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No.218 Sqn RAF

Name : No.218 Sqn RAF Founded : 24th April 1918 Disbanded : 23rd August 1963 Country : UK Fate : Disbanded 23rd August 1963 More Details : Gold Coast In time Known Code Letters : , HA, SV, XH,

Known Service Details :
Pilot or Aircrew	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
W. S. Adam	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
Anstey	Flight Officer	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	R1210
A. Bailey		unknown	unknown
A. E. Binnie	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	12th March 1941	Wellington	R1326
Brummwell	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	25th February 1941	Wellington	R1009
Caswell	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	25th February 1941	Wellington	R1009
W. J. Chamberlain	Sergeant	unknown	13th March 1941		Wellington	R1326	Killed in Action
J. H. Collopy	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
J. H. Collopy	Sergeant	unknown	13th March 1941		Wellington	R1326	Killed in Action
E. J. Coult	Sergeant	unknown	13th March 1941		Wellington	R1326	Killed in Action
W. P. Crosse	Flight Officer	unknown	13th March 1941		Wellington	R1326	Killed in Action
Reg Davey		unknown	unknown	1942	Stirling
T. D. H. Davey		unknown	unknown
L. D. Davies		unknown	unknown
Les Ellingham		unknown	unknown		Stirling
Groves	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	25th February 1941	Wellington	R1009
Heywood	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	25th February 1941	Wellington	R1009
Hoos	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	25th February 1941	Wellington	R1009
C. C. House		unknown	unknown
A. M. Imrie		unknown	unknown
Jackson	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	R1210
P. F. MacLaren	Flight Officer	unknown	15th January 1941		Wellington	P9207	Killed in Action
Madgwick	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
Madgwick	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
Millatt	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
A. Parfitt	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	12th March 1941	Wellington	R1326
Payne	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
Reardon	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	T2885
Shaw	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	R1210
Stanley	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	25th February 1941	Wellington	R1009
Stephens	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	R1210
A. J. Taylor		unknown	unknown
Thomas	Sergeant	unknown	unknown	11th February 1941	Wellington	R1210

Pilots and Aircrew for : No.218 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Adam, W. S. Click the name above to see a profile of Adam, W. S.	Adam, W. S.
Adams, G Click the name above to see a profile of Adams, G	Adams, G
Anstey, Click the name above to see a profile of Anstey,	Anstey,
Bailey, A. Click the name above to see a profile of Bailey, A.    Died : 21 / 4 / 1940	Bailey, A.
Bazalgette, F S Click the name above to see a profile of Bazalgette, F S    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Bazalgette, F S
Binnie, A. E. Click the name above to see a profile of Binnie, A. E.	Binnie, A. E.
Brown, Ron Click the name above to see a profile of Brown, Ron	Brown, Ron Initially served as a Fitter on Hurricanes and Harvards, then joined Aircrew in 1942 and served as a Flight Engineer on Stirlings with 218 Squadron where he towed gliders on D-Day. He went on to complete another Tour with 75 Squadron on Lancasters, completing 64 Operations by the end of the War.
Brummwell, Click the name above to see a profile of Brummwell,	Brummwell,
Bryan, T J Click the name above to see a profile of Bryan, T J	Bryan, T J
Buttery, R T L Click the name above to see a profile of Buttery, R T L    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Buttery, R T L
Caswell, Click the name above to see a profile of Caswell,	Caswell,
Chamberlain, W. J. Click the name above to see a profile of Chamberlain, W. J.    Died : 13 / 3 / 1941	Chamberlain, W. J.
Collopy, J. H. Click the name above to see a profile of Collopy, J. H.    Died : 13 / 3 / 1941	Collopy, J. H.
Collopy, J. H. Click the name above to see a profile of Collopy, J. H.    Died : 13 / 3 / 1941	Collopy, J. H.
Coult, E. J. Click the name above to see a profile of Coult, E. J.    Died : 13 / 3 / 1941	Coult, E. J.
Crane, J F R Click the name above to see a profile of Crane, J F R    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Crane, J F R
Crosse, W. P. Click the name above to see a profile of Crosse, W. P.    Died : 13 / 3 / 1941	Crosse, W. P.
Davey, Reg Click the name above to see a profile of Davey, Reg	Davey, Reg Reg remembered a night where his plane was caught in searchlights and hit by ground fire. 'We got blasted to pieces. The windscreen bashed in. I lent the pilot my goggles from my navigation bag but all my maps and charts were blown away. I never got the goggles back.' The stricken plane was headed west. 'We landed with a burst tyre and crashed it in a heap.' He adopted a protective mindset regarding those who did not return from missions. 'You thought: 'That's OK, they're prisoners of war.' They weren't. They were blown to pieces.'
