Lancaster 1,
PG-C, Registration ME846 – 21st /22nd
June 1944
On
the night of 21st/22nd
June 1944, one of the shortest nights of the year, 16 Lancasters of 619
Squadron at Dunholme Lodge, were to be included with aircraft from 44
Squadron and
49 Squadron in a task force of 133 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos to attack
the oil
and fuel dumps at Wesseling, to the south of Cologne. This was
considered a
tough target, deep into enemy territory and new crews were not
included.
Lancaster
ME846, delivered to the
squadron on 11th June, had only flown 8 hours
and was to carry a big
load of both fuel and bombs for this raid. For the first time in the
seven
missions completed by the chosen crew, the bomb load was to include a
“Cookie”
(4,000lb bomb) plus 16 x 500 lb bombs and the bombing height for this
raid was
fixed at 20,000 feet.
The crew to fly the aircraft on this mission was made up of:
Pilot: Pilot Officer Mark Anthony Hamilton “Dave” Davis, RAFVR.
Flight Engineer: Sergeant W. Dennis “Geordie” Belshaw, RAF.
Bomb Aimer: Flight Sergeant Peter Edmund “Pete” Knox, RAAF.
Navigator: Flight Sergeant Leslie E. J. “Tag” Taylor, RAF.
Wireless Operator: Sergeant Thomas A, “Tom” Newbery, RAF
Mid-Upper Gunner: Sergeant George Harry Moggridge, RAFVR.
Rear Gunner: Pilot Officer John Ernest Ralf “Porky” Bowering, RCAF.
From the
diaries of Peter Knox, Leslie
Taylor and Dennis Belshaw; from RAF records as well as the official
report
submitted by the crew of the German fighter that shot down the
Lancaster, we
know some of the events that took place that night.
The
route for this raid was to
take the bomber stream in various dog-legs, in order to confuse the
enemy, to
the eventual target at Wesseling, south of Cologne, starting from an
assembly
point over the North Sea for all the aircraft involved, which was at
5230N/0300E.
At
2301 hours the heavily laden Lancaster
lumbered off the runway, rising slowly over the Lincolnshire
countryside with
its heavy load, the pilot, “Dave” Davis, struggling to join the 15
other
Lancasters of the Squadron as they moved out towards the North Sea.
Leslie
Taylor, as navigator, had
set the course to the assembly point and then on reaching this, had
given a new
heading to Dave to the next marker at 5145N/0350E, just south of the
island of
Walcheren, where the whole bomber stream was to be at 14,000 feet.
As
they flew over the North Sea
towards Europe, they ran into a problem. Flight Engineer, Dennis
Belshaw takes
up the story. “Initially
the trip was quiet & uneventful, then just after the first hour
had passed
we started to have our first trouble. It was nothing serious just a
spot of
overheating in two of our engines so I, as flight engineer of the
aircraft,
advised the Skipper to level out, for at that time we were still
climbing on
course. The Skipper taking my advice, levelled out and so, for the next
15
minutes, we flew along that way. When I decided that the engines were
cool
enough to resume climbing, I passed on the information to the Skipper
and we
started once more to climb. It was through this method of climbing in
slow and
easy stages that we got to 14,000 feet when we crossed over the Dutch
island of
Walcheren, close to the Belgium border.” On
reaching this next marker, Leslie Taylor gave a new heading to Dave of
090 degrees
which would take them and the rest of the formation clear of much of
the known
anti-aircraft batteries. All the aircraft were to climb to 18,000 feet.
A
short while later Peter Knox, the
bomb aimer, reported: “Fighter planes
were dropping flares which lit up the sky between the
Lancasters and the ground, silhouetting us for their attacks. Before we
came
under fire from that quarter, I reported seeing flashes from
anti-aircraft
guns on the ground and in accordance with established routines we
started to
weave.”
