Sgt John C Lee RAFVR and P/O Joseph N Gilby RAFVR and crew - 103 Squadron - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1942.
Failed to Return - 6/7th August 1942 - Handley Page Halifax II - W1225 - Op Duisburg.
John Charles Lee RAFVR – 103 Squadron - 1942.
John is quite probably unique amongst 103 Sqn personnel in that he served with the Squadron as both ground crew and air crew. I know of no other. Being both ground and air crew he had an interesting career in quite a short period.
John Lee was born on the 20th Nov 1919 in Birmingham. His parents were John Alfred and Nellie Lee of Small Heath Birmingham. As young man he worked as a Turner at the well known engineering firm BSA Ltd in Birmingham.
John enlisted in the RAF in 23rd June 1939.
His postings and promotions were as follows :-
Rank - AC2 - 23rd June 1939.
3 Depot Padgate - 23rd Aug 1939 - Receiving Centre for new recruits.
RSD Upwood – 1st Sept 1939.
Cosford – 8th Sept 1939 - No 2 School of Technical Training
Rank - AC1- 9th Feb 1940 – Flight Mechanic.
500 Sqn - 16 Feb 1940 – RAF Detling, Kent - Coastal Command Squadron equipped with Avro Ansons.
Cosford – 21st June 1940 – No 2 School of Technical Training.
103 Sqn – 12th Oct 1940 – RAF Newton,.Notts – Bomber Command Squadron equipped with Vickers Wellingtons
Rank – LAC - 10th Oct 1940 - Fitter IIE.
Inst Section RAF Cosford – 7th Feb 1941 - No 2 School of Technical Training.
Rank - Cpl – 7th March 1941
115 Sqn – 18th July 1941 – RAF Marham, Norfolk – Bomber Command Squadron equipped with Vickers Wellingtons
HQ 3 Gp (A) - Dec 1941.
115 Sqn - 16th Dec 1941.
St Athan - 3rd June 1942 - No 4 School of Technical Training – Flight Engineer Training
Rank - Sgt - 27th June 1942
103 Sqn - 29th June 1942 – Elsham Wolds, Lincs – Bomber Command Squadron equipped with Handley Page Halifaxes.
Killed In Action - 7th August 1942 - Aircraft crashed on return from an operation to Duisberg 6/7th Aug 1942. See further information below.
John Lee rests at Birmingham New Cemetery.
Career details and background info courtesy of Paul Lee.
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Joseph Norman Gilby and crew - 103 Squadron - 1942.
Joe Gilby was an experienced pilot having flown 24 ops before he was killed on his 25th. He started his tour with 103 Squadron in Oct 1941 flying 3 ops as a co-pilot with Sgt Gorrie on Wellingtons. He was then given his own crew and flew his first op to Emden on the 28/29th Dec 1941.
Gilby completed his ops on Wellingtons on the 25th June 1942 with an op to Bremen.
In July 1942 103 Squadron converted to Halifaxes and Gilby took over a completely new crew.
This consisted of :-
P/O J N Gilby RAFVR - Age unknown – From Shortlands, Kent.
P/O E A Cassidy RAFVR – Age 27 – From Barking Essex.( Pictured below )
F/S I Rutherford RAFVR – Age unknown – From Bentley Heath, Warwickshire.
Sgt J C Lee RAFVR – Age 22 – From Small Heath. Birmingham.
Sgt R F Tidmarsh RAF – Age 20 – From Upper Norwood, Surrey
Sgt R Reid RAFVR
Sgt W M Crane RAFVR – Age 29 – From Ipswich,
Cassidy, Rutherford, Tidmarsh and Reid were experienced campaigners with 103 Sqn having regularly flown with Reggie Fulbrook. Eric Cassidy had also flown Richard “Taffy” Pugh. Both Fulbrook and Pugh were very experienced and capable captains.
Gilby’s final operation was on the night of the 6/7th August 1942 to Duisberg. This was flown in Halifax W1225. Sgt Reid was replaced by Sgt Jean Beaupre RCAF ( pictured below ) aged 24 who I believe hailed from Montreal, Canada.
