P/O Harry B Smith RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1942
Failed to Return – 17/18th December 1942 – Avro Lancaster I – W4786 – Op Minelaying Nyborg/Great Belt.
Harry Smith ( pictured above ) was a Yorkshire man and husband of Mary of Cross Gates Leeds and a graduate of Leeds University. He was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in the spring of 1942 as a Sgt pilot and flew several operations as a co-pilot. He then graduated to full captain of his own crew and flew 5 operation on Wellingtons from the 3rd June 1942 to the 23rd June 1942. 103 Sqn converted to Halifaxes at this time and he flew 8 operations in that type from the 16th August 1942 to the 24th October 1942. 103 Sqn changed aircraft again to Lancasters at this point and Harry, now a Pilot Officer converted to the new type. He completed 6 operations on Lancasters and was shot down on the 7th.
He was one of only two 103 Sqn pilot who had flown all 3 types of heavy bombers on operations during that period.
03-Jun-42 – Dieppe – Wellington – X9675 – Sgt HB Smith - Located target too late due to cloud cover and returned with bombs
08-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – X9675 – Sgt HB Smith
11-Jun-42 - Ameland/Dutch coast – Wellington – X9666 – Sgt HB Smith
22-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – X9675 – Sgt HB Smith
23-Jun-42 - Amelande/Dutch coast – Wellington – DV878 – Sgt HB Smith
16-Aug-42 – Dusseldorf – Halifax – W1220 – Sgt HB Smith - Navigated to target by T/R 1 x 1,000lb bomb hung up.
27-Aug-42 – Kassel – Halifax – W1220 – Sgt HB Smith
28-Aug-42 – Nuremberg – Halifax – W1220 – Sgt HB Smith – Did not take off – Aircraft unserviceable.
10-Sep-42 – Dusseldorf – Halifax – W1182 – Sgt HB Smith
14-Sep-42 – Bremen – Halifax – W7772 – Sgt HB Smith – ER - Pilots escape hatch blew off soon after take off. Jettisoned bombs and returned to base
14-Sep-42 – Wilhelmshaven – Halifax – BB223 – Sgt HB Smith
02-Oct-42 – Krefeld – Halifax – W7705 – Sgt HB Smith – Did not take off – Aircraft unserviceable.
05-Oct-42 – Aachen – Halifax – BB223 – Sgt HB Smith
06-Oct-42 – Osnabruck – Halifax – BB223 – Sgt HB Smith
24-Oct-42 – Milan – Halifax – BB223 – Sgt HB Smith – Early Return - Fuel pressure lights came on due to air in fuel pipes. Jettisoned bombs
22-Nov-42 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
28-Nov-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
02-Dec-42 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith - Diverted to Middleton-St-George.
06-Dec-42 – Mannheim – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
08-Dec-42 - Helsingborg/Kullen Sound – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
09-Dec-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
17-Dec-42 - Nyborg/Great Belt – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith – FTR - Night fighter victim.. Crashed at Gejlbjerg, Denmark.
Reportedly shot down outbound by German night fighter piloted by Gruppenkommandore Major Günther Radusch from Stab. II./NJG
See Air War over Denmark web page here
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P/O Harry Bernard Smith RAFVR – Pilot – 27 – 103 Sqn - Son of John and Annie Smith; husband of Mary Smith, of Cross Gates, Yorkshire. B.A. (Leeds) – Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
Sgt Frederick Reginald Collins RAF – Flight Engineer – 103 Sqn - Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
F/O Samuel Tweedy Hewitt RAFVR – Navigator – 103 Sqn - Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
Sgt Gerald Thomas Canterbury RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Sidney Thomas Canterbury and Beatrice Canterbury of Shrewsbury, Shropshire - Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
Sgt Norman Frater RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
W/O Jack Athelston Hollinsworth RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner – 34 – 103 Sqn - Son of George A. and Nina A. Hollinsworth, of Long Branch, Ontario, Canada. His brother William West Hollinsworth also fell - Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
W/O Angus Daniel MacDonald RCAF – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
Sgt Canterbury is shown as Wireless Operator / Air Gunner in the CWGR but he was a regular in this crew and I suspect he was in fact Air Bomber. This loss must have been another serious blow to the Squadron as this was a very experienced crew
W/O Jack Athelston Hollinsworth RCAF
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17-Dec-42 - Nyborg/Great Belt
103 Squadron operations this day were prepared for but cancelled at the last minute. However the Squadron detailed one aircraft for a minelaying duty, that of P/O H B Smith and crew and unfortunately they failed to return
Bomber Command undertook a number of minor operations on this night. 27 Lancasters of 5 Group were sent on raids to 8 small German towns and 16 Stirlings and 6 Wellingtons of 3 Group attempted to attack the Opel works at Fallersleben. This type of limited operation proved to be a costly failure. 9 of the 27 Lancasters were lost and, at Fallersleben, only 3 aircraft bombed the target, in cloud conditions, and 6 Stirlings and 2 Wellingtons were lost from this part of the night's operations. 50 aircraft were dispatched to lay mines from Denmark to southern Biscay - 1 Lancaster was lost - and there were 5 OTU sorties to France.
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Lancaster W4786
This machine was lost on its7th operation all with P/O Harry Smith and crew.
22-Nov-42 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
28-Nov-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
02-Dec-42 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith - Diverted to Middleton-St-George.
06-Dec-42 – Mannheim – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
08-Dec-42 - Helsingborg/Kullen Sound – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
09-Dec-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith
17-Dec-42 - Nyborg/Great Belt – Lancaster – W4786 – P/O HB Smith – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Gejlbjerg, Denmark
Item compiled by David Fell with photos courtesy of the Smith family.
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