Date: 16/17th June 1944
Unit: No. 431 Squadron
Type: Halifax III
Serial: NA514
Code: SE-B
Base: Croft, Yorkshire
Location: Nistelrode, Holland
Pilot: F/O. Glenn Hugh Blachford J/27913 R.C.A.F. Age 27. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. J. Kennedy P.O.W. No: 269 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
Nav: F/O. Roy Edward Carter M.I.D. J/28855 R.C.A.F. Age 23. Killed
Air/Bmr: F/O. Spencer William Lough J/20830 R.C.A.F. Age 29. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Tom Masdin R.C.A.F. P.O.W. No: 470 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
Air/Gnr: Sgt. D.H. Hattey R.C.A.F. P.O.W. No: 220 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
Air/Gnr: F/O. Innis Lindsay Elwin Gould J/90089 R.C.A.F. Age 19. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 22.24 Hrs from RAF Croft, Yorkshire. Part of a 321 aircraft raid on Sterkrade synthetic-oil plant in Northern Germany. 162 Halifax's, 147 Lancaster's and 14 Mosquitoes left to find the target area covered by a thick cloud and the markers dropped by the pathfinders very quickly disappeared. The main bomber force could do very little but bomb the demising glow of the markers through the cloud.
R.A.F. photographic reconnaissance and the German reports agree that the bombing was scattered, although some bombs did hit the oil plant. This had little effect on production. 21 Germans were killed on the ground and a further 6 foreign workers. 18 Houses were destroyed.
The loss to the allies was huge with a total of 21 bombers shot down by the German night fighters and another 10 by flak. This amounted to 159 aircrew being killed, 53 being made P.O.W.'s.
F/O. Roy Edward Carter M.I.D. evaded capture initially but then captured and shot on the 8th July in Tilburg area. His grave has never been found and is commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial. The news of his death reached the allied authorities via Sgt Masdin who is thought to have also initially evaded capture. The Gestapo who carried out this act were eventually tracked down and tried by a British Military Court - 4 of the 10 Gestapo were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging in September 1946 - it is not known if the sentence was carried out.
Halifax NA514 was shot down by Oblt. Josef Nabrich of 3./NGJ1 who at this stage of the war was already a night fighter ace. The combat took place at 5.500 Mtrs. in the Kieve area at 01.12 hrs. Oblt. Josef Nabrich was himself killed on the 27th November 1944 at Münster-Handorf airfield during a strafing attack. It is understood that F/O. Glenn Hugh Blachford was the only member of the crew who died in the crash. All the remainder managed to bail out.
F/O. Innis Lindsay Elwin Gould and F/O. Spencer William Lough were killed during the fall/escape from the aircraft.
F/O. Roy Edward Carter M.I.D. (Courtesy Muke Harrison) Memorial tablet R.A.F. Croft (Courtesy Phillip Smyth)
Uden War Cemetery (Courtesy C.W.G.C.)
Burial details:
F/O. Glenn Hugh Blachford. Uden War Cemetery Grave 5.B.2.
Son of Hugh and Lydia Blachford, of Colonsay, Saskatchewan, Canada.
F/O. Roy Edward Carter M.I.D. Runnymede War Memorial Panel 245
Son of John and Agnes Carter, of Burketon, Ontario, Canada.
F/O. Spencer William Lough. Uden War Cemetery Grave 5.B.1.
Son of William Frederick and Marion Leslie Lough, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
F/O. Innis Lindsay Elwin Gould. Uden War Cemetery Grave 5.A.7.
Son of Innis and Helen Gould, of Brockville, Ontario, Canada.
Researched by: Kelvin T. Youngs (A.R. Society) for Kathleen Manning and her husband - relatives of F/O. Spencer William Lough. With thanks to the following: Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses Vol 4", Martin Middlebrook "Bomber Command War Diaries". The C.W.G.C.
