P/O William J D Charles RCAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1944
Failed to Return – 22/23rd May 1944 – Avro Lancaster I – ND993 – Op Dortmund
William James Donald Charles ( pictured above ) was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada 03 August 1916. He was the only child of John Wilson Charles and (1880- 1922) and Violet Annie Colville (1883-1951)
Prior to enlisting, Donald was a student at Hamilton and Pickering College in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada and he then became a salesman for the W G A Lamb & Company. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in April of 1942 in Toronto. Donald earned his pilot wings on 30 April 1943 at Hagersville, Ontario Canada.
In December 1943 he was stationed Eaton Upon Tern, England at RAF Peplow ( Childs Ercall ) 83 Operational Training Unit to train on Vickers Wellington aircraft.
Pilot Officer Charles and his crew were transferred to 103 Squadron at Elsham Wolds, England on 20 April 1944 from one of the Heavy Conversion Units that made up 11 Base. Probably 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Lindholme.
The crew consisted of: Pilot Officer William James Donald Charles RCAF - Service Number J/19622,
Flight Engineer Sergeant Augustus Ernest Lee RAFVR - Service number 1874595,
Air Bomber Flying Officer Lancelot Stanley Kennedy RCAF ( pictured below ) - Service Number J/27157,
Navigator Flying Officer Owen O. Wright RCAF - ( pictured below ) Service Number J/28272,
WOP/Air (Wireless Operator Air) Flying Officer Derek Abraham Wiener RCAF ( pictured below ) - Service Number 15787,
MU/ Gunner (Mid Upper Gunner) Sergeant Vaughan V. Davies RAFVR ( pictured below ) - Service Number 2210654
R/Gunner (Rear Gunner) Sergeant Henry Alfred Shephard RAFVR - Service Number 1853068. The crew flew unchanged during their brief tour.
Flying Officer Lancelot Stanley Kennedy RCAF
Flying Officer Owen O. Wright RCAF
Flying Officer Derek Abraham Wiener RCAF
Sergeant Vaughan V. Davies RAFVR
Their operational flights were as follows:
19/20 May 1944 Target - Orleans (Railway Yards) Aircraft - ND381. Up (departed) 2211, down (returned) 0301. Bombed markers from 10,000 feet at 0049. On return Lancaster bomber was diverted to land at Kelstern.
21/22 May 1944 Target - Duisberg Aircraft - ND993. Up 2250, down 0401. Bombed markers from 20,000 feet at 0115.
22/23 May 1944 Target - Dortmund Aircraft - Lancaster bomber ND629. Up 2234, failed to return. This operation was part of the Battle of the Ruhr. Eight hundred and twenty six Allied bombers dropped 2,000 tons of HE and incendiary bombs on Dortmund Aircraft in one hour. The area was sarcastically referred to by the British air crews as "happy valley" or "the valley of no return." Reported to be shot down by a German night fighter and crashed near Ahaus, Germany. The Squadron records note that there was night fighter activity over the target, some search lights and moderate predicted flak.
Lancaster aircraft ND629 was shot down over Stadtlohn, Germany west of Munster on the Dutch German border. The entire flight crew was killed. Their bodies were recovered and temporarily interred in a Catholic cemetery.
Claim by Oblt Wilhelm Henseler 1/NJG1 - South of Rheine: 5,500m at 00:39. - (Nachtjagd Combat Archives 1944 Part 3 - Theo Boiten) John Jones
In 1948, Pilot Officer Charles and his crew were moved to the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Kleve, Germany
P/O William James Donald Charles RCAF – Pilot – 27 – 103 Sqn - Son of John Wilson Charles and Violet Ann Charles of Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Augustus Ernest Lee RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 103 Sqn - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany
P/O Lancelot Stanley Kennedy RCAF – Air Bomber – 27 – 103 Sqn - Son of Stanley and Alice Kennedy of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, husband of Margaret B. Kennedy - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
F/O Owen Wright RCAF – Navigator – 28 – 103 Sqn - Son of Tiberius J and Violet A Wright - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
F/O Derek Abraham Wiener RCAF - Wireless Operator – 21 - Son of Solomon David and Bernice Wiener of Cleveleys, Lancashire - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Vaughan Davies RAFVR – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Henry Alfred Shephard RAFVR – Air Gunner – 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Henry and Louisa Susan Shephard of Sidmouth, Devon, husband of Joan Shephard of Stoke Gabriel, Devon - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery Germany.
Evelyn Weir
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22-May-44 – Dortmund
103 Squadron detailed 15 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Dortmund. Weather conditions were good throughout the route and over the target. The target was well marked and crews report a successful attack. Bombing was from between 20000 ft and 25000 ft. In the target area defences consisted of some searchlights and predicted flak. Fighters were active. S/L Van Rolleghem was attacked by two single engined night fighters but managed to evade without damage. F/O Morrison and P/O Charles are missing from this operation. All others returned to base.
For this first large attack on Dortmund for a year Bomber Command detailed a total of 361 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups. 18 Lancasters were lost, 4.8 per cent of the force. The attack fell mainly in the south-eastern districts of Dortmund, mostly in residential areas.
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Lancaster ND629
This machine completed 12 operations plus 1 early return and 1 did not take off and was lost on its operation 16th.
15-Mar-44 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – ND629 – F/L D Allwood
18-Mar-44 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ND629 – F/L D Allwood
22-Mar-44 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ND629 – F/L D Allwood
24-Mar-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND629 – F/O WH Way RCAF - Combat with twin engined night fighter. Starboard wing badly holed. Landed at North Killingholme
24-Apr-44 – Karlsruhe – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong
26-Apr-44 – Essen – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong – Did Not Take Off
30-Apr-44 – Maintenon – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong
03-May-44 – Mailly-le-Camp – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong - Landed at Kirmington
07-May-44 – Rennes-St-Jacques – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong – Early Return - Intercom failure
09-May-44 – Mardyck – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong
10-May-44 - Heligoland Bight – Lancaster – ND629 – F/O L Young
11-May-44 – Hasselt – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong – Aborted - Returned with bombs as per instructions from Master Bomber
19-May-44 – Orleans – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong
21-May-44 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O PJ Furlong
22-May-44 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ND629 – P/O WJD Charles RCAF – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed near Ahaus, Germany.
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Item written by Evelyn Weir with a few additions by David Fell.
Photo of William Charles courtesy of Evelyn Weir and the photo of Vaughan Davies courtesy of the Davies family many years ago. Wright and Kennedy photos courtesy of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Also thanks to John Jones for his input.
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