Davey, T. D. H. Click the name above to see a profile of Davey, T. D. H.	Davey, T. D. H.
Davies, L. D. Click the name above to see a profile of Davies, L. D.    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Davies, L. D.
Davison, E Click the name above to see a profile of Davison, E    Died : 21 / 4 / 1940	Davison, E
Dockrill, C J E Click the name above to see a profile of Dockrill, C J E    Died : 11 / 5 / 1940	Dockrill, C J E
Dormer, P F Click the name above to see a profile of Dormer, P F    Died : 11 / 5 / 1940	Dormer, P F
Ellingham, Les Click the name above to see a profile of Ellingham, Les	Ellingham, Les As a WOP/Air Gunner Les was originally at 218 Sqn on Stirlings, and as a founder member of the Pathfinder Force was transferred to 7 Sqn. On his 17th Operation Les was shot down and was then on the run for 5 weeks in Paris. He was betrayed by a Frenchman, and spent time in Fresnes Prison in the hands of the Gestapo, before finishing the War in Stalag Luft IVb
Ellis, A Click the name above to see a profile of Ellis, A	Ellis, A
Flisher, L C Click the name above to see a profile of Flisher, L C    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Flisher, L C
Foster, D A J Click the name above to see a profile of Foster, D A J	Foster, D A J
Gregory, K G Click the name above to see a profile of Gregory, K G    Died : 11 / 5 / 1940	Gregory, K G
Groves, Click the name above to see a profile of Groves,	Groves,
Harris, W A R Click the name above to see a profile of Harris, W A R	Harris, W A R
Harris, W H Click the name above to see a profile of Harris, W H	Harris, W H
Herriot, N B Click the name above to see a profile of Herriot, N B    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Herriot, N B
Heywood, Click the name above to see a profile of Heywood,	Heywood,
Holloway, T W Click the name above to see a profile of Holloway, T W	Holloway, T W
Hoos, Click the name above to see a profile of Hoos,	Hoos,
Horner, J B Click the name above to see a profile of Horner, J B    Died : 12 / 5 / 1940	Horner, J B
House, C. C. Click the name above to see a profile of House, C. C.    Died : 23 / 8 / 1940	House, C. C.
Howard, J D Click the name above to see a profile of Howard, J D	Howard, J D
Hudson, A J Click the name above to see a profile of Hudson, A J	Hudson, A J
Imrie, A. M. Click the name above to see a profile of Imrie, A. M.	Imrie, A. M.
Jackson, Click the name above to see a profile of Jackson,	Jackson,
Jones, H B Click the name above to see a profile of Jones, H B	Jones, H B
Lefevre, P J Click the name above to see a profile of Lefevre, P J    Died : 23 / 8 / 1940	Lefevre, P J
MacLaren, P. F. Click the name above to see a profile of MacLaren, P. F.    Died : 15 / 1 / 1941	MacLaren, P. F. Flight Officer P.F.MacLaren of No.218 Squadron was killed on January 15th 1941. His Wellington (P9207) crashed between Wormegay and Pentney in Norfolk.
Madgwick, Click the name above to see a profile of Madgwick,	Madgwick,
Mansell, G D Click the name above to see a profile of Mansell, G D	Mansell, G D
Martindale, Christopher Click the name above to see a profile of Martindale, Christopher	Martindale, Christopher Posted to 500 Sqn in 1936 he then instructed Polish pilots in preparation for the Battle of Britain and continued as an instructor until being posted to 218 Sqn as a pilot on Wellingtons and Lancasters
Millatt, Click the name above to see a profile of Millatt,	Millatt,
Murray, H M Click the name above to see a profile of Murray, H M	Murray, H M
Parfitt, A. Click the name above to see a profile of Parfitt, A.	Parfitt, A.
Patterson, G N Click the name above to see a profile of Patterson, G N	Patterson, G N
Payne, Click the name above to see a profile of Payne,	Payne,
Reardon, Click the name above to see a profile of Reardon,	Reardon,
Robinson, W. Click the name above to see a profile of Robinson, W.    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Robinson, W.
Shaw, Click the name above to see a profile of Shaw,	Shaw,
Stanley, Click the name above to see a profile of Stanley,	Stanley,
Stephens, Click the name above to see a profile of Stephens,	Stephens,
Stubbs, P Click the name above to see a profile of Stubbs, P	Stubbs, P
Swift, Ray Click the name above to see a profile of Swift, Ray	Swift, Ray Upon completing his training as a WOP/Air Gunner he was posted to 138 Sqn with whom he completed 46 Ops on Stirlings before transferring to Lancasters with 218 Sqn.
