F/O Derrick Fletcher RAFVR and crew - 576 Sqn – RAF Fiskerton – 1944.
Crashed on Return - 28/29th December 1944 - Lancaster I – NN750 - Op Bonn.
Derrick Fletcher and his crew were posted to 576 Sqn, probably from 1656 HCU 11 Base late September 1944. They completed 16 operations being lost on their 17th
Tour details :-
15/10/1944 – Wilhelmshafen – ME735 – F/O D Fletcher
19/10/1944 - Stuttgart - PD309 – F/O D Fletcher
22/10/1944 – Essen – PD309 – F/O D Fletcher
25/10/1944 – Essen – ME801 – F/O D Fletcher
27/10/1944 – Cologne – ME801 – F/O D Fletcher
30/10/1944 – Cologne – ME801 – F/O D Fletcher
02/11/1944 – Dusseldorf – ME801 – F/O D Fletcher
04/11/1944 – Bochum – ME801 – F/O D Fletcher
06/11/1944 – Gelsenkirchen – ME801 – F/O D Fletcher
09/11/1944 - Wanne Eikel – LM651 – F/O D Fletcher
11/11/1944 – Dortmund – PD232 – F/O D Fletcher
18/11/1944 - Wanne Eikel – ME317 – F/O D Fletcher - Landed at diversionary airfield due to bad weather at base
21/11/1944 – Aschaffenburg – PD309 – F/O D Fletcher
27/11/1944 – Freiburg – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher
06/12/1944 – Leuna – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher
12/12/1944 – Essen – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher
28/12/1944 – Bonn – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher – Crashed on Return - Badly damaged and overshot attempting to land at Manston.
Fletcher attempted to land his badly damaged aircraft at Manston on return. He is reported to have had a badly wounded crew member on board. Using trim tabs only he made his approach but overshot and stalled crashing with great force near the airfield.
All the crew were killed with the exception of Sgt Philip A Lake who was thrown clear of the aircraft through the nose escape hatch when the aircraft was attacked by a fighter on leaving the target. It appears that this hatch had been shot away or the fitting damaged by an attack shortly before. He was despatching bundles of Window through the Window chute in the nose at the time when the pilot commenced a violent corkscrew manoeuvre to evade another attack. Lake came down by parachute and was eventually taken prisoner. It was several weeks before the Sgt Lake was notified as a POW and he was thought to have died in the crash but no body was recovered so he was recorded as missing.
Above - Philip Lake’s POW ID photos from his German record card
The 6 deceased all rest in the UK and are shown below
….................
F/O Derrick Fletcher RAFVR – Pilot – 576 Sqn – Mexborough Cemetery, Yorkshire
Sgt Philip Arthur Lake RAFVR ( pictured above ) – Flight Engineer – Age 21 – 576 Sqn – POW - Camp Stalag Luft 3 - POW no - 189570.
Sgt Kenneth Angus RAFVR – Air Bomber - 22 – 576 Sqn - Son of William Young Angus and Violette Angus; husband of Kathleen Mary Angus of Tranmere, Birkenhead – Cardington St Mary Church Cemetery, Bedfordshire.
Sgt Charles Gerrard Campbell RAFVR – Navigator – 22 – 576 Sqn - Son of Patrick Campbell, and of Ellen Campbell (nee Callaghan), of Glasgow – Glasgow St Kentigern's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Glasgow
Sgt Leonard James Bull RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Wireless Operator - 20 – Son of Charles James Bull and Beatrice Ellen Bull, of Westbury; husband of Phyllis May Bull of Westbury – Dilton Marsh Holy Trinity Churchyard, Wiltshire.
P/O Gordon Warren RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner - 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of William Shirley Warren and Edna Pearl Warren, of St. James, Manitoba, Canada – Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey.
Born in Brandon Mantoba. Worked 2 years at the MacDonald Brothers Aircraft company and enlisted in the RCAF in 1943
Sgt James Norris RAFVR – Air Gunner – 576 Sqn – Ferrybank Catholic Churchyard, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
P/O Gordon Warren RCAF
….................
28 December 44 – Bonn – Germany – Railways - Night. 17 aircraft detailed. Weather clear for take off. 9/10ths cumulus cloud tops 5000 ft which persisted over the Channel. 5/10ths cloud over France which increased approaching the bombing line. 10/10ths strata cumulus at the target and conditions same on return.
PFF opened attack with red TIs backed up by greens. Emergency Wanganui flares were also dropped but most crews were able to bomb using ground marking, Not possible to see results due to cloud layer.
Slight heavy flak bursting and 12000 to 14000 ft over target. No searchlights or fighters were reported.
F/O Fletcher in M2 crashed near Manston and none of the crew survived. ( Sgt Lake was later confirmed as a POW )
The remainder returned safely.
( 178 aircraft from 1 and 8 Groups attacked. The objective was the railway installations at Bonn. Bomber Command claimed a successful attack but Germany reports indicate much of the bombing fell on the city. The railway bridge on the main line between Cologne and Koblenz was collapsed however. )
….................
Lancaster NN750.
This machine completed 8 operations being lost on its 9th
27/11/1944 – Freiburg – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher
29/11/1944 – Dortmund – NN750 – F/L AH Dutton
03/12/1944 – Urft – NN750 – F/L AH Dutton
04/12/1944 – Karlsruhe – NN750 – F/O DC Smith RAAF
06/12/1944 – Leuna – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher
12/12/1944 – Essen – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher
17/12/1944 – Ulm – NN750 – F/O AH De-Mille RCAF
22/12/1944 – Koblenz – NN750 – F/O HJ Rowe RCAF - Bad weather at Base. Landed at Charterhall
28/12/1944 – Bonn – NN750 – F/O D Fletcher – Crashed on Return - Badly damaged and overshot attempting to land at Manston
Item compiled and written by David Fell with many thanks to the History of Manston Airfield project for their contributions and also Andy Lake, son of the late Philip Lake, for his fascinating collection of documents and photos and permission to use them. I will add more to this page later and also include Sgt Lake in a forthcoming POWs feature.
....................
|
