Date: 20/21st July 1944
Unit: No.101 Squadron
Type: Lancaster III
Serial: LL779
Code: SR-V
Base: R.A.F. Ludford Magna, Nr. Louth, Lincolnshire
Location: Handel, Gemert.
Pilot: F/O. Jack Arthur Harvey J/85522 R.C.A.F. Age ? Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. John Purcell Irvine 106338 R.A.F.V.R. Age 23. Killed
Nav: Fl/Sgt. William Osadchy R/178725 R.C.A.F. Age 22. Kiled
Air/Bmr: P/O. Ingval Millar Hanon J/89926 R.C.A.F. Age 22. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. John Lyle Sime 1570435 R.A.F.V.R. Age 20. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. William James Cooper 1893358 R.A.F.V.R. Age 19. Killed (Special Operator A.B.C.)
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alexander Wilson 1563280 R.A.F.V.R. Age 23. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Frederick Roberet Loveridge R.A.F.V.R. Age 20. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
LL779 took off from its base at Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire at 22.35 hrs. as part of a group of 147 Lancaster's and 11 Mosquitoes to attack the oil plant situated in the town of Homberg. German night fighters caught the Lancaster's by surprise and 20 were lost. 75 Squadron lost 7 of its aircraft on this single raid.
Lancaster LL779 was shot down by Uffz Kurt Boldt of 8./NJG2 10 km. East of Gemert at a height of 4.500 mts. at 0.150 hrs. His Ju88 (G-1 4R+PS) was hit by debris from LL779 and also crashed at Gemet.
He survived but his Bordfunker (W/Op) was killed. Uffz Boldt was later killed on the 11/12th November 1944 after air combat in a crash 12 km West of Amsberg.
101 Squadron were very much involved in Radio Counter Measures which involved using a system developed by the B.T.R.E. at Malvern (known as A.B.C. - airborne cigar). This system was made up from a receiver and 3 X 50 watt T.3160 transmitters - the German V.H.F. frequency and language was identified and then jammed.
This jamming caused a loud and constant varying note running up and down the scale of the relevant speech channel. An eighth member of the crew who spoke German was added and used on specially fitted Lancaster aircraft.
This was a follow up to the practice of dropping "window" which also jammed German radar but was soon overcome by ground controllers scrutinising radar screen.
Another Crew of Lancaster LL779 3rd from the right Sgt. David Russell Glendinning D.F.M - later commissioned Fl/Lt.
(Photo kindly supplied to us by Mike Ruddick - relative. Can anyone name the other crew members)
P/O. Ingval Millar Hanon (Courtesy Steve Hanon, nephew and grave photo, courtesy Mike Harrison)
Above left: Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, right: Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery (C.W.G.C)
Homberg 2009 (Courtesy Roland Irlisinger)
Burial details:
F/O. Jack Arthur Harvey. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106.
No further details as yet.
Sgt. John Purcell Irvine. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106.
Son of James and Annie Irvine, of Whitburn, West Lothian.
Fl/Sgt. William Osadchy. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106.
Son of Louis and Emma Osadchy.
P/O. Ingval Millar Hanon. Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. Grave. XVI.B.5.
Son of Harris D. and Clara Hanon, of Edmonton, Alberta.
Sgt. John Lyle Sime. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106.
Son of Archibald Sime and of Helen L. Sime, of Dundee.
Sgt. William James Cooper. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 109
Son of William Charles and Margaret Eva Cooper, of Deptford, London.
Sgt. Alexander Wilson. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 110
Son of Margaret Wilson, of Kirkfieldbank, Lanarkshire
Sgt. Frederick Roberet Loveridge. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 108
Son of Raymond and Lily Loveridge, of Copnor, Portsmouth.
Researched for relatives of the crew with thanks to Mike Ruddick relative of Sgt. Glendinning D.F.M, Steve Hanon nephew of P/O. Hanon. Also thanks to Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses", Theo Boiten - "German Nightfighter War Diaries", Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt "Bomber Command War Diaries", the C.W.G.C.
(1) Harvey Lake in Saskatchewan is named after F/O. Harvey
A book has been written regarding this loss by the Dutch author Ad Hermess.
Please mention our society should you wish to order a copy direct."LINK"
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