On
reaching the next turning
point at 5140N/0505E, a few kilometres north of Turnout in Belgium, the
bomber
stream split, some carrying on the course whilst ME846 turned south
with the
rest of the bombers onto a new heading on 170 degrees, heading to the
next
turning point at 5100N/0525E just north of Hesselt in Belgium. However
the
aircraft never made this next point, for, as it was approximately 20kms
south
west of Eindhoven and probably still below the main formation due to
the
earlier engine problems, it was picked out by a Messerschmitt Bf 110
G9+BC
night fighter of No. 1 Night Fighter Squadron, piloted by Hauptman
Eckhart von
Bonin, with navigator, Staff Sergeant Johrden and Gunner, First Private
Zerbach.
This aircraft has, in its armament, four upward firing guns that can be
used to
great effect when flying directly beneath an enemy aircraft. The tactic
adopted
was called “Schlage Music” where the Messerschmitt would slowly creep
up underneath
an unsuspecting bomber and shoot straight upwards into the wing tanks.
The
success rate was very high and the RAF had no idea for some months why
so many
aircraft were being lost. The reports subsequently made by the
Messerschmitt crew,
indicated that they took off on a night sortie at 0042 hours in
“undirected
tame boar” mode. (“Undirected tame boar” was a tactic used by night
fighters
with Liechtenstein Radar, without direction from ground radar,
searching in
groups and co-ordinating themselves by radio. The name derives from
“Raging
Boar”, a tactic used by day fighters who, when flying at night,
attacked on eye
sight alone without external or internal radar direction.). They soon
located
the bomber stream flying south-west of Eindhoven at 6,000 metres
(19,700 feet) on
a course of 170 degrees. At 0109 hours the radio operator identified
and
directed the pilot to a four engine bomber flying at 5400 metres
(18,000 feet).
The pilot of the Messerschmitt moved into the assault position beneath
the
Lancaster, he continues; “….at 0112 hours
I did shoot a
good laying, long salvo from the
fuselage to the right inner engine, the enemy plane instantly began to
burn
bright in the hit area….” The Gunner reported; “…the fire also covering the rear fuselage….”
Peter Knox comments: “… there was the sound of a
muffled explosion and a jolt. The pilot was momentarily startled and
said “!!!!”.
Our plane had been hit by ack-ack (he and the
rest of
the crew had no idea that they had in fact been targeted by an enemy
aircraft) and one of the
starboard
engines was on fire.”
Dennis
Belshaw: “We were hit in
the starboard
outer engine which caught fire immediately and even though I feathered
the
engine and then pressed the fire extinguisher button, the fire still
continued
to spread rapidly towards the fuel tanks.”
Peter
Knox: “Immediately we
reverted to the
language drilled into us in the many hours of practice for just such an
emergency. In a very few seconds he (the Skipper)
clearly recognised that the
fire was out
of control. In a calm clipped voice he said “abandon
aircraft-emergency, jump,
jump.” We now went into the automatic response stage. I was lying over
the
front exit through which the bomb-aimer, navigator, wireless-operator,
flight-engineer and pilot had to make their escape. The two gunners had
escape
routes at the rear. As soon as the pilot gave the orders to abandon the
plane,
we each had to confirm over the inter-com that we were jumping. As I
had to
lift up the escape hatch I responded first, “air-bomber jumping”. I
heard the
others starting to confirm that they were going too. There was no
shouting, no
calls for help. In a numbed state, I moved into the escape routine. I
scrambled
to my feet, grabbing and fixing the parachute onto the harness by clips
in
front of the chest and sneaking a look at the fire engulfing the wing.
I was
now disconnected from the inter-com. Since we were at close to 20,000
feet, we
had to keep using oxygen until the very last seconds. For this we had
individual supplies. I undid the clips of the escape hatch and lifted
it for
jettisoning. The force of the rush of air twisted it as it dropped
vertically
through the hatch. For a horrible second it was jamming the escape
route. I
kicked it clear, saw the gaping hole with a sense of enormous relief
and rolled
out head first.”
