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| Date: | Thursday 21 January 1943 |
| Time: | evening |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 427 (Lion) Sqn RCAF |
| Registration: | X3873 |
| MSN: | ZL-R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing |
| Location: | North Sea probably off Friesland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Croft, Yorkshire |
Possibly shot down by night fighter pilot Major Helmut Lent of the Stab IV./NJG 1, flying Bf 110 G-4 'G9+AF' from Leeuwarden airfield. The aircraft was on a Gardening (mine-laying) operation off the Frisian island chain.
Takeoff time: 17:02
Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Lieutenant Derrick Alan Shead RAF 41480 (Commission Gazetted Tuesday 10 October, 1939) [Killed]
Pilot Officer Gordon Ray Hoyt RCAF J/51021 [Killed]
Sergeant William John Oram RAFVR 1380977 [Killed]
Pilot Officer Michael Patrick RCAF J/18374 [Killed]
Sergeant John Lewis Sparling RCAF R/129739 [Killed]
All are remembered at the Runnymede Memorial, United Kingdom (51.437693 / -0.564745)
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part one
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=X3873
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Aug-2018 06:59 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 11-Oct-2018 19:35 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 22-Jun-2022 14:57 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 20-Jan-2025 08:08 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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