Date: 14th/15th July 1944 .
Unit: No. 156 Squadron. P.F.F.
Type: Lancaster III.
Serial: PA984.
Coded: GT - Q.
Location: Ancerville (Meuse), France.
Pilot: Sqdn/Ldr G G Davies. D.S.O. R.A.F. POW. (Interned in Camp L1. POW No: 4900)
Navigator 1: F/O F C G DeBock. R.A.F. Killed.
Navigator 2: F/O Hugh Coker. 149304. R.A.F.V.R. Age 23. Killed.
Flt. Engr. F/L K Stevens. POW. (Initially evaded but captured on the 4th August 1944, interned in Camp L1. POW No; ?)
Air Bomber: F/O Frederick Holbrook. 158423. D.F.C. R.A.F.V.R. Age 24. Killed.
W.Op/Air Gnr: F/L Harry George Mason Robinson. 412304. Age 24. D.F.C. R.A.A.F. Killed.
Air Gnr: F/O Frederick James Lockwood. 131879. D.F.C. R.A.F.V.R. Killed.
Air Gnr: F/O Daniel Dominique Platana. J/18616. D.F.C. R.C.A.F. Age 21. Killed. (1)
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took-off at 2201 hrs from Upwood to attack rail facilities and flying as Deputy Master Bomber.
In the vicinity of the target, hit by cannon fire from a night-fighter and broke into two sections before crashing at 0157 hrs near Ancerville (Meuse), 20 km south-west of Bar-le-Duc.
Of those who died, five rest in Ancerville Communal Cemetery graves 1 to 5, while Belgian born F/O DeBock, whose body lay undiscovered until March1945, has now been taken back to his home country. It has since been discovered that Ofw. Reinhard Kollack of 8./NJG 4 shot PA984 at a height of 2.900 mtrs. at 01.54hrs.
P/O DeBock (known as "The Count")
F/O. Robinson's ID photo, record of service and operational flights. (NAOA)
Pictures of the graves in Ancerville Communal Cemetery
Ofw. Reinhard Kollack of 8./NJG 4
(1) Platana Lake in Saskatchewan is named after F/O. Platana
Burial details:
F/O F C G DeBock. R.A.F.
F/O Hugh Coker. 149304. R.A.F.V.R
Son of Hugh and Norah Coker, of Petts Wood, Kent.
F/O Frederick Holbrook. 158423. D.F.C. R.A.F.V.R
Son of William Alfred and Frances Mildred Holbrook, of Shirley, Warwickshire.
F/L Harry George Mason Robinson. 412304.
Son of George Henry and Kathleen Robinson; husband of Dorothy Robinson, of Busselton, Western Australia.
F/O Frederick James Lockwood. 131879. D.F.C. R.A.F.V.R.
F/O Daniel Dominique Platana. J/18616. D.F.C. R.C.A.F.
Son of Antoine and Marthe-Marie Platana, of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; husband of Sarah Platana.
The Aircrew Remembrance Society thank Michael Harrison for his continued support of the work that we do and his dedication and meticulous research that he carries out for us. He recently added further details for this loss. With thanks to the following: Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses Vol 3", Theo Boiten - "German Nightfighter War Diaries Vol 2", Martin Middlebrook "Bomber Command War Diaries". The Commonwealth Graves Commission
