Remembering Today 18/11/43 FS:H.L.R.Richards,42457,Royal New Zealand Air Force 622 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.

Discussion in 'New Zealand' started by CL1, Nov 18, 2016.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    RICHARDS, HAROLD LESLIE RAYMOND
    Rank:
    Flight Sergeant
    Trade:
    Pilot
    Service No:
    42457
    Date of Death:
    18/11/1943
    Age:
    28
    Regiment/Service:
    Royal New Zealand Air Force
    622 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
    Grave Reference:
    Coll. grave 2-4.
    Cemetery:
    LACHALADE CHURCHYARD
    Additional Information:
    Son of Walter and Beatrice Richards; husband of Gwendoline Veda Richards, of Westport, Nelson, New Zealand.Casualty Details
     
    Peter Clare and spidge like this.
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    CONROY, REGINALD MATTHEW Flight Sergeant 426317 18/11/1943 24 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Grave 1. LACHALADE CHURCHYARD [​IMG]
    MORCOMBE, WILLIAM JAMES Pilot Officer 415264 18/11/1943 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Coll. grave 2-4. LACHALADE CHURCHYARD [​IMG]
    OUGH, ALAN ANDREW Sergeant 1812760 18/11/1943 19 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve United Kingdom Coll. grave 2-4. LACHALADE CHURCHYARD [​IMG]
    RICHARDS, HAROLD LESLIE RAYMOND Flight Sergeant 42457 18/11/1943 28 Royal New Zealand Air Force New Zealand Coll. grave 2-4. LACHALADE CHURCHYARD [​IMG]
    SLY, ARTHUR ERNEST Sergeant 1632077 18/11/1943 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve United Kingdom Coll. grave 2-4. LACHALADE CHURCHYARD [​IMG]
    SMITH, DONALD SINCLAIR Flight Sergeant 658902 18/11/1943 28 Royal Air Force United Kingdom Coll. grave 2-4. LACHALADE CHURCHYARD [​IMG]
    THOMAS, STANLEY ALAN Sergeant 915352 18/11/1943 23 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve United Kingdom Coll. grave 2-4. LACHALADE CHURCHYAR
     
    Deacs and Peter Clare like this.
  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  4. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

  5. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

  6. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG
    RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT
    IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS
    426317 Flight Sergeant CONROY, Reginald Matthew

    Crew: Source:
    AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/28/190 digitised Commonwealth War Graves records, W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Page 386, Volume 1943.

    Aircraft Type: Stirling
    Serial number: EF 128
    Radio call sign: GI – D
    Unit: 622 Sqn RAF
    Summary:
    On the night of 18/19th November 1943, Stirling EF128 took off from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, at 1710 hours, detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft, and it failed to return to base.

    Crew:
    RAAF 415264 PO, William James Morcombe Captain (Pilot) (KILLED)
    RNZAF 42457 Flt Sgt Harold Leslie Raymond Richards, (2nd Pilot) (KILLED)
    RAF 1632077 Sgt Arthur Ernest Sly, (Flight Engineer) (KILLED)
    RAF 658902 Flt Sgt Donald Sinclair Smith, (Navigator) (KILLED)
    RAF ?????? Sgt Robert Harper, (Air Bomber) (POW)
    RAF 915392 Sgt Stanley Alan Thomas, (Wireless Air Gunner) (KILLED)
    RAAF 426317 Flt Sgt Reginald Matthew Conroy, (Air Gunner) (KILLED)
    RAF 1812760 Sgt Alan Andrew Ough, (Air Gunner) (KILLED)

    (PO Morecombe's brother, RAAF 406572 Flight Lieutenant Frank Keith Morcombe (DFC) also died in service)

    The aircraft was shot down by a German night fighter near Lachalade, at approx 8pm by Captain Helmut Bergmann of the Luftwaffe who took off from Saint-Dizier. Lachalade is 18.5 miles west of Verdun, France.
    Seven of the crew were killed in the crash, and Sgt Harper was a POW.
    Those killed are buried in the Lachalade Churchyard France. Lachalade is a village and commune, 44kms NNW of Bar-le-Duc and 30kms west of Verdun.

