On December 16, at 5:50 pm, two Hampdens of the 50 Sqdn take off from Skellingthorpe for a raid on ships at Ostend. A first machine returns early because of problems in the starboard engine. The second Hampden was caught in the spotlight and shot at by the light Flak of the Stabsbatterie MAA 204.
Just after 8.42 pm, the AE380 crashed into the sea opposite the Military Hospital. The next day a crew member was fished up at sea and brought in at Ostend. It was 20-year-old pilot Sgt. William Young from Rhodesia, dressed in leather trousers and waistcoat with the following items in his pocket: rubber bag, map, 1,000 French francs, 350 Belgian francs and 20 Dutch guilders, also 16 British pounds and 10 shillings.
We are still in the dark about the fate of Sgt Ferguson, Sgt White and Sgt Armer.