Sgt James Porter RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1942
Failed to Return – 6/7th October 1942 – Handley Page Halifax II – W1189 – Op Osnabruck.
James Parter was posted to 103 Squadron late summer 1942 and flew the following operations :-
14-Sep-42 – Bremen – Halifax – W1182 – Sgt J Porter – Early return- Rear turret guns unserviceable. Jettisoned bombs and landed at Grimsby. Starboard undercarriage collapsed causing crash landing. No injuries.
02-Oct-42 – Krefeld – Halifax – W1189 – Sgt J Porter - Rear guns unserviceable. Jettisoned bombs and returned to base.
05-Oct-42 – Aachen – Halifax – DT482 – Sgt J Porter
06-Oct-42 – Osnabruck – Halifax – W1189 – Sgt J Porter – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed in North Sea near Amelande.
Claim by Hermann Greiner 11/NJG1 - Wadden Sea 25km West of Harlingen (probably Tiger): 2,800m at 23:24.
Also claimed by Flak of 6/Marine Flak Abt 246 battery Terschelling-Ost (unspecified aircraft 23:16) and by 4/lei Flak Abt 845 (Wellington Texel 300m 23:17-23:20). Victory Oblt Greiner confirmed on 18 August 1944. Marine Flakvictory confirmed as 30th confirmed victory of Marine Flak 246 on 7 November 1942. - John Jones
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Sgt James Porter RAFVR – Pilot – 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Robert and Margaret Porter of Motherwell, Lanarkshire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Philip Bertie Joseph Butcher RAF ( Pictured below ) – 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Philip and Ivy Butcher; husband of Olive Lauretta Butcher, of Tavistock, Devon - Runnymede Memorial
P/O Ralph Whitelock RAFVR – 103 Sqn - Runnymede Memorial
P/O Arthur Gwyn Richards RAFVR – 103 Sqn - Nephew of Gladys Gowan, of Penarth, Glamorgan - Runnymede Memorial
F/O Brian Charles Henry King RAFVR – 103 Sqn - Son of Charles Henry and Mary Arundel King; husband of Clare Jessie King, of Chiswick, Middlesex. Chiswick, Middlesex - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Richard Carson RAFVR – 103 Sqn - Ameland Nes General Cemetery
F/S Benedict Joseph Hardesty RCAF ( pictured below ) - 20 - 103 Sqn - Son of John Barron Hardesty and Theresa Hardesty, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - Terschelling West General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Benedict Hardesty's brother, Sgt Gilbert Hardesty RCAF, also served with 103 Squadron. He was an Air Gunner in the crew of Sgt John Dainton RAFVR who were lost on the 15/16th January 1942 flying Wellingon R1395 on a raid to Hamburg. Gilbert rests at Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany.
The body of Flt Sgt Hardesty was washed up Terschelling 7 November 1942.
The body of Sgt Carson was washed up Ameland 17 November 1942. - John Jones
Sgt Philip Bertie Joseph Butcher RAF
F/S Benedict Joseph Hardesty RCAF
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06-Oct-42 – Osnabruck
103 Squadron detailed 8 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Osnabruck. Small amounts of cloud were encountered with patches of 7/10ths to 8/10ths. Moderate to intense flak co-operated with a great number of searchlights which occasionally formed into cones.
F/S Newitt and crew were unable to take off due to aircraft being unserviceable. Sgt Porter and crew failed to return. All other aircraft returned to base.
For this attack on Osnabruck Bomber Command detailed a total of 237 aircraft - 101 Wellingtons, 68 Lancasters, 38 Stirlings, 30 Halifaxes. 6 aircraft - 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings - were lost, 2.5 per cent of the force.
The Pathfinders succeeded in illuminating the Dummer See, a large lake north-east of the target which was used as a run-in point. The town of Osnabrück was then found and marked. The bombing was well concentrated, with most of the attack falling in the centre and the southern parts of the target. Osnabrück's report shows that 149 houses were destroyed, 530 were seriously damaged and 2,784 lightly damaged. 6 industrial premises were destroyed and 14 damaged. 65 people were killed - 45 civilians, 16 policemen or servicemen and 4 foreign workers - and 151 were injured.
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Halifax W1189
This machine was detailed for 5 ops in its short career the captains being Telfer, Newitt anf Porter. On one of these it did not take off due to mechanical issues.
27-Aug-42 – Kassel – Halifax – W1189 – W/O RL Telfer RCAF - PO engine unserviceable. Jettisoned bombs and returned to base. Fired on by friendly convoy on return. Ceased on flashing letters of the day and firing colours of the period
04-Sep-42 - Bremen – Halifax – W1189 – F/S RM Newitt RCAF – Did not take off
07-Sep-42 – Duisburg – Halifax – W1189 – F/S RM Newitt RCAF
02-Oct-42 – Krefeld – Halifax – W1189 – Sgt J Porter - Rear guns unserviceable. Jettisoned bombs and returned to base.
06-Oct-42 – Osnabruck – Halifax – W1189 – Sgt J Porter FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed in North Sea near Amelande.
Item compiled by David Fell with photo from the Butcher family. Thanks once again to John Jones for the additional material
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