L to R Cliff Simpson, Frankie Fox, Danny Clare, Pip Coney, Jack Bottomley (killed 6/7 August 1941), Tommy Oddie.
	This is R 1648 AA-K ditched in North Sea 6 August 1941 Sgt Millet RAFVR POW Sgt Morgan R G RNZAF POW NAV Sgt Polly D RAFVR POW W/AG Sgt Simpson C RAFVR POW (original owner of the photos) F/Gnr Sgt Bottomley J W RAFVR Killed R/Gnr Mellon W N K RAFVR Killed
	Left - R 1648 AA-K Taxiing at Feltwell (note hangars in background)
	The above is plane X3595. From Dion Rowe
	Stalag 111E Christmas 1941 Back row 3rd from left Ian Millet,3rd from right Cliff Simpson Front row sitting 3rd from left Dereck Polly Three of the ill fated crew of R 1648 AA-K

Paul Hollander in July 2012.

About ten years ago I had the honor of meeting the late Ian Millett, pilot of R1648, in Saratoga, California.  He autographed and gave me a copy of his memoirs, Into the Drink: The Memoirs of a Royal Air Force Bomber Pilot 1940 - 1945, which I believe he published privately.

Here are some of the facts as I understand them.  The original R1648 was a Wellington 1C.  On the night of either August 5-6 or 6-7, 1941, Millett and his crew were flying their 14th mission, bombing the tank works at Mannheim, and had volunteered to carry a camera, requiring them to fly several more times over the target afterwards for photography.  Returning home they were attacked by a Me-110 night fighter over Germany, whose first burst hit causing the plane to catch fire.  But the 110 then pulled up alongside giving nose gunner Bottomley a chance to rake it with fire and it pulled away in a dive, apparently hit.  Throwing out unnecessary equipment to save weight, they eventually belly landed in the Channel or North Sea.  Bottomley had gone to the front turret to get his mascot and was killed on impact.  Their tail gunner was trapped in his turret and they had to watch him sink with the plane unable to do anything.  The rest of the crew - Millett, Polley, Simpson and Mellon - survived in the plane's dinghy for six days before being picked up by a German flak ship.  They spent the rest of the war as POWs, although Millett escaped at least once (from Stalag 3E?)

Unfortunately, Ian Millett passed away in December, 2010.