F/O Robert W Brevitt RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Crashed on Return – 27th November 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – ED417 – Op Berlin
Robert Brevitt and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds from 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit on the 24th November 1943. They were sadly killed on their first operation
26-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED417 – F/O RW Brevitt - Collision on return. Diverted to Middleton St George. Bad visibility at base. Collided in the air with Halifax JN966 of 428 Sq. Crashed 2 miles north east of Middleton St George airfield.
This was the most wretched bad luck for a new crew that had almost completed their first demanding operation flying across the Reich and back to be lost within sight of a safe landing.
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F/O Robert William Brevitt RAFVR – Pilot - 27 – 103 Sqn – Son of William John and Lucy Alice Brevitt; husband of Margaret Hill Brevitt, of Newcastle-on-Tyne - Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire
Sgt Iorwerth Benyon Morgan RAFVR – Air Bomber - 22 - 103 Sqn – Son of William Rees Morgan and Mary Catherine Morgan of Llanelli - Llanelli Box Cemetery, Carmarthenshire
Sgt Mark Watson Cartmell RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 20 - 103 Sqn – Son of Thomas S. Cartmell and Constance M. Cartmell of Keswick - Keswick St John Churchyard, Cumberland.
Sgt John Kenneth Cubey RAFVR – Navigator - 31 - 103 Sqn – Son of Thomas Henry and Ethel Cubey; husband of May Elizabeth Cubey of Ruislip, Middlesex. FSMC - Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Sgt Stanley Lionel Ingle RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 20 - 103 Sqn – Son of Harry and Annie Ada Ingle of West Heath, Birmingham - Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Sgt Samuel Thomas Kyle Bowyer RAFVR – 103 Sqn - Injured. Badly burnt
Sgt George Bruce RAFVR – Air Gunner - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Richard A. D. Bruce, and Jane Bruce, of Ashiestiel, Galashiels – Caddonfoot Parish Churchyard, Selkirkshire
There is a photo of Samuel Thomas Kyle Bowyer on John Proctor's excellent website here.
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26-Nov-43 – Berlin
103 Squadron detailed 30 aircraft for this attack on the Nazi capital of Berlin. This number was thought to be a Bomber Command record for a Squadron at that time. Bombing heights were between 21000 ft and 23000 ft although one aircraft bombed from 16000 ft. F/S Law, P/O Young and W/O Graham returned early. Heavy flak was very intense in barrage form and a great deal of light flak was bursting at 15000 ft. Searchlight cones were numerous. There were two combats reported. F/S Richter was attacked by a Bf110 from the port quarter closing to 150 yards. His rear gunner opened with a long burst which caused smoke to come from the port engine. It was claimed as a probable. S/L Scragg was attacked by 2 Bf110s 600 yards astern and his gunners found their guns frozen. Evasive action was taken and the aircraft lost. In addition F/S Griffin sighted a Bf110 at 400 yards but nothing resulted. F/O Pugh, F/O Sumner and Sgt Siddall and their crews failed to return. F/O Brevitt crashed into a Halifax whilst landing. All except the mid upper gunner were killed. Bad visibility prevented our aircraft returning to base and apart from the early returns all landed at No 6 Group airfields in East and North Yorkshire.
For this attack on Berlin Bomber Command detailed a total of 443 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos to Berlin and with another combined diversion attack to Stuttgart. Both forces flew a common route over Northern France and on nearly to Frankfurt before diverging. The German controllers thought that Frankfurt was the main target until a late stage and several bombers were shot down as they flew past Frankfurt. Only a few fighters appeared over Berlin, where flak was the main danger, but the scattered condition of the bomber stream at Berlin meant that bombers were caught by fighters off track on the return flight and the casualties mounted. 28 Lancasters were lost, 6.2 per cent of the force, and 14 more Lancasters crashed in England. The weather was clear over Berlin but, after their long approach flight from the south, the Pathfinders marked an area 6-7 miles north-west of the city centre and most aircraft bombed there. Because of Berlin's size, however, most of the bombing still fell within the city boundaries and particularly on the semi-industrial suburb of Reinickendorf; smaller amounts of bombing fell in the centre and in the Siemensstadt (with many electrical factories) and Tegel districts. The Berlin Zoo was heavily bombed on this night. Many of the animals had been evacuated to zoos in other parts of Germany but the bombing killed most of the remainder. Several large and dangerous animals - leopards, panthers, jaguars, apes - escaped and had to be hunted and shot in the streets.
The diversionary raid on Stuttgart was carried out by 157 Halifaxes and 21 Lancasters. 6 Halifaxes lost, 3.4 per cent of the force. The bombing was very scattered and caused little damage but part of the night-fighter force was drawn off from the Berlin operation.
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Lancaster - ED417
This machine was lost on its 58th operation and was flown by 21 different crews so it had been handed round quite a bit. Even so it gave excellent service. F/L D M Carey and crew flew it 23 times.
Its first operation was with Sid Burton and crew. See below
22-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED417 – Sgt SG Burton.
Item compiled by David Fell
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