103 Sqn detailed 4 crews for this operation. Opposition was moderate and inaccurate heavy flak with some searchlight activity. No night fighters were reported.
Whatever happened to Gilby’s aircraft is impossible to say. It certainly came down in the Humber Estuary on return. This was possibly quite near the shore as on investigation of the wreckage Eric Cassidy was found strapped into the pilot’s seat. That indicates that pilot Joe Gilby must have been wounded or killed and the aircraft must have sustained some damage. Cassidy had some pilot’s experience having started his RAF career training to be a pilot but then had been remustered as an Observer.
There is also some suggestion that Cassidy was attempting to ditch the aircraft in the vicinity of 2 ships.
The bodies of Cassidy, Gilby, Lee and Crane were recovered. The remains of Rutherford and Beaupre were found on the Lincolnshire coast some time later. The body of Robert Tidmarsh was never recovered.
Joseph Gilby and Eric Cassidy now rest at Brigg Cemetery in North Lincolnshire.
Isaac Rutherford and Jean Beaupre rest at the St Nicholas Parish Church Cemetery at North Cotes, Lincolnshire.
John Lee rests at the Birmingham Yardley Cemetery.
William Crane rests in the Ipswich New Cemetery.
Robert Tidmarsh is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
P/O Joseph Norman N Gilby RAFVR – Pilot – 103 Sqn - Son of Stanley Provo Gilby and Emily Gilby; husband of Irene Ivy Gilby, of Shortlands, Kent - Brigg Cemetery, North Lincolnshire
P/O Eric Arthur Cassidy RAFVR – Observer – 27 - 103 Sqn - Son of Dennis and Clara Louisa Mary Cassidy, of Barking, Essex - Brigg Cemetery, North Lincolnshire
F/S Issac Rutherford RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air gunner – 103 Sqn - Son of Isaac and Johanna Rutherford; husband of Madge Marie Rutherford, of Bentley Heath, Warwickshire. - North Cotes ( St Nicholas ) Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
W/O Jean Beaupre RCAF – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - North Cotes ( St Nicholas ) Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
Sgt John Charles Lee RAF – Flight Engineer – 22 - 103 Sqn - Son of John Alfred and Nellie Lee, of Small Heath, Birmingham – Birmingham ( Yardley ) Cemetery, Warwickshire
Sgt Robert Frank Tidmarsh RAF - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Frank and Merrall Tidmarsh, of Upper Norwood, Surrey – Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial
F/S William Maurice Crane RAFVR – Air Gunner – 29 – 103 Sqn - Son of Clement T. Crane and Kate L. Crane, of Ipswich – Ipswich New Cemetery, Suffolk.
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6 Aug 1942 - Duisberg
103 Squadron detailed 4 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Duisburg. Weather was cloudy over the North Sea with cloud breaking inland over the Continent and becoming fair over the target. Conditions were similar on return with cloud breaking near the Home coast. Visibility was moderate to good but much haze was prevalent in the target area. One sortie abandoned the mission after 1 hour and 31 minutes due to instability of the controls and failure of the aircraft to climb. Another sorties reported that the reflection of the fires was visible 80 miles away from the target. P/O Gilby's aircraft crashed in the Humber on return and only 4 of the bodies were recovered.
Flak in the target area appeared to come from the north east part of the town and was reported moderate and inaccurate heavy flak. One large cone of searchlight beams not co-operating with flak was also reported but no aircraft was held in the searchlight beams. One sorties reported IFF was effective once over the target area and on two occasions on the route home
For this attack on Duisburg Bomber Command detailed a total of 216 aircraft of 5 types. 5 aircraft - 2 Halifaxes, 2 Stirlings, 1 Wellington - lost. Most of the bombs fell in open country west of the target. Duisburg reports 18 buildings destroyed, 66 seriously damaged and 24 people killed.
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Halifax W1225
This machine was lost on its first operation
07-Aug-42 - Duisburg - Halifax - W1225 - P/O JHGilby - COR - Crashed in Humber Estuary on return
Item written by David Fell with special thanks to the Lee family and also Helen of the outstanding Ipswich War Memorial web site.
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