Some of the squadron's most experienced airmen made up the crew on this sortie. The Pilot of
Halifax LW240, F/L Quaile was the Deputy Commander of "B" Flight, the
rear gunner F/L Kenyon was the Squadron Gunnery Leader and the Mid-Upper Gunner was the "B" Flight Gunnery Leader.
This was also the first time so many of one crew evaded capture. Although three of the crew were captured in a
few days, the five others evaded capture.
Four of which were able to return to
Britain in late 1943 or early 1944. F/L Kenyon, one of the evaders
was eventually captured after ten days.
While Sgt. Leonard Martin,
F/O Harry Smith and F/S T.J. Bright along with F/O Graham eventually made the long trip back to Britain.
Landing in Enemy Territory
F/O Graham landed further South of where Sgt. Martin and F/O Smith were know to have landed. His direction of escape was
South West from where his parachute, now buried, had brought him down.
With a sprained left leg, he still managed to keep to a steady pace. He kept up his evasion without any
assistance until the evening of September 19th. So far on his own he had made it to about 10 km. from Camembert.
At this time he approached a group of farm workers milking cows.
The older farmer took him to his house and fed Graham, the man was still unsure if he really was an Allied airman
or a German trying to penetrate the local escape group. When Graham finally convinced him that he was an Allied
airman shot down two days earlier the farmer and the others with him then provided shelter and food.
After a night in a barn the airman was given a bicycle to continue on to another hiding place located eight kilometers away. Here at the this location
he changed his clothes for civilian garments and was moved to the house next door for the night. In the morning his
mode of transportation changed to a horse cart which took him to Vimoutier, followed by bus to Lisieux. The bus travelled
North twenty-nine kilometers and past the areas where Martin and Smith had landed several nights earlier.
In Lisieux he stayed in hiding at a private home while the host setup a meeting with the organization which would help him get
away. By the 26th of September he was in Paris. From Paris the route followed took him over the Pyrenees to the small country
of Andorra. Then across the border into Spain moving South to Gibraltar. Arriving back in Britain by the end of October..