    "These seven are the only WW2 airmen buried in the Churchyard.
    Sgt Harper was rescued by the Resistance however he was later captured and sent to a POW Camp. Firstly Buchenwald, then Sagan, then Luckenwald where he was released by the Russians in 1945. Sgt Harper died in 1977.
    The inscription on the reverse of the Memorial reads:
    "The Stirling EF 128 took off from Great Britain for a bombing mission in Germany.
    He is shot down in these woods by the Captain Helmut Bergmann of the Luftwafe who took off from Saint-Dizier.
    The seven Airmen are buried in Lachalade Cemetery.
    The survivor is rescued by the "Resistance".
    He will nevertheless be captured and sent in a camp of Prisoners of war until the end of the war." (Credit Tom Kaufman)

    RAAF 415264 PO, William James Morcombe Captain (Pilot) (KILLED)
    Aged20, Son of Philip Thomas Morcombe and Stella Alison Morcombe, of Armadale, Western Australia.

    RNZAF 42457 Flt Sgt Harold Leslie Raymond Richards, (2nd Pilot) (KILLED)
    Aged 28, Son of Walter and Beatrice Richards; husband of Gwendoline Veda Richards, of Westport, Nelson, New Zealand.

    RAF 1632077 Sgt Arthur Ernest Sly, (Flight Engineer) (KILLED) NO AGE OR NOK LISTED

    RAF 658902 Flt Sgt Donald Sinclair Smith, (Navigator) (KILLED) Aged 28, Son of John and Martha Smith, of Blackpool, Lancashire.

    RAF 915392 Sgt Stanley Alan Thomas, (Wireless Air Gunner) (KILLED) Aged 23, Son of Arthur and Ivy Thomas; husband of Elsie Thomas.

    RAAF 426317 Flt Sgt Reginald Matthew Conroy, (Air Gunner) (KILLED) Aged 24, Son of Matthew and Ivy Mary Conroy, of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

    RAF 1812760 Sgt Alan Andrew Ough, (Air Gunner) (KILLED) Aged 19, Son of Benidict George and Lilian Miriam Ough, of Fulham, London.


    Their memorial is in woods near Lachalade.
    Sgt A. A. Ough - Sgt A. E. Sly - Sgt Robert Harper - P/O W. J. Morcombe - F/Sgt D. S. Smith - F/Sgt R. M. Conroy - Sgt S. A. Thomas
    That Day, a 8th crew member was in the plane, Sgt Robert Harper who survived the crash, was prisoner of war and finished the war in a POW camp in Buchenwald, then Sagan, then Luckenwald where he was delivered by the Russian troops.
    The Monument to the Crew erected in Honour of the Crew.
    On the reverse is a mention:
    " The Stirling EF 128 took off from Great Britain for a bombing mission in Germany.
    He is shot down in these woods by the Captain Helmut Bergmann of the Luftwafe who took off from Saint-Dizier.
    The seven Airmen are buried in Lachalade Cemetery.
    The survivor is rescued by the "Resistance".
    He will nevertheless be captured and sent in a camp of Prisoners of war untill the end of the war."
    credit Tom Kaufman. Lachalade 415264 Morcombe_WJ (2).jpg Lachalade Churchyard 426317 Conroy_RM (2).jpg Lachalade Collective Headstones (Large).jpg
    PO Morcombe left and F/S Conroy.
    Morcombe_WJ Photo.jpg Conroy_RM Photo.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2016
    CL1, Deacs and Peter Clare like this.
  7. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
    Peter Clare and CL1 like this.
  8. Hi, I've just joined the forum and have come across this post, as the 622 Squadron historian and member of the Mildenhall Register this post is very interesting to me. I am currently volunteering for the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) by writing all the biographies for the airmen who lost their lives serving on 622. I have a trip to France planned in October were I will be visiting all the graves and crash sites of 622 airman that rest in France. I would like to ask if I could use the crew photos within the biographies, full credit of course to the original source!
     
  9. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    I sure it will be all ok
     
  10. Thank you, what-or who is the original source of the photos or me to credit?
     
  11. Jon Cooper

    Jon Cooper New Member

    Hi ... I visit a cwgc site near to where I live each November to. 622 crew. Shot down 26/08/1944 just south of Luxembourg. Graveyard is Volmerange Les Mines .... will you be visiting that one ?
     
    CL1 likes this.
  12. HI Jon, Certainly intend to visit and pay my respects.
     
    Jon Cooper likes this.
  13. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    where there is a link credit the detail within the link
    if no link credit the forum member


    regards
    Clive
     
  14. Thanks Clive for verification.
    Howard
     

Share This Page