
This crew flew on BLACK THURSDAY in Lancaster JA960-OF-E, E-EASY. The second pilot, Leslie Henson, went on to have a distinguished career in the RAF, as did Jeff Pelletier.
Pelletier survived the war and returned to Australia; he lived to a grand old age and died in Melbourne on 28 September 2013, aged 92.

CREW on BLACK THURSDAY
Pilot: F/L JW Pelletier
2nd Pilot: FO L Henson
Flight Engineer: F/S GE Dunning
Navigator: F/O RJ Conley
Bomb Aimer: F/L PM Lowick
W/Op: F/S AWA Burnell
Mid-Upper Gunner: F/S FR Watson
Rear Gunner: F/O G Polson

The above photograph was labelled Birmingham – May 1945. Mandy Lyell wrote in March 2017: ‘My grandfather is in the middle. Apparently after he finished with 97 Squadron, he become a Lancaster test pilot under Alex Henshaw at Castle Bromwich, and I assume this is where this photo was taken.’