Dennis
Belshaw recounts that “On hearing
this, (the order to abandon the aircraft) I
went into a panic for a short while, but managed to calm down enough to
be able
to carry out my duties. I divested my helmet & oxygen mask,
clipped on my
parachute then handed the Skipper his parachute. By this time the
navigator was
pushing me from behind, hurrying me on. So seeing there was nothing
else I
could do and knowing that Pete the bomb aimer had already jumped, I
moved down
into the bomb aimer’s compartment and, after checking my ‘chute and
harness, I
jumped from the aircraft.” Years later, the widow of
Dennis Belshaw said
that Dennis had told her that he was reluctant to leave the aircraft.
He
apparently elected to assist Dave in the flying of the crippled plane,
but Dave
had had to order him to jump. This delay in leaving the aircraft is
perhaps why
the navigator was pressing him from behind
Leslie
Taylor was equally shocked
and reports on hearing the instruction to abandon the aircraft: “My
God, I’m a dead man I thought
to myself. However, I seemed to move away from my navigation table as
if it were
all part of the usual routine. I clipped on my parachute pack,
discarded my
helmet and moved forward to the nose in readiness for the “bailing
out”. From
the cabin I could see that our starboard outer engine had gone and that
we were
blazing furiously aft. I tapped the pilot on the shoulder and waved
cheerio.
Once in the nose, without losing a single second, I plunged through the
escape
hatch.” The wireless operator, Thomas Newbery followed
Leslie out of the
aircraft. Unfortunately we do not
have his account.
Peter
Knox continues: “It takes no
courage to leave a
burning aircraft with a load of bombs and fuel aboard. The instinct for
survival is strong and the sky stretching out below represented safety.
All
this time the pilot was holding the plane steady. As I tumbled clear of
the
plane, I fumbled for the ripcord. At first my hand found the cloth
strap of the
parachute bag. Quickly it moved to the ripcord. I pulled it and almost
instantly the parachute opened and, with a violent jerk, my fall was
broken. I
found myself floating. This was an environment for which there had been
no
rehearsal. I was no longer responding like a robot to in-built
commands. The
disaster which had hit us struck me and, although I have never been a
hard swearer,
my first conscious thought was to say “-------”. Then I recollect
thanking God
I had escaped and rather desperately willing that my mother and father
should
somehow know I was alive. I could hear the droning of the Lancasters
above as
they pushed on towards the target.”
Meanwhile,
as the aircraft had
rapidly descended out of the main stream of the formation, Dave had
turned the
aircraft to port and onto a reciprocal course and although uninjured
had been
holding the lurching plane as steadily as possible to allow all of the
crew to
escape. What happened next is not clear. It is known that the flight
engineer,
the navigator and the
wireless-operator
left the aircraft after the bomb aimer, but the fifth to leave by that
exit,
Dave, did not follow and it would appear the two gunners never made it
from
their exit either, despite a clear indication from the mid-upper
gunner, George
Moggridge, that he was jumping. However, both Peter and Leslie were
sure that
the rear-gunner, John Bowering, already lay dead in his turret as
nothing was
heard from him over the intercom before they jumped.
It is therefore likely that whilst Dave
stayed at the controls of the aircraft, George Moggridge, on clipping
on his
parachute in the rear of the plane, noticed that the rear-gunner had
not left
the aircraft and went to his aid, telling Dave of the problem at the
same time.
However, with the starboard wing and the rear of the fuselage now on
fire, it
is also possible that the escape exit for the gunners was blocked by
these
flames, as their exit was on the starboard side of the plane.
The
crew of the Messerschmitt
reported that after being hit, the Lancaster went into a left curve and
into a
steep dive, burning brightly. At the upper layer of cloud cover at
about 1,000
metres (3,300 feet) there was a small explosion and the aircraft broke
into two
parts with the right wing falling away from the fuselage. The two parts
crashed
at 0114 hours with the impact fire seen as a sudden illumination
through the
thin cloud cover. They reported the wreck site to be about 20-30 km
south-south
west of Eindhoven.
