P/O James A H Nimmo RAAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1944
Failed to Return – 9/10th April 1944 – Avro Lancaster III – ND420 – Op Minelaying Gdynia Bay.
James Nimmo ( pictured above ) and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in early January 1944. There their first operation was cancelled but they completed 11 others successfully before being lost on their 12th. See below :-
21-Jan-44 – Magdeburg – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF – Did not take off
27-Jan-44 – Berlin - Lancaster - ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
28-Jan-44 – Berlin - Lancaster - ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
30-Jan-44 – Berlin - Lancaster - ND420 - /O JAH Nimmo RAAF
15-Feb-44 – Berlin - Lancaster - ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
19-Feb-44 – Leipzig - Lancaster - ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF - Landed at Kirmington.
20-Feb-44 – Stuttgart - Lancaster - JB744 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
24-Feb-44 – Schweinfurt - Lancaster – ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
25-Feb-44 – Augsburg - Lancaster – ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
15-Mar-44 – Stuttgart - Lancaster – ND420 - W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
18-Mar-44 – Frankfurt - Lancaster – ND420 - P/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
30-Mar-44 – Nuremberg - Lancaster – ND420 - P/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
09-Apr-44 - Gdynia Bay - Lancaster – ND420 - P/O JAH Nimmo RAAF – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Brande, Denmark.
For more information regarding the loss of this crew and photos see Soren Flensted’s the Air War Over Denmark website
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Nimmo crew less pilot - Rear L to R Smith, Roberts, Bradley.
Front L to R Bernaldo, Thornton, Bennet ( replaced by James Nimmo before the crew were operational ), Clohessy.
P/O James Andrew Harold Nimmo RAAF – Pilot - 21 – 103 Sqn - Son of Brigadier Robert Harold Nimmo and Joan Margaret Nimmo of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – Esbjerg Fourfelt Cemetery, Denmark.
Sgt James Manderson Roberts RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Annie Taylor Roberts of Falkirk, Stirlingshire – Esbjerg Fourfelt Cemetery, Denmark.
P/O Thomas Wallace Bradley RAAF - 21 – 103 Sqn - Son of Thomas Vincent Bradley and Elizabeth Gilmore Bradley of Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia – Esbjerg Fourfelt Cemetery, Denmark.
F/S J Smith RAAF – 103 Sqn – POW – Camps L6/L4/357 – POW no 3504
F/S Jack Bernaldo RAAF - 27 – 103 Sqn - Malvern, Victoria, Australia – Esbjerg Fourfelt Cemetery, Denmark.
P/O Arthur Thomas Thornton RAAF - 24 – 103 Sqn - Son of Arthur Henry and Eileen Kathleen Thornton; husband of Shirley Joyce Thornton of Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia – Esbjerg Fourfelt Cemetery, Denmark.
F/S K F Clohessy RAAF – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp L3 – POW no 4182
F/S Jack Bernaldo RAAF
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09-Apr-44 - Gdynia Bay
103 Squadron detailed 9 aircraft for this Gardening ( Minelaying ) operation in the Baltic – Gdynia Bay. This was the first high level minelaying task the Squadron had undertaken. Each aircraft carried 5 x 1500 lb assorted mines and these were dropped from between 14000 ft to 15000 ft. The route was considered a good one and visibility in the Garden ( Target Area ) was excellent enabling the new method of delivery to be successfully carried out. Back plotting of the logs showed that the effort was very successful. F/L Russell-Fry's mission had to be cancelled prior to take off owing to Direct Reading compass failure. F/O Young returned early on 3 engines after “ Sowing his veg “ in the last resort garden. P/O Nimmo and crew are missing from this operation. All other aircraft returned to base.
There were two Main Force attacks that night but 1 Group was involved in neither. However they did take part in the Minelaying Operations that took place that night. A total of 36 Mosquitos to Mannheim and 8 to four other targets, 16 Serrate patrols, 103 Lancasters of Nos 1 and No 5 Groups minelaying off Danzig, Gdynia and Pillau in the Baltic, 61 aircraft on Resistance operations, 9 OTU sorties. 9 Lancasters from the minelaying force and 1 Serrate Mosquito were lost.
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Lancaster - ND420
This machine was lost on its 15th operation, mostly with the Nimmo crew. See below :-
21-Jan-44 – Magdeburg – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF – Did not take off
27-Jan-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
28-Jan-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
30-Jan-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
15-Feb-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
19-Feb-44 – Leipzig – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF - Landed at Kirmington.
24-Feb-44 – Schweinfurt – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
25-Feb-44 – Augsburg – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O – JAH Nimmo RAAF
15-Mar-44 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – ND420 – W/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
18-Mar-44 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ND420 – P/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
22-Mar-44 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ND420 – F/O TG Leggett
24-Mar-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND420 – P/O R Whitley - Landed at East Moor
26-Mar-44 – Essen – Lancaster – ND420 – F/L D Allwood
30-Mar-44 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – ND420 – P/O JAH Nimmo RAAF
09-Apr-44 - Gdynia Bay – Lancaster – ND420 – P/O JAH Nimmo RAAF – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Brande, Denmark.
Compiled by David Fell with photos courtesy of the Australian War Memorial and Soren Flensted
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