Can we raise a whole WWII Lancaster aircrew from our relatives (alive or not)?

Great Uncle (Sydney Bell) 626 squadron N, fl/sgt (pilot) Lancasters died in July 1945 on a training run from Wickenby briefed to fly at 2000ft. Ran into a thunderstorm and crashed at 1.55am at Wharram le street. Think it was a lightening strike.

My surname sake Sir Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe started the company A.V. Roe and Company in 1910, which was to become AVRO…..although he was involved with Saunders-Roe at the time Roy Chadwick designed the Lancaster. Think it’s in the blood a bit as the sound of a low flying merlin engine(strapped to a hurricane, spit or lancaster) is just the most amazing thing for me….

the sound of a low flying merlin engine(strapped to a hurricane, spit or lancaster) is just the most amazing thing for me….

Yep. Sends shivers down my spine every time. Being an apprentice at Rolls Royce meant I got to polish the company Spitfire, and watch its impromptu displays at RR Hucknall. Just the most beautiful sight, sound and smell in the world.

Rob

My surname sake Sir Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe started the company A.V. Roe and Company in 1910, which was to become AVRO…..although he was involved with Saunders-Roe at the time Roy Chadwick designed the Lancaster. Think it’s in the blood a bit as the sound of a low flying merlin engine(strapped to a hurricane, spit or lancaster) is just the most amazing thing for me….
You learn something new everyday 🙂

Best thread of the year so far.

My Mum’s best friend married a Canadian Airforce guy who was a rear gunner on Lancs flying out of either Croft or Middleton St George, he told me about a raid they did on a V2 rocket site, might’ve been Peenemunde, when all eyes were alerted to a trail coming from the ground. It was a V2 being launched! Everyone with a gun was blasting away at it & apparently it went out of control & crashed close by.

My surname sake Sir Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe started the company A.V. Roe and Company in 1910, which was to become AVRO…..although he was involved with Saunders-Roe at the time Roy Chadwick designed the Lancaster. Think it’s in the blood a bit as the sound of a low flying merlin engine(strapped to a hurricane, spit or lancaster) is just the most amazing thing for me….

I have family that worked there, photos too somewhere.

Are there any useful online research resources? My “uncle” referred to above was actually my grandfather’s cousin. As I’m not next of kin / descendant etc, I’ve not been able to find out much more than he told me in person as a child. He wouldn’t talk about the raids or people, but he delighted this young boy by talking about the aircraft. Have always wanted to find out a bit more…

Squadron strength so far, up to 6 aircraft, but none operational as of yet…

Aircraft A – Able
Pilot: ‘Sergeant’ Alistair Stuart McLaren (ask1974’s Great Uncle)
Flight Engineer: Flight Sergeant Peter Gee (TuckerUKs Uncle)
Navigator: Flight Officer John (Jack) Hopwood (B.A.Nana’s Grandad)
Wireless Operator: (jfletch’s Grandpa?)
Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner:
Mid-upper Gunner: Warrant Officer Angus Robb (vdubber67’s Grandad)
Rear Gunner: (igrf’s Uncle)

Aircraft B – Baker
Pilot: Peter Hackforth (Ambrose’s Grandfather)
Flight Engineer: (gee68’s Granfather-in-law)
Navigator: (souldrummer’s Uncle)
Wireless Operator:
Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner:
Mid-upper Gunner: Andrew Wood (valleydaddy’s Father-in-Law’s Uncle)
Rear Gunner: (Gorehound’s Grandad)

Aircraft C – Charlie
Pilot: Flt Sgt R D Sainsbury (rkk01’s ‘Uncle’)
Flight Engineer: George Williamson (Family Friend of stucol)
Navigator: (Jerome’s Grandad)
Wireless Operator:
Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner:
Mid-upper Gunner:
Rear Gunner: (fotheringtonthomas’ Dad)

Aircraft D – Dog
Pilot: John Chatterton (for the purposes of this thread definitely related in some way to freeride_frankie)
Flight Engineer:
Navigator: (Duane’s Grandad)
Wireless Operator:
Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner:
Mid-upper Gunner:
Rear Gunner: Flight Sergeant Burt Hunter (Shak47’s Uncle)

