P/O John K C Ralston RAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Newton – 1940/41
Failed to Return – 25/26th February 1941 – Vickers Wellington IC – T2621 – Op Dusseldorf
John Ralston was a pre war RAF regular and posted to 103 Sqn when they returned from France in August 1940. He completed 7 operations including 1 early return and was lost on his 8th. 4 of these were flying Fairey Battles to attack the German invasion barges in the Channel ports.
Tour details as follows :-
07-Sep-40 – Calais – Battle – N2157 – Sgt Ralston - Landed at Upwood due to fuel shortage.
17-Sep-40 – Boulogne – Battle – L5336 – Sgt JKC Ralston
24-Sep-40 – Boulogne – Battle – K9471 – Sgt JKC Ralston
28-Sep-40 – Ostend – Battle – L5336 – Sgt JEC Ralston - Machine gunned searchlights at Dunkirk from low level. Poor visibility at base. Pilot overshot. Aircraft extensively damaged.
09-Jan-41 - Gelsenkirchen – Wellington – T2621 – Sgt JKC Ralston
16-Jan-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – T2621 – Sgt JKC Ralston – ER - Petrol leak. Bombs dropped at Borkholm. Landed at Wyton.
10-Feb-41 – Hanover – Wellington – T2621 – Sgt JKC Ralston
25-Feb-41 – Dusseldorf – Wellington – T2621 – P/O JEC Ralston – FTR - Crashed in Germany. Believed to have exploded in mid air and wreckage and crew fell into the River Rhine. Probably a direct flak hit.
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P/O John Kenneth Churchill Ralston RAF – 103 Sqn – Son of Major William Ralston - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt John Royal Crossley RAFVR – 24 – 103 Sqn - Son of John Crossley Pratt and Blanch Pratt of Heswall Hill, Cheshire - Cheshire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Leslie Charles Butcher RAF – 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Douglas and Edith Butcher of Sevenoaks, Kent - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Alexander Edwards Laing RAF – 103 Sqn - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt William McIntosh RAF – 19 – 103 Sqn - Son of George and Margaret McIntosh, of Dundee - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt David George Watt RAFAAF – Air Gunner – 31 – 103 Sqn - Son of David Charles and Mary Ann Watt; husband of Joyce Mary Watt of Farnborough, Hampshire - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
This was a sad loss to the Squadron as all these men being pre war airmen with 4 RAF regulars. These were experienced airmen and badly needed at this difficult time
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25-Feb-41 – Dusseldorf
103 Squadron detailed 6 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Dusseldorf. Weather conditions at base were fine it was 7/10 to 10/10ths cloud over the sea, 7/10 cloud between the Dutch coast and target area and 10/10ths over the target. Results of the bombing were therefore inconclusive. The temperature was 25 degrees C at 11500 ft. Little flak opposition en route as far as a line from Krefeld Munchen-Gladbach. Flak was encountered off course on the return trip and on two occasions IFF caused searchlights to dowse and flak to cease. Other aircraft reported that returning over Eindhoven firing 2 red star cartridges simultaneously caused the searchlights to dowse and flak to cease.
F/L Crawford failed to get wireless communication so endeavoured to locate a beacon flashing SV and VS indenitfying himself in the usual manner. However there was no reply from the ground. He eventually located a “gloworm “ and returned safely. P/O Ralston failed to return no communication being received from them after setting course at the beginning of the trip.
60 Bomber Command aircraft attacked this target. Dusseldorf was completely cloud covered and it was impossible to identify any ground detail. In the early years of the war cloud cover, fog and ground haze over the Continent were a serious problem. This situation only improved with the development and introduction of the new radars and blind bombing devices in 1943. Dusseldorf reports only slight damage. 1 Wellington was lost which was T2621 from 103 Squadron
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Wellington T2621
This machine completed 2 operations with 1 early return and another cancelled before being lost.
03-Jan-41 – Bremen – Wellington – T2621 – F/L JW Havers – DNTO - WT U/S and damaged hatch catch
09-Jan-41 – Gelsenkirchen – Wellington – T2621 – Sgt JKC Ralston
16-Jan-41 – Wilhelmshaven – Wellington – T2621 – Sgt JKC Ralston – ER - Petrol leak. Bombs dropped at Borkholm. Landed at Wyton.
10-Feb-41 – Hanover – Wellington – T2621 – Sgt JKC Ralston
25-Feb-41 – Dusseldorf – Wellington – T2621 – P/O JKC Ralston – FTR - Crashed in Germany. Believed to have exploded in mid air.
Compiled and written by David Fell
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