This
reported “sudden
illumination” would have been when the aircraft’s bomb load finally
exploded,
for, according to RAF records, the aircraft exploded in mid-air with
the crash
site in the Bladel Woods on the Dutch side of the boarder with Belgium,
but
nothing to identify it has ever been recovered by the RAF. Peter Knox,
Leslie
Taylor & Dennis Belshaw indicated that it exploded below them
whilst they
were still on their parachutes above the cloud cover, so, like the crew
of the
Messerschmitt, all they would have seen would have been the
illumination of the
explosion through the cloud.
Peter Knox
again, whilst still
descending by parachute: “Within a very
short space of time I saw the explosion as our plane
plummeted into the ground. I wondered if the others had got out and I
shouted
out the name of “George”, our mid-upper gunner. I thought he might have
jumped
about the same time as me. My voice seemed to be lost in the vast dark
space
around me and I realised there was no possibility of making any form of
human
contact. I calculated that it took me some 15 minutes to reach the
ground. At
first I found it hard to stop myself from swinging as the wind blew the
parachute around and at one point I was sick. Then I entered calmer air
and the
descent became quite smooth. Looking back I cannot recall worrying
about the
landing. I knew we were over land and that our flight path had kept us
clear of
major cities. I passed through some clouds and before I had time to
realise it
I had hit the ground on the fringe of a pine forest and my parachute
was
snagged on a small tree. Luck was on my side. I was unhurt. The weather
was
fine. It was dark and I was in an isolated area.”
On
leaving the aircraft, Dennis
Belshaw comments, “I had no trouble
whatsoever with my parachute, it opened smoothly and quickly and so I
started
my slow descent to the earth or the black unknown below me. On the way
down I
had one or two scares. First of all there was a rocket coming for me or
at
least so I thought, then there was Flak bursting on all sides of me,
but to
crown it all, fighter flares were dropping on my left and through the
illumination I could see a fighter coming towards me. On seeing this I
slumped
in my harness as though I was dead and it seemed to work for on seeing
this he
banked sharply to my port and left me alive to continue down to earth.
My
actions may have been foolish, but it is best in my opinion to take no
chances
these days. I was slowly descending and at that moment I hit the cloud,
which
in my opinion was about at 10,000 feet. It was then that I realised I
was on my
own and in a rotten predicament coming down in enemy territory. For the
next
few minutes I forgot all about that because my descent was ending and I
was
about 50 feet from the ground before I realised it was so near. The
next thing
that happened was as I was getting ready for the impact, I felt
something
whipping passed me and it wasn’t until I became stationary that I
realised that
my parachute had caught itself in the branches of a large poplar tree
and that
I had been dragged through the branches. I also realised at that moment
that I
was suspended by my parachute about 10 or 15 feet from the ground and
that
though having all my weight on my harness, I could not release myself
from the
chute. On seeing this I started to swing about until my right foot
rested on a
branch and then taking my weight on my right leg, I managed to release
myself
from the harness and parachute. Immediately this happened I fell to the
ground
and after recovering from the shock of the impact, discovered I had
come
through all my adventures without a scratch.”
Leslie
Taylor had a similar
experience, “…the next thing I knew I was
floating down to earth. It was an exhilarating feeling after the stuffy
atmosphere of the aircraft, but the constant anti-aircraft shells
bursting all
around me were rather worrying, also the fact that I was over enemy
occupied
territory and wondering what was going to happen to me. Whilst I was
still
coming down, I heard a terrible explosion beneath me and when I saw the
flames
shooting up, I realised that it was the end of “C” Charlie, our
faithful
Lancaster Bomber. Through the darkness I was just able to make out some
vague
shadows; it looked like a wood and before I realised just what it was,
I hit
the ground with a bump, certainly not in the approved fashion. I picked
myself
up and after releasing my harness, said to myself, “You’re safe on
terra firma,
you lucky blighter”. When I thought of what might have happened to my
crew, a
lump came to my throat.”