Aircraft E – Easy
Pilot: Squadron Leader Dusty Miller DSO DFC (acjim’s Grandad)
Flight Engineer:
Navigator: Harry Nixon (boxelder’s Uncle-in-Law)
Wireless Operator:
Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner:
Mid-upper Gunner:
Rear Gunner: Ron (tomaso’s neighbour)

Aircraft F – Fox
Pilot: Flight Sergeant Sydney Bell (bernard’s Great Uncle)
Flight Engineer:
Navigator: Flt Sgt Jack Best (Sandwich’s father-in-Law) (Moved from Aircraft B – Baker)
Wireless Operator:
Bomb Aimer/Front Gunner:
Mid-upper Gunner:
Rear Gunner: ‘Canadian Airforce Guy’ (esselgruntfuttock’s mum best friend husband)

Tucker UK, thank you for this, today especially.

I shall forward this thread to Anthony Hackforth, Peter’s son, my uncle.

Rear Gunner: ‘Canadian Airforce Guy’ (esselgruntfuttock’s mum best friend husband)
His name was Kit LeGros & he was from Scarborough, Ontario. Probably flew with 419 sqdn RCAF.

I’m a late comer to the thread, but my grandad was also a navigator in a Lancaster. He got shot down over Berlin in 1944(I think) and was sent to Stalag Lift 3(great escape pow camp). He tunnelled out and made his way back home

My Grandpa, also Robert Bryce, was a Lancaster Flight Engineer. My old man’s got his log book of missions, a very humbling read.

Pilot-Harold Blow(grandad) 9th squadron Barnaby during the war (lancaster) full tour,over Berlin mostly and Nurembourg 8O,flying instructor after the war and then onto testing and flying meteors(618 squadron),over 2k flying hours, crashed Meteor in 1955 due to low cloud and faulty reading…

Flight engineer Jack Warner (my other grandad still alive 88) full tour,428 Ghost squadron…

Hats off to both your Grandpa’s Blower, two full tours as well, blimey words fail me. Brave, brave men.

cheers bloody nora

they was lucky,apart from harold who crashed his meteor after the war.

this is something ive been looking into alot of late,and speaking to my grandad who is still alive about it all,
horrific tales etc,
the loss rate was terrible/.

Blower, essel, did either of them make it to the commemoration of the RCAF memorial at Middleton-St-George back in about 1985? If so I probably met them. I went as part of the air cadets honour guard. A humbling day.

And for the crew, may I offer Sgt. Eric Parker, Observer (navigator) on 214 Sqn Stirlings . Unfortunately he did not survive The raid of 12th March 1943. My great uncle and I was named after him.

I’d also like to add Sgt. (later Sqn Ldr) Jack Onions DFM and bar, our next door neighbour when I was young and an early hero of mine. He won flew Battles and Blenheims operationally in the war but also served under Bomber Harris in the 1930s bombing the north-west frontier and Afghanistan in Hawker Hinds (how things have changed).

the lancaster pilot died in 1955 while flying a meteor as he continued to fly after the war.

my other grandad who is still alive the flight engineer,unfortunately he did’nt go the commemoration of what you said,or at least i dont think he did.
i bet it was humbling indeed,all at a very young age most of them.

I can raise you a Pilot – Flt Lieut Ken Trent who’s my ex Father in Law! (he’s 90 this year!) Did some time with 617 Squadron after the Dam raids and the Berlin Airlift meant he clocked over 100 missions (not all combat) – he tells some tales of their exploits, the drinking/driving scares me stiff before he starts on flying!

As posted ^^

Any way of finding more info?

I have found promotion dates in London Gazette. Any way to link these to Squadron postings?

A man the RAF missed died this morning, my father-in-law. A pole, he spent much of WWII on the run in the Nazi occupied area surviving thanks to his youthful enthusiasm, language skills and a large dose of luck. He ended up with the British army in Italy and was demobbed to some windswept camp in Yorkshire with TB. Like about 90% of demobbed poles he couldn’t return to soviet occupied Poland (those that did generally didn’t live very long) so gave himself a new identity and started a new life.

I doubt I’ll post for a while so I wish all on STW a good Summer.

My gramps flew in Lancasters and Halifax’s. Think he was a navigator in one and pilot the other, cany remember which way round or squadron details though… Will have to dig his old stuff out sometime…

My Grandfather was a Chaplain during WW2 – no doubt he spoke to many pilots who did not expect to return each time they took off…

(I know, it’s not directly related to the thread….)