The crew who returned in a skeleton Wellington

One of the Cambridge airmen in my project who I have been researching is Kenneth Oscar Law DFM.

Ken Law was a pilot with No. 150 Squadron flying Wellingtons in 1942. On one night while returning from a raid they were attacked by a nightfighter that set the plane afire. Ken dived from 13,000 feet to about 8,000ft to put the fire out, and then limped the plane home with no injury to the crew, despite a perfect belly landing. It was remarkable, so remarkable the experts couldn’t belive the plane could have flown.

You can see more about the event and a photo of the plane on my site here
http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Ken%20Law.htm

Anyway, I have been corresponding with Ken’s daughter, and she was keen to get in touch with the crew who were with her late fatehr on the plane that night.

She has just emailed me their names from Ken’s logbook, and I have begun a search to trace what became of them. They were:

K.O. Law Captain
C.G. Cairns (Gordon) 2nd Pilot
John E. Fox (Jack) Navigator
Andrew Briggs (Jock) Wireless Operator
B.H. Cosby (Bing) Front Gunner
H Weller (Sam) Rear Gunner

Within minutes of beginning the search i was devastated to find that of the six survivors, it seems four were killed in the war anyway. And Ken died in the 1950’s, leaving only one that may, just may be still alive.

The four I have identified as probably having been killed, by looking at the CWGC site, are:

Charles Gordon Cairns
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1531043

John Elston Fox
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2413163

Bertie Harry Cosby, air gunner with 150 Sqn, is here
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2764163

Harold Weller, air gunner
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2413360

I’m certain Weller and Cosby match the two crew members, as their trades are right and they were both in 150 Sqn when killed just over three months later, and it seems as they were killed the same night, possibly in the same crew. A check of Lost Bombers (a great resource!) confirms this
http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=5084

I have yet to positively confirm that Charles Gordon Cairns and John Elston Fox were the exact same men as Ken’s crewmates.

SO THE QUESTIONS ARE

Does anyone know the backgrounds of the two men listed with these names on CWGC? Were they in a crew together on 150 Sqn?

And does anyone know what became of the Wireless Operator Andrew ‘Jock’ Briggs of 150 Sqn?

Bear in mind when Pam contacted the 150 Sqn Association they couldn’t help her with any details of these men, so we won’t ask them.

Is Jock still alive? And have I got the right men on CWGC for Ken’s crew?

Thanks to anyone who can help or give suggestions.