This
explosion of the aircraft is
confirmed by the Parish priest from Postel who says “1944, night of 20 June;
(it is thought that he has the incorrect date as no aircraft were
reported lost
over Postel on 20th) heavy firing from
Flak to squadrons of RAF-planes flying direction Germany. A loaded
bomber
exploded in the air in the vicinity of the border-markers on the
Bladelse weg.
The explosion was so violent that all the windows of the houses were
broken.
Two "pilotes" (airmen) were
found dead, very heavy wounded ("vermorzeld"= "crushed"?).
Others were saved by parachute. One of them with a "sprained ankle"
gave himself up to the Germans, after landing at "Steenovens"
(a location about 4km south of the presumed
crash
site. This man is thought to be the fourth crew member to bail-out, the
wireless operator, Thomas Newbery.) On
June 23, 14 German soldiers
arrived in the abbey. Their task: to clean up all the plane-wreckage in
the
entire region..."
From
Leslie Taylor we know that
the aircraft was shot down at approximately 0120 hours on 22nd
June,
near Postel and close to the Belgium/Dutch boarder. He estimated his
position
when he landed as 15kms southeast of Postel but to the northeast of a
canal or
river which blocked his movements to the west. Peter Knox, bailing out
first,
had landed further to the south-east, but on the southern side of this
obstruction and therefore had an easier route towards the west. German
reports confirm
the crash site to be 4kms north of Postel.
Leslie
Taylor, Thomas Newbery,
and Dennis Belshaw were eventually captured and spent the next 11
months until
the end of hostilities, as prisoners of war. Peter Knox made contact
with the
Belgium resistance movement and eventually arrived back in England,
where he
immediately insisted on meeting with all the British families of the
crew to
inform them of the circumstances of that night. On his way home to
Australia,
he stopped in Canada to meet with the parents of John Bowering too.
These families
have always been most grateful to Peter for this selfless act in taking
the
time to explain to them what had occurred that night.
The
RAF losses for this raid were
very high, with 37 aircraft failing to return, a loss rate of nearly
28%. For
619 Squadron the loss rate was even higher as 6 aircraft failed to
return out
of 15 (one aircraft had to abandon the raid due to technical problems),
a loss
rate of 40%. The comment in the squadron Operation Log says “Six
aircraft did
not return, a very black blot in the history of the squadron. Never
before have
so many failed to return from one operation”.
The
bodies of the two gunners
from ME846, Sergeant George Moggridge and Pilot Officer John Bowering
were
recovered and were moved to Deurne and then re-buried side by side
after the
war at the Schoonselhof cemetery in Antwerp in Plot IVa, Row F, Graves
16 &
17.
But of Dave
there was nothing.
One year later his mother still not knowing if her son was alive or
dead, wrote
to the mother of Dennis Belshaw, “My son was the
pilot of the aircraft in which your son was the engineer.
The Air Ministry say they can find no trace of my son and if you have
any news
of your son or any information as to how the aircraft was abandoned,
will you
please let me know? I know nothing and the suspense is beyond words!
Please let
me know all you can.” Despite the
information supplied by the surviving
members of the crew, she died 8 years later, resigned to the fact that
her son
had died that night, but still not knowing where her beloved son’s body
lay at
rest.
The
families of the crew will not
forget the actions of Dave and all the crew that night in those vital
two
minutes between being hit and the aircraft eventually exploding for, of
the
four who escaped and subsequently married, three produced offspring who
in turn
have married. There are now over 35 people who owe their lives to the
courage
of Dave remaining at the controls of the aircraft and many live in the
hope
that his final resting place will eventually be found.
