Date: 14/15th January 1944
Unit: No. 207 Squadron
Type: Lancaster III
Serial: EE197
Coded: EM-N
Location: Spilsby, Lincolnshire
Pilot: P/O. Frederick Wooton Gallagher 157083 R.A.F.V.R. escaped injury
Fl/Eng: Fl/Sgt. Charles E.D. Stewart Injured
Nav: W/O. Alfred Young escaped injury
Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. Ronald Parson Scott 1553209 R.A.F.V.R. escaped injury
W/Op: Sgt. Selwyn Fawcett 1238637 R.A.F.V.R. escaped injury
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Kenneth Waddington 1622511 R.A.F.V.R escaped injury
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Murray Sherman R.C.A.F. escaped injury
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off from Spilsby, Lincolnshire at 16.47 hrs as part of 496 Lancaster and 2 Halifax's raid on this first major raid on this city of the war. A disastrous night for the R.A.F. with 38 Lancaster's lost and only very light damage to the target area. German's reporting that only 10 people killed on the ground and the majority of the bombs being dropped in open countryside.
EE197 the port outer engine failed and was feathered. After jettisoning part of the bomb load, the crew continued to the target where they came under sustained attack from a Fw190. Damage was done to the port inner engine, the flying controls and both turrets before they shook off the fighter.
Then EE197 was hit by a burst of flak making both airolons useless. Following a very difficult return flight the Lancaster touched down at 22.54 hrs and broke up. The Pilot, P/O. Frederick Gallagher was awarded the D.S.O. and the flight engineer Fl/Sgt. Charles Stewart the D.F.M.
See also Gallagher 21/22nd June 1944.
Left to right: P/O. Frederick Wooton Gallagher, W/O. Alfred Young, Fl/Sgt. Ronald Parson Scott, Sgt. Selwyn Fawcett, Fl/Sgt. Charles E.D. Stewart, Sgt. Kenneth Waddington, Sgt. Murray Sherman
Burial Details:
None - all survived this operation.
Research by David King and Kelvin T. Youngs (Aircrew Remembrance Society, March 2008)
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".
Please support our work and visit our Archive section 
