F/S Robert A Moore RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 24/25th July 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – JA866– Op Hamburg
Robert Moore and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds late May/early June 1943. They were lost on their 7th operation
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED731 – F/S RA Moore - Landed at Binbrook
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED731 – F/S RA Moore – Did not take off
14-Jun-43 – Oberhausen – Lancaster – ED731 – F/S RA Moore
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED417 – F/S RA Moore
21-Jun-43 – Krefeld – Lancaster – ED417 – F/S RA Moore
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED645 – F/S RA Moore
24-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – JA866 – F/S RA Moore – FTR - Lost without trace.
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F/S Robert Arthur Moore RAFVR - 21 – 103 Sqn - Son of Arthur Jack and Louisa Moore of Chelsea, London – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt L Whalen RAFVR – 29 - 103 Sqn - Son of John Maurice and Hannah Douglas Whalen of Brighton, Sussex – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Victor Edward Richard Raphael RAF – 26 - 103 Sqn - Son of Ethelbert Victor and Norah Leslie Raphael of Ipswich, Suffolk – Runnymede Memorial
F/O Leonard William Machin RAFVR – 23 - 103 Sqn - Son of William Herbert and Edith Amy Machin, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire; husband of Enid Margaret Machin of Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Stanley George Fletcher RAFVR - 23 - 103 Sqn - Son of William and Maude Fletcher of Dagenham, Essex – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Russell Edward May RCAF ( pictured below ) – 22 - 103 Sqn - Son of John Samuel and Annie May of Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Maurice Albert Lodge RAFVR - 103 Sqn - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Russell Edward May RCAF
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24-Jul-43 – Hamburg
103 Squadron detailed 27 aircraft for this attack on the German port of Hamburg for its first big blitzing and this was a great success with the target a mass of flames. Bombing heights varied from 20000 ft to 22000 ft. The defences were disorganised by our new defensive measure, the scattering of metal strips, which upset the Nazi RDF system. There were a couple of approaches by enemy aircraft but tehse were easily avoided. One aircraft returned early and three failed to return – those of W/O Hardman. W/O O'Hanlon and F/S Moore and crews. All other aircraft returned to base.
For this attack on Hamburg Bomber Command detailed a total of 791 aircraft - 347 Lancasters, 246 Halifaxes, 125 Stirlings, 73 Wellingtons involved in the first raid of the 'Battle of Hamburg'. 12 aircraft - 4 Halifaxes, 4 Lancasters, 3 Stirlings, 1 Wellington - lost, 1.5 per cent of the force. 'Window' was used for the first time on this night. Conditions over Hamburg were clear with only a gentle wind. The marking - a mixture of H2S and visual - was a little scattered but most of the target indicators fell near enough to the centre of Hamburg for a concentrated raid to develop quickly. 728 aircraft dropped the bombs bombs in 50 minutes. Bombing photographs showed that less than half of the force bombed within 3 miles of the centre of Hamburg and a creep back 6 miles long developed. But, because Hamburg was such a large city, severe damage was caused in the central and north-western districts, particularly in Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hoheluft. The Rathaus, the Nikolaikirche, the main police station, the main telephone exchange and the Hagenbeck Zoo (where 140 animals died) were among the well-known Hamburg landmarks to be hit. Approximately 1,500 people were killed. This was the greatest number of people killed so far in a raid outside the area in which Oboe could be used.
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Lancaster – JA866
This machine was lost on its 2nd operation. See below :-
12-Jul-43 – Turin – Lancaster – JA866 – P/O JH Ratcliffe
24-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – JA866 – F/S RA Moore – FTR – Lost without trace
Item compiled by David Fell
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