W/O Louis E Moriarty RCAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1942
Failed to Return – 20/21st December 1942 – Avro Lancaster I – W4334 – Op Duisberg.
Louis Moriarty ( pictured above ) was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds May or early June 1942 and flew the following operations.
F/S Moriarty was injured when converting to the new Halifax at Elsham Wolds on the 27th July 1942. He was pupil pilot at the controls at the time and the pilot's escape hatch blew open striking him and causing injury. The accident was a result of the instructor and engineer both failing to spot that the escape hatch was not securely fastened before take off.
19-Jun-42 - Ameland/Dutch coast – Wellington – DV818 – Sgt LE Moriarty RCAF
19-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – DV818 – Sgt LE Moriarty RCAF
22-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – L7819 – Sgt LE Moriarty RCAF – Early return - Front turret door blew off when turret rotated to beam
23-Jun-42 - St Nazaire – Wellington – L7819 – Sgt LE Moriarty RCAF - Unable to locate target due to cloud cover and jettisoned bombs
25-Jun-42 – Bremen – Wellington – Z8843 – Sgt LE Moriarty RCAF - Combat. Attacked by enemy aircraft. Abandoned mission after aircraft shuddered badly after violent evasive action taken. Jettisoned bombs.
24-Oct-42 – Milan – Halifax – W1217 – F/S LE Moriarty RCAF - Landed at Tangmere
22-Nov-42 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S LE Moriarty – RCAF – Did not take off - Problem with bomb load, was unable to take off in time.
28-Nov-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S LE Moriarty RCAF – Early return - Artificial horizon unserviceable.
02-Dec-42 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S LE Moriarty RCAF – Early return - Blind flying panel unserviceable.
20-Dec-42 – Duisburg – Lancaster – W4334 – W/O LE Moriarty RCAF – FTR – Flak victim. Crashed near Driehuizen, Holland.
Reported to be a flak victim at 4000m altitude by 1.Res.Abt/242 and 2.ResAbt/242.
..........
W/O Louis Edmund Moriarty RCAF – Pilot – 103 Sqn – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Sgt Eric Airey RAF – Flight Engineer – 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Arkwright Airey, and stepson of Emily Thersa Airey, of Bolton, Bradford, Yorks – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
F/S Peter Ernest Poulson RAFVR - Navigator – 27 - Son of Ernest Alfred and Ellen Poulson; husband of Joan Poulson, of New Eltham, London – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Sgt Ronald Owen Eynon RAFVR - Observer – 25 - Son of William John and Myra Maud Eynon, of Cwmaman, Glamorgan, Wales – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
W/O James Hawthorne Love RCAF ( Pictured below ) - Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 29 - Son of William Herman Love and Mabel Love, of Dauphin, Manitoba – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
F/S Thomas Bennett RAFVR – Air Gunner – 34 – 103 Sqn - Son of Thomas and Rosa Howes Bennet – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
Sgt Alfred Ernest Brown RAFVR – Air Gunner - 32 - Son of Alfred Ernest and Mary Jane Brown, of Wavertree, Liverpool, England; husband of May Brown – Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
W/O James Hawthorne Love RCAF
..........
20-Dec-42 – Duisburg
103 Squadron detailed 12 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Duisberg. Weather conditions were perfect for both enemy fighters and our own aircraft in so much as there was a very bright moon and no cloud although there was the usual amount of smoke haze around the target. However this did not prevent crews pinpointing and causing Duisberg to be heavily blitzed. W/O Moriarty and crew failed to return but all other aircraft returned to base.
232 aircraft - 111 Lancasters, 56 Halifaxes, 39 Wellingtons, 26 Stirlings. 12 aircraft - 6 Lancasters, 4 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes - lost, 5.2 per cent of the force. The bombing force found that the target area was clear and claimed much damage.
..........
Lancaster W4334
The machine had a short career being lost on its 6th operation.
22-Nov-42 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S LE Moriarty RCAF – Did not take off - Problem with bomb load, was unable to take off in time.
28-Nov-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S LE Moriarty RCAF
02-Dec-42 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S LE Moriarty RCAF – Early return - Artificial horizon unserviceable.
08-Dec-42 - Helsingborg/Kullen Sound – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S WF Austin - Did not take off – Aircraft unserviceable.
09-Dec-42 – Turin – Lancaster – W4334 – F/S WF Austin
20-Dec-42 – Duisburg – Lancaster – W4334 – W/O LE Moriarty RCAF – FTR - Crashed near Driehuizen, Holland. Flak victim.
Item compiled by David Fell with photos courtesy of the Canadian War Memorial site
....................
|
