F/S H R Marsden RAFVR and crew - 103 Squadron - 576 Squadron 1944
Marsden's crew were detailed for several operations with 103 Squadron as part of C Flight before transferring to 576 Squadron at the end of November 1943.
The crew consisted of :-
F/S H R Marsden, Sgt C C Rudland, Sgt John Marcus William Pasley, Sgt D Waterhouse, Sgt R W Williams, Sgt R E Rogers and Sgt M A Frost.
Williams was replaced by Sgt F H Gage for the first operation.
This crew flew the following operations with Marsden at which point he left the Squadron :-
103 Squadron
22-Oct-43 – Kassel - Point of Aim – Lancaster – ED713 – Sgt HR Marsden
03-Nov-43 – Dusseldorf - Point of Aim – Lancaster – JB555 – Sgt HR Marsden
10-Nov-43 – Modane - Railway yards – Lancaster – ED417 – Sgt HR Marsden
23-Nov-43 – Berlin - Point of Aim – Lancaster – LM332 – F/S HR Marsden – Did not take off - Cancelled due to high winds which caused some aircraft to swing on take off
26-Nov-43 – Berlin - Point of Aim – Lancaster – LM332 – F/S HR Marsden - Diverted to Scorton because of bad visibility at base
576 Squadron
16/12/1943 – Berlin - Point of Aim – W4245 – F/S HR Marsden – Early return - Low oil pressure
29/12/1943 – Berlin - Point of Aim – LM381 – F/S HR Marsden
01/01/1944 – Berlin - Point of Aim – JA868 – F/S HR Marsden
02/01/1944 – Berlin - Point of Aim – JA868 – F/S HR Marsden
05/01/1944 – Stettin - Point of Aim – ND402 – F/S HR Marsden
14/01/1944 – Brunswick - Point of Aim – ND402 – F/S HR Marsden
20/01/1944 – Berlin - Point of Aim – ND402 – F/S HR Marsden
21/01/1944 – Magdeburg - Point of Aim – ND402 – F/S HR Marsden
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F/O Stan Slater DFC then took over this crew. He was a very experienced captain at the start of his second tour. His first was with 100 Squadron.
Above - The Marsden crew with their new skipper Stan Slater
Their tour was then as follows :-
15/02/1944 – Berlin - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/O S Slater
19/02/1944 – Leipzig - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/O S Slater
20/02/1944 – Stuttgart - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/O S Slater
24/02/1944 – Schweinfurt - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/O S Slater
25/02/1944 – Augsburg - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/O S Slater
22/03/1944 – Frankfurt - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
24/03/1944 – Berlin - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
26/03/1944 – Essen - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
30/03/1944 – Nuremberg - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
10/04/1944 – Aulnoye - Railway yards – LL799 – F/L S Slater
11/04/1944 – Aachen - Point of Aim – LL799 - F/L S Slater
18/04/1944 – Rouen - Railway yards – LL799 – F/L S Slater
20/04/1944 – Cologne - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
22/04/1944 – Dusseldorf - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
24/04/1944 – Karlsruhe - Point of Aim – LL799 – F/L S Slater
27/04/1944 - Friedrichshafen - Point of Aim - L799 – F/L S Slater
30/04/1944 – Maintenon - Ammunition dump – LL799 – F/L S Slater
11/05/1944 – Hasselt - Railway yards – LL799 – F/L S Slater
24/05/1944 – Aachen - Railway yards – LL799 – S/L S Slater
06/06/1944 – Vire - Railway communications – LL799 – S/L S Slater
14/06/1944 - Le Havre - Naval forces – LL799 – S/L S Slater
22/06/1944 – Mimoyecques - V weapon – LL799 – S/L S Slater
07/07/1944 – Caen - Army support – LL799 – S/L S Slater
18/07/1944 - Scholven Buer – Oil – LL799 – S/L S Slater
23/07/1944 – Kiel - Point of Aim – LL799 – S/L S Slater
25/07/1944 – Stuttgart - Point of Aim – LL799 – S/L S Slater
12/08/1944 – Bordeaux - U boat base – PD235 – S/L S Slater
13/08/1944 – Falaise - Army support - PD235 – S/L S Slater
29/08/1944 – Stettin - Point of Aim – PD235 – S/L S Slater
12/09/1944 – Frankfurt - Point of Aim – PD235 – S/L S Slater
23/09/1944 – Neuss - Point of Aim – PD235 – S/L S Slater
The crew seems to have flown largely unchanged up until Caen on the 7th July.
After that Rudland was replaced by Sgt H R Piper, Waterhouse was replaced by Sgt H W Vine, Rogers was replaced by F/S C R Anthony and Frost was replaced by P/O E Parker.
John Pasley was commissioned and this was Gazetted in October 1944. There may have been one or two more but I cannot find these in the Gazette.
Stan Slater awarded a DSO and posted to the 13 Base Staff under A/C F R D Swain. He flew one more operation, a mining sortie with 103 Squadron, late in the war, was shot down and evaded from Denmark to Sweden
The rest of the crew went their separate ways and seem to have survived the war.
Item compiled by David Fell with thanks to the late Stan Slater for background info.
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