A very long shot: I have just inherited a photo album of my Uncle Sgt Alfred Ronald Williams. Service number 637452. Flight Engineer. Lancaster. B.111 ED-938. Shot down by night fighter near Spanbroek Holland night of 12/13 June 1944. Buried in Spanbroek Dutch Reform Church graveyard along with 54182 Pilot Officer Alexander Gregory Scott, 25514 Flight Sergeant Jeffrey Gordon Lane RAAF, 1586836 Sergeant Leonard Victor Suffield, 418583 Flight Sergeant Charles Stanley Dundas Tainsh RAAF. There were two survivors of the crash: 417891 Flight Sergeant Raymond Francis (Barney) Rudge RAAF (POW 233) and 419074 Flight Sgt J D Lindsay RAAF(POW 174). Both were taken POW to Stalag Luft 7 Bankou In the album there are some pictures of the period in 1942 in Clairwood Camp, Durban, SA and then in the middle east. There are names against many of the pictures but they are all a bit cryptic. Do any of them mean anything to anyone. I would love to find out more about this time as well as his time at Kelstern. Names are: Leo (could be Leonard Suffield), Joe, "major" Betteridge, Anna(male), "Yank" Allison, Gus, Jacko, Blondie, Den, Walker, Wilkins, Ward Any help or family contacts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Paul Williams Casualty
Loss details. RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS Source: AWM 237 (65) NAA : A9301 Barcode 4567595 Commonwealth War Graves records. W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Page 276, Volume 1944. Aircraft Type: Lancaster Serial number: ED 938 Radio call sign: CF – C Unit: 625 Sqn RAF Summary On the night of 12/13th June 1944, Lancaster ED938 took off from RAF Kelstern at 2243 hours, detailed to bomb Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. : Crew: RAF PO Scott, A G Captain (Pilot) † RAF Sgt A G Williams, (Flight Engineer) † RAAF 25514 Flt Sgt J G Lane, Navigator) † RAAF 418583 Flt Sgt C S D Tainsh, (Air Bomber) † RAAF 417891 Flt Sgt R F Ridge, (Wireless Air Gunner) (POW) RAF Sgt L T V Suffield, (Mid Upper Gunner) † RAAF 419074 Flt Sgt J D Lindsay, (Rear Gunner) (POW) The aircraft crashed near Spanbroek in Noord-Brabant. some 9kms north west of Hoorn. Five of the crew were killed and Flt’s Ridge and Lindsay were POW’s Those killed are buried in the Spanbroek Churchyard, Netherlands. Spanbroek is a village 11kms north west of Hoorn.
The Gelsenkirchen raid of 12-13 June 1944 303 aircraft - 286 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups - carried out the first raid of the new oil campaign; the target was the Nordstern synthetic-oil plant at Gelsenkirchen (the Germans called the plant Gelsenberg AG). 17 Lancasters were lost, 6.1 per cent of the Lancaster force. The attack opened with exceptional accuracy owing to good work by the Pathfinders and to improved versions of Oboe sets now available. Later phases of the bombing were spoiled by the clouds of smoke from the burning target and by a rogue target indicator which fell 10 miles short of the target and was bombed by 35 aircraft. A German industrial report shows that all production at the oil plant ceased, with a loss of 1,000 tons of aviation fuel a day for several weeks, as well as the loss of other fuels. Source - The Bomber Command War Diaries - M. Middlebrook / C. Everitt
No 625 Squadron was one of those short term squadrons formed from 1943 onwards as Lancaster production made it possible to increase Bomber Command Lancaster squadron strength to a maximum of nearly 60 squadrons. It was formed on October 1 1943 at Kelstern on the Lincolnshire Wolds, off the Market Rasen road to Louth.Formed from C Flight, No 100 Squadron then based at Grimsby (Waltham) it served 2 years in Bomber Command.Disbanded as many squadrons were early postwar,it was disbanded in October 1945. Not much is left of Kelstern but a close inspection reveals the remains of runway thresholds, peritrack and a T2 Hangar handstand.A memorial has been erected on on a road junction,which was previously at the heart of the former airfield, for many years. No 625 Squadron has an squadron association website.... Welcome to 625 Squadron On it there is a good photograph of the opening of the memorial in October 1964.
Hi Bramwell. Alexander Gregory Scott was my grandmother's brother. I have some database information from the Lancaster Bombers 625 squadron I'd be happy to share if you've not seen it. Likewise if you have any photos of Alexander I would absolutely love to see them!
Hello Julie welcome to the forum Bramwell was last on the forum July 2012 I have sent a message to him on your behalf. regards Clive
Many thanks! I'd noticed it was quite an old thread, but thought it was worth replying. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.
Hi Julie. the power of the internet. After 7 years you pick up on my post. Amazing! Hope this finds you well. I first became aware of the crew of my uncles Lancaster through a website dedicated to their memory. this includes pictures posted by other family members and in particular the grave site in Holland. It is my plan to visit Holland in 2020 for covering the days 3&4 April as this is their national day and remembrance day. It also coincides with the centenary of my uncles birth. I have also had contact from the families of the two Australians who survived. Time as passed but I still have all of the details and pictures stored away. Please give me a day or two to get the details sorted out and will see what I can send to you. Lovely to hear from you. Paul
Hi Paul That would be fantastic, thanks! I know very little about Alexander. My mum's knowledge if him was very limited. Just that he was very troubled by his wartime experiences and had 'turned funny' (I assume ptsd as we know it now). I don't think they ever really knew what had happened to him in the end, certainly she never mentioned being aware that he'd been killed on action though it's possible that the family at least knew that. Perhaps not where or how though. I found the Spanbroek churchyard info and from there contacted someone in Canada who runs a database about the Lancaster Bomber squadrons and he was able to send a series of records about their missions etc. That's as far as I've got really and with my mum and all of my gans generation now gone, access to the relevant brains to pick is also gone! Any info would be much appreciated, photos in particular! Kind regards Julie
