W/O John S Stoneman RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 2/3rd August 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – ED645 – OpHamburg
Also
Ditched on return – 13/14th April 1943 – Avro Lancaster I - W4318 – Op La Spezia
John Stoneman and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds late March early April 1943. They were lost on their 19th operation which included a ditching. One of only 2 successful 103 Squadron Lancaster ditchings
10-Apr-43 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ED701 – Sgt JS Stoneman
13-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt JS Stoneman – Ditched on return - Hit by flak twice. Ditched in Channel 50 miles off Falmouth due to shortage of fuel. Rescued.
04-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – W4827 – Sgt JS Stoneman
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman - All 4 engines hit by flak, the starboard outer catching fire.
23-May-43 - Dortmund – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
27-May-43 - Essen Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman – Early return - Starboard inner engine unserviceable.
21-Jun-43 – Krefeld – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
28-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
08-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
09-Jul-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
12-Jul-43 – Turin – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman - Landed at Exeter
27-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
29-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
02-Aug-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman – FTR - Crashed south of Harburg, Germany.
The cause of this loss was probably weather related - lightning strike, turbulence or icing
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Above - John Stoneman with four of his crew at OTU prior to a cross country training flight. The 6th airman in the photo is probably the instructor.
W/O John Stafford Stoneman RAFVR – Pilot – 103 Sqn - Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Thomas Stanley RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Thomas and Alice Stanley of Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent – Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
F/O Douglas Cunningham Elder RAFVR – Navigator - 21 – 103 Sqn - Son of Robert Leslie and Elizabeth Keen Elder of Newcastle-on-Tyne – Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
P/O Charles Edward Thomas Bryan RAFVR – Air Bomber – 21 – 103 Sqn - Son of Laurence Wilfrid and Elsie Bryan, of Oxton, Birkenhead – Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
W/O James Flynn RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Peter and Elizabeth May Flynn, of Manchester; husband of Joyce Flynn, of Withington, Manchester – Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
W/O Arthur William Horace Page RAFVR ( See below ) – Air Gunner - 33 – 103 Sqn - Son of Arthur and Lily Page; husband of Elsie Page of Wimbledon, Surrey – Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
F/S Gordon Clark Bradley RCAF ( see newspaper cutting below ) – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn – Hamburg Cemetery, Germany
Above - Stoneman crew temporary grave marker at Hamburg
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W/O Arthur William Horace Page RAFVR
Above - Horace Page with his wife Elsie on the left and his mum Lily at their home in Bath
Horace was brought up in a Salvation Army family by Major & Mrs Arthur Page with his brother Ernes. They settled in Bath. Ernest could not join up as he had had diphtheria, but Horace joined the RAFVR. He married Elsie (who had already lost her previous husband and father of her two boys to the war) and lived in Surrey. Sadly Horace dying at 33 cut their married life short but Elsie stayed in touch with the rest of the family until she died. They were a very musical family and Horace and Ernest often played duets together on piano. During his time in the RAF Horace was bandmaster of the RAF Lichfield Band. See photo below.
Above RAF Lichfield Band on parade. Horace is just visible in the middle of the picture marching at the side of the band
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02-Aug-43 – Hamburg
103 Squadron detailed 26 aircraft for this attack on the German port of Hamburg. That attack was carried out in difficult thundercloud and icing conditions. Thunderclouds with anvil tops to 25000 / 30000 ft. It was difficult to distinguish between lightning flashes and flak. Icing was bad. Few Pathfinder markers were seen and most bombing was on ETA or on alternative targets. Four aircraft returned early and two failed to return, those of W/O Dash and crew and W/O Stoneman.
For this attack on Hamburg Bomber Command detailed a total of 740 aircraft - 329 Lancasters, 235 Halifaxes, 105 Stirlings, 66 Wellingtons, 5 Mosquitos despatched on a failed raid to Hamburg. The bombing force encountered a large thunderstorm area over Germany and many crews turned back early or bombed alternative targets. At least 4 aircraft, probably more, were lost because of icing, turbulence or were struck by lightning. No Pathfinder marking was possible at Hamburg and only scattered bombing took place there. Many other towns in a 100-mile area of Northern Germany received a few bombs. A sizeable raid developed on the small town of Elmshorn, 12 miles from Hamburg. It is believed that a flash of lightning set a house on fire here and bomber crews saw this through a gap in the storm clouds and started to bomb the fire. 30 aircraft - 13 Lancasters, 10 Halifaxes, 4 Wellingtons, 3 Stirlings - lost, 4.1 per cent of the force.
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Lancaster – W4318
Lancaster W4318 still afloat in the Channel. The photo was taken from on board the ship that attempted to tow the aircraft to land. However the tail broke off whilst under tow and the machine sank.
This machine gave good service being lost on its 23rd operation.
22-Nov-42 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – W4318 – W/O HPM Taylor
28-Nov-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4318 – W/O HPM Taylor
02-Dec-42 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – W4318 – W/O HPM Taylor
06-Dec-42 – Mannheim – Lancaster – W4318 – W/O HPM Taylor
07-Dec-42 - Terschelling Gat/Frisian Islands – Lancaster – W4318 – F/L JA Temperley
08-Dec-42 - Helsingborg/Kullen Sound – Lancaster – W4318 – W/O HPM Taylor
09-Dec-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4318 – F/S RM Newitt RCAF – Early return - Sperry instruments unserviceable.
04-Jan-43 – Essen – Lancaster – W4318 – W/O HPM Taylor - Bomb panel smashed by flak. Undertook Sq reconnaissance over target.
17-Jan-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt A Greig - Diverted to Croft.
23-Jan-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – W4318 – S/L JH Kennard – Early return – Starboard inner engine unserviceable. Header tank filler came off on take off and all coolant lost.
27-Jan-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
07-Feb-43 – Lorient – Lancaster – W4318 – F/O KG Bickers
21-Feb-43 – Bremen – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt AA Crouch
25-Feb-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
01-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
03-Mar-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
05-Mar-43 – Essen – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
08-Mar-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
09-Mar-43 – Munich – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
12-Mar-43 – Essen – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
26-Mar-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt GDJ King
28-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt NJ Ryan
13-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – W4318 – Sgt JS Stoneman - Ditched on return - Hit by flak twice. Ditched in Channel 50 miles off Falmouth due to shortage of fuel. Rescued.
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Lancaster – ED645
This machine gave good service being lost on its 29th operation.
09-Mar-43 – Munich – Lancaster – ED645 – F/S GM Maddern RAAF
11-Mar-43 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt GDJ King
22-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED645 – P/O CR Blumenauer
26-Mar-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED645 – P/O HF Ewer RCAF
27-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt GM Pettigrew
28-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED645 – F/O GC Day
29-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED645 – S/L C O'Donoghue
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman - All 4 engines hit by flak, the starboard outer catching fire.
23-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
27-May-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt R Dash
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt R Dash
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman – Early return - Starboard inner engine U/S.
21-Jun-43 – Krefeld – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED645 – F/S RA Moore
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED645 – Sgt JS Stoneman
28-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
03-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O R Dash
08-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
09-Jul-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
12-Jul-43 – Turin – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman - Landed at Exeter
24-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED645 – F/S DF Carter
25-Jul-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED645 – F/S DF Carter
27-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
29-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED645 – W/O JS Stoneman
02-Aug-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster - ED645 - W/O JS Stoneman – FTR - Crashed south of Harburg, Germany.
Item compiled by David Fell with Lancaster photo from my archive. Many thanks to Rose Newman for the other photos and interesting family background.
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