Taylor, A. J. Click the name above to see a profile of Taylor, A. J.    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Taylor, A. J.
Thomas, Click the name above to see a profile of Thomas,	Thomas,
Thompson, N H Click the name above to see a profile of Thompson, N H	Thompson, N H
Wardle, H D Click the name above to see a profile of Wardle, H D	Wardle, H D
Waterston, W C Click the name above to see a profile of Waterston, W C    Died : 14 / 5 / 1940	Waterston, W C

Aircraft for : No.218 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft associated with No.218 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Battle Click the name above to see prints featuring Battle aircraft. Manufacturer : Fairey	Battle 14th May 1940 was a bad day for losses for the Fairey battle aircraft and its crews during the Battle for France. Sedan was situated on the east bank of the Meuse River. Its capture would give the Germans a base from which to capture the Meuse bridges and cross the river. On 14 May 1940 the Allied air forces, tried to destroy the bridges to slow down the German advance. During these sorties No 71 Wing RAF lost 10 Fairey Battles and 5 Blenheims No.75 Wing RAF lost 14–18 Battles and No 76 Wing RAF lost 11 Battles. Out of 71 bombers dispatched, 40–44 bombers were lost, meaning a loss rate of 56–62 percent Here is the list of Aircraft shot down and the names of their crews Battle K9189 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F H Ridley killed, Sergeant G Atkinson killed, Aircraftsman 1 J S Thomson killed. Battle K9333 , WT-?, - Shot down near Ecly. Pilot Officer H L Oakley ok, Sergeant Martin ok, Aircraftsman 1 Presto ok. Battle K9342 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F A G Lascelles ok, Sergeant Ordway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Weir ok. Battle K9343 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant V H Moseley killed, Sergeant S D Hibberd killed, Corporal H F Little killed. Battle K9383 , MQ-?, - Damaged by enemy but returned to base. Abandoned during fall of France. Sergeant E E Hopkins ok, Sergeant J Callaghan ok, Aircraftsman 1 D Barber ok. Battle K9483 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer A F Posselt killed, Sergeant D J Bowen killed, Aircraftsman 2 N V Vano killed. Battle L4946 , JN-?, - Crashed near Douchery. Flying Officer J Ing killed, Sergeant J D Turner killed, Aircraftsman 1 W J Nolan killed. Battle L4950 , PH-V, - Crashed near Sedan. Flying Officer E R D Vaughan killed, Sergeant C Shelton-Jones killed, Aircraftsman 1 J D Wright taken prisoner. Battle L4952 , PH-X, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant G D Clancey taken prisoner, Sergeant K Alderson killed, Aircraftsman 1 R T Ainsworth killed. Battle L5188 , PH-C, - Lost near Sedan. Sergeant H R W Winkler taken prisoner, Sergeant M D Smalley taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 L R Clarke taken prisoner. Battle L5190? , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer T B Fitzgerald injured, Corporal Madkins ok. (Note Flying Officer Fitzgerald may not have been in this aircraft but instead P2191.) Battle L5230 , GB-?, - Lost without trace around Sedan. Flight Lieutenant H C Sammels killed, Sergeant F B Abbott killed, Leading Aircraftsman R D Hughes killed. Battle L5232 , HA-?, - Shot down at Sauville. Pilot Officer W A R Harris injured but returned to unit, Sergeant N B Herriot killed, Aircraftsman 1 W Robinson killed. Battle L5233 , RH-?, - Returned to base damaged and was subsequently abandoned during the fall of France. Battle L5235 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer A M Imrie taken prisoner, Leading Aircraftsman A J Taylor killed. Battle L5238 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant R N Wall killed, Sergeant A C Morgan killed, Leading Aircraftsman H Hatton killed. Battle L5250 , GB-?, - Force landed and abandoned at Suipped. Pilot Officer D C F Murray ok, Sergeant Hemingway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Hill ok. Battle L5422 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer J F R Crane killed, Aircraftsman 1 T W Holloway taken prisoner. Battle L5438 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant W A Dunn killed, Sergeant A F Sedgewick killed, Aircraftsman 2 M B Millar killed. Battle L5516 , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer V A Cunningham ok, Aircraftsman 1 J Johnson ok. Battle L5517 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant K R Rogers killed. Battle L5523 , GB-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer H E White killed, Sergeant G A Cartwright killed, Aircraftsman 1 J Potter killed. Battle L5581 , RH-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant W G Ross killed, Sergeant F E Beames killed, Leading Aircraftsman J H K Gegg killed. Battle