Date:	Saturday 27 March 1943
Time:	21:38
Type:	Short Stirling Mk I
Owner/operator:	7 Sqn RAF
Registration:	BF317
MSN:	MG-X
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Melchiorshausen, Weyhe, Niedersachsen -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	Berlin

Narrative:
Took off from RAF Oakington at 19:40.
Hit by 3/schw Flak Abt 163, 2&4/schw Flak Abt 231, 4/schw Flak Abt 611 and 2&3/schw. Crashed at Melchiorshausen near Bremen at 21:38.
The Bomber shatters into pieces. Some parts come down to a near standing house. It was badly damaged. The Crash site were examined 2016 by the German crash site historian Volker Urbansky.
The crew were initially buried in Russian Cemetery Vechta. Reinterred 8 October 1947. (CWGC)

Crew:-
Pilot: NZ/413096 Fg Off Martin Lord RNZAF - Sage War Cemetery Plot 14 Row B Grave 6.
Flight Engineer: 979904 Sgt Leonard Nash - Sage War Cemetery Plot 14 Row B Collective Grave 1-5.
Navigator: NZ/405459 Flt Sgt Daniel Wellington RNZAF - Sage War Cemetery Plot 10 Row C Grave 12.
Bomb Aimer: 131998 Plt Off Thomas Henry Brown - Sage War Cemetery Plot 10 Row D Grave 2 (NCO:1534032 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 02 February, 1943)
Wireless Operator: 1265860 Sgt Norman Young - Sage War Cemetery Plot 14 Row B Collective Grave 1-5.
Mid Upper Gunner: 1303883 Sgt Robert McKerrell - Sage War Cemetery Plot 10 Row C Grave 11.
Rear Gunner: 1312946 Sgt Jack Russell Oliver - Sage War Cemetery Plot 10 Row C Grave 10.

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 Part One
Air Britain: RAF Aircraft BA100 - BZ999, published 2006
v.urbansky@t-online.de
Crew: http://www.156squadron.com/display_newpff_roll.asp?ID=7
CWGC
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Aug-2011 12:21	Uli Elch	Added
22-Mar-2016 17:39	Anon.	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
26-Mar-2018 17:12	TigerTimon	Updated [Date, Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
26-Mar-2018 17:13	TigerTimon	Updated [Narrative, ]
26-Mar-2018 18:12	TigerTimon	Updated [Location, ]
03-Nov-2018 14:32	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator, ]
17-May-2021 10:09	TigerTimon	Updated [Location, Source, ]
27-Mar-2024 08:54	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
22-Sep-2025 20:33	Anon.	Updated [Cn, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
24-Oct-2025 08:04	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]