The
closure of this would be the
recovery of Dave’s remains for a formal burial. However, this seems
highly
unlikely, as the records held by the RAF confirm the total
disintegration of the
aircraft, a not uncommon occurrence for a plane fully laden with fuel
and bombs
which is also crippled by fire. For me the final chapter of this story
will to
be the recovery of Dave, as he was my mother’s youngest brother, aged
just 20
years.
Paul M Stevenson
5th June 2005
Updated
information.
On
11th June 2005 a plaque was dedicated to
the crew at Newark Air Museum as it was on this site when it was RAF
Winthorpe,
1661 Heavy Conversion Unit, that the crew trained on four engined
Stirlings in
March 1944 before being posted to their squadron at Dunholme Lodge.
Many of the
relatives of the crew attended this event.
On
3rd September 2006 my wife and I and 55
relations and friends of the crew of Lancaster ME846 and over 200 local
people
were present at a ceremony in Belgium to commemorate the crew and also
members
of the Belgian Resistance who helped so many stranded allied airmen
return to
the UK at a considerable risk, not only to themselves, but also to
their
families. A monument to both the crew and the resistance has been
erected by
the mayor and people of nearby Mol. This is situated in the Bladel
Woods close
the Dutch border and as near to the probable crash site as possible,
although
no information as to the exact location has yet emerged.
On
20th October 2010,
Jane Kiepura has received an email from a Belgian, Koen Peeters,
telling her
that in the past 10 days he had discovered bits of aluminium and
“broken
bullets” in an area north of Postel Abbey on the Belgian side of the
border
with Holland. On 21st October he identified a
large crater in the
Bladel Woods with more debris and he wonders if this might be the crash
site of
ME846. He has spoken to Kamiel Mertens who is one of our Belgian
contacts
investigating all the leads to where ME846 crashed. On 22nd
October
Koen Peeters found what he believed to be a metal buckle from a
parachute,
which is significant because there were possibly three parachutes in
the
aircraft when it crashed. On
23rd
October Koen Peeters decided to stop digging any further and to leave
this to
the proper authorities and out of respect for the possible remains of
the pilot
that may lie at this location.
On
26th October 2010 Kamiel
Mertens and Wim Govaerts visited the site and confirmed that a British
aircraft
had crashed at that location and that it was most likely to be ME846.
In their
opinion, the crater was consistent with the explosion of a 4,000lb
bomb. So
perhaps the aircraft had not exploded in the air, but on the ground.
On
5th April 2011
Howard Heeley and I visited Postel Abbey in Belgium to meet with Father
Ivor Billiaert, Kamiel Mertens, Wim
Govaerts, Koen Peeters and Cynrik De Decker, to discuss if a search of
the
surrounding area was feasible. We visited the site, which is a peaceful
location within the Bladel Woods about 300 metres from the Dutch
border. The
crater is 14 metres across and 4 metres deep. This has been deepened by
the
forestry authorities to hold water for fire fighting purposes. Pieces
of
aluminium are evident all around and some ferrous metal is buried more
deeply,
which is going to be investigated as these could possibly be unexploded
bombs.
British ammunition of .303 calibre used in Lancaster guns turrets was
also
found. It was agree that members of BAHA will conduct a survey of the
area this
summer to investigate if there is any evidence to justify a major
excavation in
the area of the crater.
