Bernard Walter Robbens

A Sergeant with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Bernard died on 8th of September 1941 aged 20.

Bernard was born at Lowestoft on 11 March 1921, a son of Percival Walter and Eliza A. E. Robbens. In 1939 his family lived at 29 Beresford Road, Lowestoft.

Bernard served with Bomber Command and was based at Driffield, Yorkshire. He was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. In August 1941 Bernard was serving with 104 Squadron and was one of the crew of Wellington W5477. The Aircraft Accidents in Yorkshire gives the following account:

Wellington W5477 at Driffied airfield

Prior to this incident the crew of this 104 Squadron aircraft had flown an operational flight on the night of 22nd / 23rd August 1941 and had landed at Martlesham Heath. During the late morning of 23rd August 1941 the aircraft was in the process of returning to Driffield airfield, it was entering the circuit of Driffield airfield and the crew were intent on making an approach to land. The aircraft approached the airfield the crew lowered the undercarriage but as soon as it was lowered the aircraft began to rapidly loose height. The pilot also noticed that another Wellington was landing in front of their aircraft so could not turn to make a hurried landing. In trying to work out why the aircraft was loosing height it was found that the port engine not operating at full power so the pilot applied maximum power to that engine but could not hold the port wing level. The pilot also attempted to put the port propeller into full fine pitch. The aircraft should have flown a clockwise circuit of the airfield to attempt another approach to land but because the port wing was dropping and the port engine was probably failing the pilot quite rightly considered flying a circuit in this direction was a bad idea. This circuit would tend to put the port wing lower to make the turn and with the failing port engine this could drag the aircraft towards the ground port wing first. Instead of flying a clockwise circuit the pilot turned the aircraft from the north-east side of the airfield, across the northern end and towards the north-west side but it continued to loose height until the pilot was left with no option but to crash land at 11.45hrs. It was found that although the cockpit propeller settings showed the port propeller to be in full fine pitch the actual propeller was completely the opposite and in full coarse pitch so full power applied to the port engine would still have little effect in holding the aircraft level. All on board were injured to some degree but the pilot was found not to blame.

Wellington W5477 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was received by 38 MU on 3rd April 1941. After a short period of storage it was taken on charge by 104 Squadron based at Driffield on 9th August 1941. As a result of the incident on 23rd August 1941 Cat.E/FA damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off. It was struck off charge on 4th September 1941.

See Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire. (yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk)

Three others of the crew of W5477 flew with Bernard in Wellington W5362 EP-J and were killed with him on 8 September 1941: Pilot - Sergeant Richardson; Observer - Sergeant Mountier; Air Gunner - Sergeant Craig. 

WITH THANKS TO:Malcolm Barrass