He led a replacement crew; their first mission that of 5th November 1943 to Gelsenkirchen when the tail gunner was wounded. On his 21st mission Frankfurt February 4th 1944 he was hit in the face by flak but remained conscious and was able to assist the co-pilot. He was to spend the next two years undergoing plastic surgery and was retired from active service December 1945.

He was later - with the use of only one eye - to obtain a Commercial Pilot's License and later worked for the CAA and FAA as an Air Traffic Control specialist.