On returning from Belgium, I again wrote to the RAF to enquire as to any further information related to the crash of ME84 as the records held at The National Archives of the survey made by the RAF after the war to identify sites where airmen were still "missing", is it's self missing from the archives. I received a reply dated 19th May 2011, which indicated that the records still held by the RAF confirm that the aircraft did indeed explode in mid-air. This would explain why only small parts of aluminium have been found that are scattered over a wide area, but does not explain the large crater. (This letter is reproduced in full on pages 11 & 12) On 2nd October 2011 the BAHAAT and Belgian Plane Hunters completed a survey of the crash site and in the crater. Various significant parts were unearthed, some with serial numbers, which could be used to identify the aircraft. These included: cockpit light; armour plate from pilot's seat; parachute harness buckle; tail fin balance weight; engine parts; metal surround from rear gun turret; various aluminium parts and cabling. Further analysis of some of these parts will be undertaken off site. However, no remains of the pilot were found during this survey. Towards the very end of 2011, an exhibition was mounted in Belgium to show the general public many of the items found at the crash site during the survey and over 1000 people attended this exhibition. The site has still not been confirmed as the crash site of ME846. Paul M Stevenson 6th February 2012
Acknowledgements
(in no specific order)
Jane Kiepura – Daughter of Peter Knox, Bomb Aimer
Gerald Moggridge – Brother to George Moggridge, Upper Gunner
Chris Bowering – Nephew to John Bowering, Rear Gunner
Father Norman Taylor – Son of Leslie Taylor, Navigator
Lettie Belshaw – Wife of Dennis Belshaw, Flight Engineer
Kamiel Mertens – Flemish Researcher and author/publisher
Johan Claes – Flemish University Professor and Author
Howard Heeley – Trustee, Newark Air Museum, Northamptonshire
Wim Govaerts – Belgian Aviation History Association Archaeological Team (BAHAAT)
Neil Webster – Aviation expert
Paul Petersen – Netherlands Air Force Recovery Unit
Dave Greenley – Translators from Dutch to English and visa versa
Koen Peeters – Belgian Author
Cynrik de Decker – Chairman, Belgian Aviation History Association Archaeological Team (BAHAAT)
Father Ivor Billiaert – Archivist at Postel Abbey
Photograph of the crew taken at RAF Winthorpe, 1661 Conversion Unit, in early March 1944 in front of their Short Stirling after ground training at Scampton. (Note the snow in the fields on the left of the picture)
(Left to Right)
- Flight Sergeant, Peter Edmund “Pete” Knox – A418433 RAAF – Bomb Aimer
- Sergeant, Thomas. A. “Tom” Newbery – 1602063 RAF – Wireless Operator
- Sergeant, W. Dennis “Geordie” Belshaw – 1808996 RAF – Flight Engineer
- Pilot Officer, Mark Anthony Hamilton “Dave” Davis – 174023 RAFVR – Pilot
- Flight Sergeant, Leslie E. J. “Tag” Taylor – 1585057 RAF – Navigator
- Sergeant, George Harry Moggridge – 1896779 RAFVR - Mid-Upper Gunner
- Pilot Officer, John Ernest Ralph “Porky” Bowering – J/88199 RCAF – Rear Gunner
On the night of 21/22 June 1944, their aircraft (Lancaster 1 – ME846, Reg. PG-C) suffered severe night fighter damage and the starboard outer engine caught fire. Whilst the pilot held the aircraft steady, he instructed his crew to jump. Four of the crew are known to have bailed out and survived. According to RAF records and ground reports, the aircraft exploded in mid-air, close to the ground. An intensive search located the bodies of the rear and upper gunners, but failed to find the remains of the pilot or indeed much of the aircraft.
- Flight Sergeant, P. E. Knox – Evaded capture and escaped back to England.
- Sergeant, T. A. Newbery – POW.
- Sergeant, W. D. Belshaw – POW
- Pilot Officer, M. A. H. Davis – Killed in action– No known grave.
- Flight Sergeant, L. E. Taylor – POW
- Sergeant, G. H. Moggridge – Killed in action – Buried: Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerp, Belgium in Plot IVa, Row F, Grave 16.
- Pilot Officer, J. E. R. Bowering – Killed in action – Buried: Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerp, Belgium, in Plot IVa, Row F, Grave 17.
Memorial to the crew of Lancaster ME846 and to the members of the Belgian Resistance, erected by the people of Mol, Belgium and unveiled on 3rd September 2006
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