P/O Guy D J King DFC RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 12/13th June 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – ED916 – Op Bochum
Guy King from Suffolk was posted to 103 Squadron with his crew at the start of 1943. The crew flew an extremely demanding tour during which time Guy King was awarded a DFC. Tragically they were lost on their last trip. See below.
27-Jan-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
25-Feb-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
26-Feb-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – W4788 – Sgt GDJ King
28-Feb-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – W4788 – Sgt GDJ King
01-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
03-Mar-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
05-Mar-43 – Essen – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
08-Mar-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
09-Mar-43 – Munich – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
11-Mar-43 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt GDJ King
12-Mar-43- Essen – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
22-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED626 – Sgt GDJ King
26-Mar-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
27-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED713 – Sgt GDJ King
29-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King
08-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED713 – Sgt GDJ King
10-Apr-43 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ED713 – Sgt GDJ King
13-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King - Landed at Westcott
16-Apr-43 – Pilsen – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King
18-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King
20-Apr-43 – Stettin – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King
26-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King
28-Apr-43 - Gulf of Danzig – Lancaster – ED713 – Sgt GDJ King - ER - PO engine U/S just after take off.
30-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED713 – Sgt GDJ King
04-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt GDJ King
12-May-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED916 – Sgt GDJ King
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED916 – Sgt GDJ King
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
27-May-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Nieuweroord, Holland.
Reportedly shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Werner Rapp of the 7/NJG1
Above – A bombing photo taken by this crew on their Berlin raid on the 1/2nd March 1943. It is rather a good example with plenty of ground detail evident.
..........
P/O Guy D J King DFC RAFVR – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp L3 – POW no 1501.
Sgt C S King RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 103 Sqn - POW – Camp L6/357 – POW no 49.
F/O R Hemingway RAFVR – Navigator - 103 Sqn - POW – Camp L3 – POW no 1499.
Sgt Francis Norman Jay RAFVR – Observer - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of George Randolph and Jessie Louise Jay, of Clapham Common, London – Westerbork General Cemetery, Netherlands
Sgt G W Backhurst RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 103 Sqn – POW - Camp L6/357 – POW no 23.
F/L Guy Benedict Milner RCAF – Air Gunner - 103 Sqn - Westerbork General Cemetery, Netherlands
Sgt B H Godden RCAF – Air Gunner - 103 Sqn - POW - Camp L6/357 – POW no 147.
Guy King stayed in the RAF post war and retired in the mid 1960s
Guy Milner was a very experienced Air Gunner whose first tour was with 12 Squadron. He had two brothers killed in RCAF Bomber Command. Evan Milner died 29th January 1944 and Joseph Milner died 1st September 1943
..........
12-Jun-43 - Bochum
103 Squadron detailed 25 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Bochum. There was about 7/10ths cloud over the target and brilliant moonlight which helped the night fighters considerably but only The ground markinh method was used by the Pathfinders.Sgt Davison was engaged in a combat and that ceased when the mid upper gunner fired 100 rounds frightening the fighter away. The attack appears to have been most successful. Bombing heights were between 21000 ft and 24000 ft. F/O Van Rolleghem was hit by flak which damaged the port inner engine and oil system and holed the bomb doors undercarriage wings and rudders. The Germans used decoy markers but all crews differentiated between those and the real markers. Flak appears to have been in barrage form and not predicted. It was fairly accurate for height. Searchlight activity in the bright moonlight was fairly ineffective.Three aircraft returned early and one failed to take off. P/O King and crew on their last trip to complete their tour failed to return. All other aircraft returned to base.
For this attack on Bochum Bomber Command detailed a total of 503 aircraft - 323 Lancasters, 167 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos to Bochum. This raid took place over a completely cloud-covered target but accurate Oboe skymarking enabled the all Lancaster/Halifax Main Force to cause severe damage to the centre of Bochum. 14 Lancasters and 10 Halifaxes lost, 4.8 per cent of the force.
..........
Lancaster – ED916
This machine had a short career of one month being lost on its 8th trip.
12-May-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED916 – Sgt GDJ King
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED916 – Sgt – GDJ King
23-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED916 – S/L TO Prickett
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
27-May-43 – Essen - Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED916 – P/O GDJ King – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Nieuweroord, Holland.
Item compiled by David Fell with photo from my archive.
|
