P/O John E Ward RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1941/42.
Failed to Return – 28/29th March 1942 – Vickers Wellington IC – R1061 – Op Lubeck.
John Ward was posted to 103 Squadron in the autumn of 1941 and completed 4 operations as co-pilot in the crew of Ken Wallis the first being on the 16/17th September 1941
He was then made captain of his own crew and completed 11 operations being lost on the 12th
Tour details below :-
09-Nov-41 – Ostend – Wellington – R1395 – Sgt JE Ward - Bombed Dunkirk
26-Nov-41 – Emden – Wellington – T2999 – Sgt JE Ward - Engine trouble on return. Forced to make crash landing. No injuries.
28-Dec-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Bombed Bremerhaven
06-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Landed at Tangmere with Wireless transmitter unserviceable.
09-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
10-Jan-42 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Heating inoperative and oil temp rose to 100 degrees C. Bombed Terschelling Island. Landed Binbrook
15-Jan-42 – Hamburg – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward – Did not take off.
25-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward – Early return - Navigator sick
28-Jan-42 – Munster – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
11-Feb-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
21-Feb-42 - Mannheim and others – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
10-Mar-42 – Essen – Wellington – DV579 – P/O JE Ward - Severe icing over Dutch coast and lost height. Jettison bombs safe after violent evasive action became necessary.
25-Mar-42 – Essen – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Aircraft would not climb above 9,000ft. Jettisoned 1 250 lb bomb.
28-Mar-42 – Lubeck – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed in sea. Last received wireless message. Petrol tank fired. Attacked again.
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P/O John Edward Ward RAFVR - Pilot – 24 – 103 Sqn - Son of Charles Thomas Ward and Eva Louise Ward, husband of Margaret Ward - Sage War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Erskine Peter Wright RAFVR - Pilot – 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Lt-Col Ernest Leonard Wright, and of Marguerite St. Pierre Wright (nee Chavasse). His brother Paul Dempster Wright also died on service - Sage War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt John Robert Dodd RAFVR – 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Cyril and Emily Dodd, of Ashmead Drill Hall Road, Chertsey, Surrey - Runnymede Memorial
He worked in the Finance Dpt of Chertsey Urban Council and was a member of the Chertsey Abbey Barn Club
Sgt Hugh Ian Fraser RAFVR ( see newspaper cutting below ) – 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of James and Marguerite Fraser, of Falkirk, Stirlingshire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Andrew Albert Sydney Harris RAFVR – 30 - Son of Albert Edward John and Eleanor Harris, of Surbiton, Surrey - Sage War Cemetery, Germany
F/O Bertram John Fyson RAFVR – 33 – 103 Sqn - Son of John Bertram and Mary Elizabeth Fyson; husband of Irene Julia Fyson, of Lee, London - Runnymede Memorial.
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28-Mar-42 – Lubeck
Per John Jones - “Claim by Hans Schmid 6/NJG3 - Sea near Amrum (prob Auster) at 01:04. Coned by searchlight battery of Marine Flak Abt 231 and hit by Flak of 1 Marine Flak Regt between 00:21-31. Claimed as Handley Page near Amrum 01:04. Claim by Lt Schmid not listed in OKL/RLM 6/NJG3. Confirmed Abschussuberrsicht.
P/O Ward was washed ashore 11 June 1942 and taken for burial to Langeoog Island Communal Cemetery It is also reported that Sgt Harris was recovered from the sea off Heligoland. Both have now been buried at Sage War Cemetery with Sgt Harris.
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28th March 1942 – Lubeck- Port – Night - 5 aircraft attacked. The weather was cloudy at base with 8 to 10/10ths cirrus cloud at 1500 ft becoming fine over north Germany with no cloud. Visibility good. Bombing attacks were made from 200 ft to 6000 ft and very large and fierce fires visible 100 miles west were reported. Defences over the target area were very slight inaccurate light and heavy flak and negligible search light activity. All aircraft returned to base except one. This was P/O J E Ward and crew who were believed to have been shot down by night fighters.
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In total 234 aircraft attacked with 12 lost. This was the first major success by Bomber Command against a German target. The attack was carried out in good visibility with the help of an almost full moon. Many crews bombed from as low as 2000 ft because of the light defences. The force was split into 3 waves the leading one being composed of experienced crews with Gee equipped aircraft. Although Lubeck was beyond the range of Gee the device helped with preliminary navigation. More than 400 tons of bombs were dropped and two thirds of this tonnage was incendiary. 191 crews claimed successful attacks. German sources show that 1,425 buildings in Lubeck were destroyed, 1,976 were seriously damaged and 8,411 were lightly damaged; these represented 62 per cent of all buildings in Lubeck.
The casualties in Lubeck were over 300 killed, 136 seriously and 648 slightly injured.
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Wellington R1061
This machine completed 14 operations with 1 early return and 1 did not take off.
Apart from the Allen crew it was flown by several notable captains – David Holford, Reggie Fulbrook and Taffy Pugh
13-Oct-41 – Dusseldorf – Wellington – R1061 – P/O Allen
16-Oct-41 – Dunkirk – Wellington – R1061 – F/L DW Holford
24-Oct-41 – Frankfurt – Wellington – R1061 – F/L DW Holford
28-Dec-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Bombed Bremerhaven
06-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Landed at Tangmere with wireless transmitter unserviceable.
09-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
10-Jan-42 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Heating U/S and oil temp rose to 100 degrees C. Bombed Terschelling Island. Landed Binbrook
15-Jan-42 – Hamburg – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward – Did not take off.
25-Jan-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward – Early return - Navigator sick
28-Jan-42 – Munster – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
11-Feb-42 – Brest – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
21-Feb-42 - Mannheim and others – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward
03-Mar-42 – Paris – Wellington – R1061 – W/O RJ Fulbrook - Attacked parked aircraft at St Auby airfield at low level. Fired 250 rounds
08-Mar-42 – Essen – Wellington – R1061 – W/O RJ Fulbrook
09-Mar-42 – Essen – Wellington – R1061 – W/O RJ Fulbrook
13-Mar-42 – Cologne – Wellington – R1061 – Sgt REV Pugh
25-Mar-42 – Essen – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - Aircraft would not climb above 9,000ft. Jettisoned 1 250 lb bomb.
28-Mar-42 – Lubeck – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed in sea. Last heard W/T message - Petrol tank fired. Attacked again.
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Item compiled and written by David Fell. Thanks to John Jones for his input. Also Robert Dodd for the newspaper cutting and background info
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