L5585 Mk.1 , GB-?, - Shot down and crashed behind enemy lines Battle P2182 , JN-?, - Shot down near Douzy. Flight Sergeant J Boon killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Aircraftsman 1 S Martin killed.14May1940Battle P2191 , PM-?, - Shot down by an Me109 near Sedan. Sergeant G Beardsley ok, Leading Aircraftsman G F Lewis ok. (Note Sergeant Beardsley may not have been in this aircraft, but in L5190.)14May1940Battle P2246 , WT-?, - Shot down and crash landed behind enemy lines. Squadron Leader J F Hobler injured but evaded capture, Sergeant R V T Kitto evaded capture, Corporal D J Barbrooke evaded capture.14May1940Battle P2267 , MQ-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Squadron Leader C E S Lockett taken prisoner, Sergeant F J Percival killed, Corporal R S Clark killed.14May1940Battle P2324 , HA-?, - Shot down by ground fire near Sedan. Flying Officer D A J Foster taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 T J Bryan taken prisoner.14May1940Battle P2333 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant A N Spear evaded capture, Sergeant J Brookes killed, Leading Aircraftsman R H Nugent killed.14May1940Battle P2360 , HA-?, - Lost without trace near Sedan. Pilot Officer R T L Buttery killed, Aircraftsman 2 W C Waterston killed.14May1940Battle P5229 , PH-O, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant A G Johnson killed, Sergeant E F White killed, Aircraftsman 1 F T Spencer taken prisoner. Battle P5232 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant G T Barker killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Leading Aircraftsman A K Summerson evaded capture.
Blenheim Click the name above to see prints featuring Blenheim aircraft. Manufacturer : Bristol Production Began : 1935 Retired : 1956 Number Built : 4422	Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.
Lancaster Click the name above to see prints featuring Lancaster aircraft. Manufacturer : Avro Production Began : 1942 Retired : 1963 Number Built : 7377	Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' Operation Gomorrah in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992.
Stirling Click the name above to see prints featuring Stirling aircraft. Manufacturer : Short Production Began : 1939 Number Built : 2381	Stirling The Royal Air Force's first four engined monoplane Bomber, the Short Stirling first flew in May 1939 and entered front line service in August 1940 with no. 7 squadron. Due to its poor operational ceiling the aircraft sustained heavy losses and by mid 1942 the Stirling was beginning to be replaced by the Lancaster. Improved versions of the Short Stirling were built for Glider towing, paratroopers and heavy transport. also from 1943 many of the Stirling's were used for mine laying. A total of 2381 Stirling's were built for the Royal air Force and from this total 641 Stirling bombers were lost to enemy action. Crew 7 or 8: Speed: 260 mph (MK1) 275mph (MKIII) and 280mph (MKV)Service ceiling 17,000 feet Range: 2330 miles. (MK1) 2010 miles (MKIII) and 3,000 miles (MKV) Armament: two .303 Vickers machine guns. in nose turret, two .303 in browning machine guns in dorsal turret , Four .303 Browning machine guns in tail turret. Bomb Load 14,000 Lbs Engines: four 1150 Hp Bristol Hercules II (MK1) four 1650 hp Bristol Hercules XVI (MK111 and MKV)
Wellington Click the name above to see prints featuring Wellington aircraft. Manufacturer : Vickers Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1953	Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a Bomber aircraft and also used for maritime reconnaissance. and had a normal crew of six except in the MKV and VI where a crew of three was used. Maximum speed was 235 mph (MK1c) 255 mph (MK III, X) and 299 mph (MK IIII), normal operating range of 1805 miles (except MK III which was 1470miles) The Wellington or Wimpy as it was known, was the major bomber of the Royal Air Force between 1939 and 1943. The Royal Air Force received its first Wellingtons in October 1938 to 99 squadron. and by the outbreak of World war two there were 6 squadrons equipped with the Vickers Wellington. Due to heavy losses on daylight raids, the Wellington became a night bomber and from 1940 was also used as a long range bomber in North Africa. and in 1942 also became a long range bomber for the royal Air Force in India. It was well used by Coastal Command as a U-Boat Hunter. The Wellington remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1953. Probably due to its versatile use, The aircraft was also used for experimental work including the fitting of a pressure cabin for High altitude tests. The Vickers Wellington could sustain major damage and still fly, probably due to its construction of its geodesic structure and practical application of geodesic lines. Designed by Sir Barnes Wallis