This is the second page of the lost aircraft report we received from Mike.
Wayne

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Lost Aircraft Report - page 2

5. Before they could reach cloud a second attack developed. The Mid Upper Gunner had by this time left his turret and the Rear Gunner was engaged in getting his parachute from the fuselage at the time, and so neither saw anything of the attack, but it probably came from the same direction as the previous attack. The Wireless Operator again saw tracer entering the port wing and one or two bullets entered the cockpit, but without causing any serious damage. The port outer engine cut and stopped just as the second attack developed, but whether this due to hits sustained in the first or second attack is not certain. The pilot had again dived to port when attacked but the port wing now began to drop and even after he had put on full rudder and trimmed the aircraft to fly on starboard engines she seemed to very heavy and the rudder may have been damaged. One starboard engine was racing so he throttled right back while he got the Lancaster on to an even keel and then advanced the throttle slowly. As the fire in the wing showed no signs of diminishing Ft./Lt. Campbell now gave the order to abandon air-craft. As the crew came forward to bale out each one seemed to knock against the elevator trimming wheel as they passed him and this added considerably to his difficulties in keeping the Lancaster level.
6. The Air Bomber opened the hatch and stowed the cover in the nose. He then baled out from 7,500 ft. After he had gone the hatch cover fell back and jammed in the hatch but the Flight Engineer managed to manoeuvre it so as to leave room to get through although he could not remove it altogether. The 2nd Pilot is thought to have been wounded, but acted normally until about to jump when he apparently lost his head and moved back in to the aircraft. His parachute opened and caught on the bombsight, etc. but the Ft./Engineer disentangled his ‘chute, gathered it up together with the 2nd pilot and managed to assist him through the hatch. Meanwhile the Ft./Engineer’s parachute had come open and he sat on the edge of the hatch and slid out clutching the parachute under his arm. Meanwhile the Mid Upper Gunner had left from the rear door by bending down and rolling forward and the Rear Gunner from his turret which he rotated to port and went out backwards on the starboard side. Flames appeared to be coming all down the port side of the Lancaster and past the tail.

7. When all his crew had gone the Pilot, who was wearing a Pilot type parachute and K type dinghy, left his sear. The parachute straps twice got entangled in the throttle controls and it took him several seconds to get free. When he reached the hatch the cover had again got jammed and he had to manoeuvre it to make an aperture large enough for him to pass through. He then began to wriggle out head first. As he did so his parachute harness was pulled off his shoulders and down from his waist but became entangled round his knees and legs. He eventually found himself falling free head first and could see the rip cord on the pack about two feet from his body. He managed fairly easily to bend his knees and then climbed up his own body hand over hand until he could reach and pull the ripcord. When the parachute opened his body was jerked out straight and his neck ricked violently. He found himself suspended upside down by the legs and in this attitude made his descent. It was now much more difficult to bend his body, but when he saw a cottage roof below he managed to raise himself just enough to prevent his head striking the ground first and so landed on his shoulders in a field without serious injury.

8. The other informants all made comfortable landings in fields about 10 miles S.E. of Chateaudun; The Mid Upper Gunner and Flt. Engineer landed very close together in the same field. The Lancaster was seen to crash and explode, the pieces covering a wide area. The 2nd Pilot is said to have died next morning, and to have been buried at St. Cloud (presumably St. Cloud en Dunois)

21844/4
14844/5
18844/6
19844/5
BC/S.30270/ORS
26th August, 1944