S/L I K P Cross DFC RAFO and crew - 103 Squadron - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1941/42
12th February 1942 - Vickers Wellington IC - Z8714 - Op Fuller/Channel Dash
Murdered by the Germans in the aftermath of The Great Escape - 24th March 1944.
Born in 4th April 1918 Squadron Leader Cross came from Hayling Island, Hampshire, England. He joined the RAF in the late thirties and served with 38 Squadron. After the outbreak of the war he completed 34 operations and was awarded the DFC. A posting as an instructor to 11 OTU at Bassingbourne followed in July 1940 . On the 9th August 1941 he joined 103 Squadron as B Flight commander flying on the following operations :-
S/L I K P Cross ops flown with 103 Squadron
29-Aug-41 - Le Havre - Wellington - X9813 – S/L IKP Cross - Unable to locate primary and brought bombs back to base.
31-Aug-41 - Essen - Wellington - W5690 – S/L IKP Cross
07-Sep-41 - Berlin - Wellington - X9665 – S/L IKP Cross - Hit by flak. Unable to reach primary.
10-Sep-41 - Turin - Wellington - X9665 – S/L IKP Cross
12-Sep-41 - Frankfurt - Wellington - X9665 – S/L IKP Cross
26-Sep-41 - Cologne - Wellington - Z8843 – S/L IKP Cross – Aborted. General recall. Bombed Ostend.
29-Sep-41 - Stettin - Wellington - K9744 – S/L IKP Cross
20-Oct-41 - Emden - Wellington - T2770 – S/L IKP Cross
09-Nov-41 - Ostend - Wellington - R1347 - S/L IKP Cross
16-Dec-41 - Wilhelmshaven - Wellington - Z1142 – S/L IKP Cross - Unable to locate primary. Bombed Aurich
09-Jan-42 - Brest - Wellington - Z1142 – S/L IKP Cross
15-Jan-42 - Hamburg - Wellington - Z1140 – S/L IKP Cross – Did not take off
06-Feb-42 - Brest - Wellington - DV452 – S/L IKP Cross - Unable to locate target. Returned to base with bombs
12-Feb-42 - Operation Fuller - Wellington - Z8714 – S/L IKP Cross - FTR - Probable flak victim. Ditched in North Sea
His last operation was on the 12th February 1942 when the Squadron participated in Operation Fuller also known as the Channel Dash. This was the attempt by the RAF to find and sink 3 German capital ships that had broken out of the French port of Brest and had made a dash up the Channel to seek refuge in their German home ports. The weather during the day was poor with cloud base down to 300ft in places. Squadron Leader Cross and his crew were shot down by flak from German naval units and crashed in the sea 40 miles off Rotterdam. He was picked up by the Germans with 3 other survivors and all were made prisoner of war. Whilst in captivity Squadron Leader Cross became an experienced escaper.
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Cross crew
S/L Ian Kingston Pembroke Cross DFC MID RAFO – 25 – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp 21B/L3 – POW no 2 - Son of Pembroke H. C. Cross and Jeannie Cross of Hayling Island, Hampshire – Died in captivity
Sgt R A Eshelby RAFVR – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp 8B/344/L1 – POW no 24758
F/L R M Phillipps RAFVR ( pictured below ) – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp L3 – POW no 24
Sgt Melville James RAFVR – 26 – 103 Sqn - Son of Charles H. and Ethel James; husband of Mary James of Christchurch, Hampshire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt W C D Gallop RAFVR – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp 8B/344/357 – POW no 24757
F/S Donald Richard George Holmes RAFVR – 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Holmes of Chailey, Sussex - Runnymede Memorial.
S/L Cross was an active escaper at Sagan POW Camp and was murdered by the Germans in the aftermath of the Great Escape in March 1944.
S/L Ian Kingston Pembroke Cross DFC RAFO – Pilot – 25 – 103 Sqn - Son of Pembroke H. C. Cross and Jeannie Cross, of Hayling Island, Hampshire – Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Poland.March 1944.
F/L R M Phillipps RAFVR
For more details of the Great Escape see this Article here
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For details of Operation Fuller - The Channel Dash see this Article here
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Wellington - Z8714
25-Jan-42 - Brest - Wellington - Z8714 – Sgt GW Lewis - Unable to locate primary. Bombed flak concentrations
28-Jan-42 - Munster - Wellington - Z8714 – Sgt GW Lewis
06-Feb-42 - Brest - Wellington - Z8714 – Sgt GW Lewis - Landed West Raynham
11-Feb-42 - Brest - Wellington - Z8714 – Sgt GW Lewis
12-Feb-42 - Operation Fuller - Wellington - Z8714 – S/L IKP Cross - FTR - Probable flak victim. Ditched in North Sea
Item compiled and written by David Fell. I am most grateful to the late Stan Szuba for the photographs and some of the information used in this item. Also the Sun newspaper who ran a story on the Eric Kennington portrait of Cross which was up for sale in Sept 2017 and published 2 splendid photos.
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