- Contributed byÌý
- Bobby Shafto
- People in story:Ìý
- Pilot Officer J A Martin DFC; Flight Engineer Paddy Mailey
- Location of story:Ìý
- RAF Leconfield; Bangor, N. Ireland
- Background to story:Ìý
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:Ìý
- A4018664
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 06 May 2005
This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer on behalf of Pilot Officer John A. Martin DFC (retired) Larne, N. Ireland and been added to the site with his permission. Mr Martin understands the site’s terms and conditions.
During my time at Leconfield, I was with 620 Squadron and there was another Squadron there, it was 214. I met another chap there he was Paddy Mailey, from Bangor, he was also a Flight Engineer. It’s quite natural for Irishmen abroad to ‘stick’ together. Paddy told me that he was going on a mining trip tomorrow. I said that I wasn’t flying tomorrow and I would come to the airfield and see him off. I went up the next day and saw Paddy off in the aircraft and wished him ‘all the best’. Paddy had just got off the ground, and the whole aircraft blew up. The mines had exploded prematurely. The aircraft fell down like confetti. The complete aircrew were all killed, that was the last of Paddy Mailey. There wasn’t a piece of the aircraft left.
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