208327 P/O Alan Leach Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 51 Squadron from:Coppull, Chorley, Lancashire (d.5th Jan 1945) Alan Leach was born in Coppull 25th March 1921 the son of Sylvester and Emma. He was brother to Fred, well known in the village.
He was a Pilot Officer in the RAF Volunteer Reserve at the age of 19 and a member of 51 Squadron.
The aircraft he was flying on 5th January 1945 was a Halifax.
It took off from RAF Snaith at 16.47 hours, detailed to bomb Hannover, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was shot down at 19.22 by Luftwaffe pilot Georg-Hermann Greiner, it crashed 19.27 at Leinhausen- Soeckern. He and five of the crew were killed and are buried in Hannover War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany.
Aircraft Type: Halifax.
Serial number: LV 952.
Radio call sign: MH – F.
Unit: Att 51 Sqd RAF
The crew were:
- RAF PO 185864 Captain A. Leach (Pilot)
- RAF Sgt P Neale (Flight Engineer)
- RAF Flt Sgt J S Staples (Navigator)
- RAF Flt Sgt W G Bowen (Air Bomber)
- RAAF 403167 PO Wilson L A (Wireless Operator Air)
- RAF Flt Sgt W M Burton (Air Gunner)
- RAF Sgt D E F Thomsett (Air Gunner)- Survived the crash.
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