228652 W/O Reginald Ernest Vokey Royal Canadian Air Force 415 Sqdn. from:Quebec (d.18th February 1943) Hampden AE 435 "U" (415) crash Docking
This Hampden was based at Thorney Island (east of Portsmouth, Hampshire) serving in No. 415 Squadron RCAF in Coastal Command. At the time of its loss, it was operating out of the Coastal Command airfield at RAF Docking. The Hampden took off at 2030 hours on 18th February 1943 for an operation against German shipping off Iymuiden, Holland. It immediately crashed on take-off near to Docking railway station. There were no survivors from the crew of four and they were buried in St Mary's Church Cemetery, Great Bircham, Norfolk, a short distance from RAF Docking. The aircraft was acting as a torpedo bomber in its Coastal Command anti-shipping role, and the area was quickly evacuated because it had an unexploded torpedo on board. The crew were:
W/O2 (Warrant Officer Grade 2) P.B. Campbell, Pilot, RCAF
Flying Officer K. R. Maffre, Observer, RCAF
W/O2 R.E. Vokey, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, RCAF
W/O2 Z.M. Niblock, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, RCAF.
Hampden AE 435 was one of a batch of 425 B1 aircraft manufactured by English Electric Co Ltd of Preston, Lancashire and would have been converted to a TB1 (Torpedo Bomber) for use within Coastal Command when the squadron converted to Hampdens in January 1942. As a B1 aircraft it may have seen service operationally with a Bomber Command squadron.
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