Sister aircraft to Halifax ZA-N - ZA-D R9376 in flight

                This journey started about 18 months ago when my father moved house.  Whilst he was packing his belongings, he found an old photograph of his cousin, resplendent in his RAF battle dress sporting a side cap worn at a ‘jaunty angle’ and the brevet of an Observer on his chest (an Observer was the forerunner to today’s Navigators.)  Dad gave me the photograph and on a visit to the RAF Museum, we were able to get his service number.  From there a simple ‘Google’ search revealed a plethora of information.  Coupled with a visit to the National Archives in Kew which allowed me to read and copy the actual Operational Record Books from his squadron and his service record I have been able to piece together a remarkable, yet ultimately sad (with his death), history.  As an aside, I also got into contact with his niece, who lives in Australia whom I last saw and spoke to when I was 13 – we are now in regular contact!
Sergeant Jessel Hyams Harris, RAF VR was born on 21st March 1921.My father, who was 15 years Jessel’s junior remembers him as a joker and aspiring actor.  In 1941, Jessel received his call-up papers and joined the RAF, like countless others of his generation.  On 1st February 1941, Jessel started his basic recruit training and on 24th May 1941, started his observer (navigator) training.  This involved over a month in Canada before earning the coveted brevet.  A year after joining the RAF, Jessel spent 4 months completing advanced training in Pensacola, Florida before returning to the UK.  From there, he went to an operational training unit and finally in November 1942, was posted to 10 Squadron which was part of 4 Group and was flying the Halifax II Bomber out of RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire.  On March 12th, 1943, a Halifax II bomber, DT778 departed RAF Melbourne, at 19:45hrs, with a crew of seven Sergeant airmen.  DT778 was a part of a larger force of 457 aircraft, two of which were from 10 Squadron, all of whom were detailed to bomb targets in Essen, Germany."

"Out of the force of aircraft that departed their various airfields that night, 23 failed to return.  The statistics are horrific – 5% of the aeroplanes failed to return.  That may not sound like bad odds, but that equates to some 189 airmen who lost their lives or who were taken prisoner – and this was on that one raid.  Add to that the fighters that were lost and the soldiers and sailors who inevitably also lost their lives that day – there is a number we can never fathom.  This happened night after night after night.  It is worth mentioning here that Bomber Command had the highest loss rates of any British military formation.
He, like the rest of his crew, made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.  One cannot even begin to imagine the sheer terror of flying through flack or being attacked by German night fighters.  I have read that airmen on bombers often were a complete bundle of nerves after only a couple of missions and yet they went back out and flew similar missions again and again, night after night until they either died or were reassigned.
One thing I have found quite poignant is that according to the Operational Record Book, their last checkpoint before heading out over the English Channel was RAF Halton, where I have been flying for many years with 613VGS.
Last year, my father and I went to the Reichsweld Forest War Cemetery to visit his grave.  Being of the Jewish faith, we wanted to say the mourner’s prayer – Kaddish.  Jessel is buried with his six crewmates.  This was a very moving experience for us."

Burial details:

Originally the crew were buried at Mulen Cemetery, Dulman, Germany but re-interred in Reichswald at the end of the war.
P/O. John Dickinson. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave: 2.B.9.
Son of Alfred and Fanny Dickinson, of Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Sgt. Henry Edward Henden. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave: 2. B. 5-8.
No further details as yet.
Sgt. Jessel Hyam Harris. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave: 2. B. 5-8.
Maude and Julius Harris in Leeds, Yorkshire
Sgt. Frederick Wade Stanners. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave: 2. B. 5-8.
Son of Albert Hardy Stanners, and of Barbara A. Stanners, of Springwell, Co. Durham
Sgt. John Ernest Smith. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave: 2. B. 10.
No further details as yet.
Sgt. Leslie John Gait. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave: 2. B. 11.
Son of John Howard Gait and Elsie Gait, of Masbury, Somerset
Sgt. Frank Patrick Crawford. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave: 2. B. 5-8.
No further details as yet.
With thanks to the following: Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses Vol 3", Martin Middlebrook "Bomber Command War Diaries". The C.W.G.C.

Please support our work and visit our Archive section