Sqdn at Linton on Ouse on 9th February 1944 when 432 Sqdn started to convert to Halifaxes. With 426 Sqdn, coded OW-Q, on 31st March 1944 it failed to return from Op's to Nurnberg. It was later found to have been shotdown by a night-fighter and crashed near Brotterode with two being killed and five made PoW..

Pilot - F/Lt Clayton Keith Barrett RCAF (J/5036). Of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

FEng - Sgt George Ernest Coe RAFVR (1126098). Of Handbridge, Chester.

Nav - F/O Douglas George Bentley RCAF (J/22576). Of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

AB - P/O G Goom.

WOp/AG - F/Sgt E Logan.

AG - F/Sgt Alexander Hamilton RCAF (J/19965). Of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.

AG - Sgt William Muir Shaw RAFVR (171598), of Cathcart, Glasgow.

This was DS852's 3rd Op. and F/Lt Barrett's 4th Op. (one being on Wellingtons and three on Lancasters). Lancaster DS852 went on to complete a total of 7 Op's with 432 Sqdn before transfer to 426 Sqdn.

F/Lt Barrett and crew returned to 432 Sqdn after their conversion course at 1679 HCFlt was completed on 4th October 943. The newly promoted S/Ldr Barrett was lost with his crew of seven when Halifax NA500 failed to return from Op's to Boulogne on 12th May 1944. S/Ldr Barrett has no known grave. F/Sgt Coe, F/O Bentley & P/O Hamilton are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery at Calais. P/O Shaw is buried in Marquise Communal Cemetery between Boulogne and Calais. This Op was Barrett's third Halifax Op when he was lost. Prior to enlisting he attended McGill University where he studied Science between 1936-37.