Six aircraft of the 138 squadron were assigned special duty.  On the night of 28/29th January 1942, the crew of Whitley Z 6728 set off from Stadshill at 19.00 hrs and were as follows 1151000 F/Sgt. E Jones Captain, 10001635 F/Sgt. D Gold pilot. 543352 A/Sgt. F W Smith. 634328 F/Sgt. A Britain. 513278 F/Sgt. E A Baxter. 46768 P/O D Weeks. 90447 Wg/Cdr. J E D Benham

There objective was to help "Mandamus" a sabotage group operating from February until June 1942 in Belgium.  The mission, to drop two Belgian agents in order to make contact between people and organizations to sabotage German military and industrial sites. 

One of the Belgian agents was Major Andre Wendalen, who had in his possession 58,000 Belgian Francs, the other Adjutant Jean Brion code name "Majordome", he was carrying a transmitter and 34,000 Belgian Francs. They were both parachuted into Focant (Namur) in the SE region of Belgium.

"Musjick" under the command of Lieutenant Guy Stinghlamber, was another sabotage unit that operated in a different area of Belgium, it operated between the end of September 1941 until February 1942.  Their mission, to sabotage industrial plants in the West and East of Belgium. He was parachuted into Belgium on the night of 29/30 September 1941 at Frontelennes (near GIVET).

This was in the wrong place and should have been between Namur and Nivel, so he had to navigate some very dangerous territory.    He was finally arrested on the 13th February 1942 and shot at Gorden-Bradenburg on the 22nd May 1944.

The crew of Whitley Z 6728 completed their mission.  They had been in the air for 5hr and 56 minuets.  But unfortunately on the way back to Britain, they were mistakenly shot at by a British ship off Boulogne at approximately 2359 hours.

At 0130 hours the pilots R/D/F/pilot faded, just 20 miles off the South East coast near to Manston Kent.

Fighter command organised a search to no avail. A dingy from the Aircraft was washed ashore at Hawking, Folkestone, Kent it contained the bodies of P/O Weeks and A/Sgt. Smith, both had died from exposure.

My thanks to Alan Brown brother-in-law of Flight Sergeant David GOLD for this and his permission to retell it .He has located all but one of the families, but not that of Wing Commander. J E D Benham. last known address Leytonstone LONDON. Could you help if so contact him Via this web site

PRO ED 262/175  HS 6/135 MANDAMUS mission: André Wendelin HS 6/136 MAJORDOMO Jean Brion.