Date: 12/13th August 1944
Unit: No. 51 Squadron
Type: Halifax II
Serial: MZ349
Code: MH-U
Base: Snaith, Yorkshire
Location: Wilhelmshaven-Cuxhaven
Pilot : Fl/Lt. Alexander Hannay 120473 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. no details available.
Fl/ Eng: Sgt. Jack Gregory 1005552 R.A.F.V.R. Age 23. Killed
Nav: F/O. Robert Alexander McDonald J/28828 R.C.A.F. P.O.W. No: 7482 Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria
Air/Bmr: F/O. Edmund Thomas Tunstall 152827 R.A.F.V.R. Age 23. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. John A. Boyes 1621546 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. No: 554 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
Air/Gnr: F/O. Anthony Alfred Arthur Bradley 118225 R.A.F.V.R. Age 34. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Isaac P. Cundall 1593070 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. No: 567 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 21.09 hrs. from Snaith, Yorkshire to join 241 Lancaster's and 137 Halifax's in an experimental raid to establish how they could bomb a target without the aid of pathfinder aircraft and to simply use the H2S (1) sets.
The raid was a failure with bombs scattered over a large area with no concentration in fact bombing also took place on other towns some 20 miles away! 99 people were killed on the ground.
The allies lost 27 aircraft with the deaths of 125 aircrew and a further 61 being made P.O.W.'s.
Halifax MZ349 is reported to have been shot down by flak but we have discovered a claim by Uffz. Gunther Schmidt of 8./NJG2 who intercepted the Halifax at 01.43 hrs at 5,100 mtrs. Uffz. Schmidt survived the war, but no further details are available.
F/O. Bradley and Sgt. Gregory bailed out over the sea but the remainder of the crew remained with the aircraft and all made it into the life raft except F/O. Tunstall who's body washed up on the shore on the island of Fanø off the Danish coast.
The aircraft came down at around 02.00 hrs and ditched.
A Danish fishing boat spotted the life raft and picked up the crew but when attempting to take them to safety a German patrol boat intercepted them and forced them to hand over the crew at gunpoint.
Left to Right rear: F/O. McDonald, Fl/Lt. Hannay, F/O. Bradley, F/O. Tunstall
Left to Right Front: Sgt. Boyes, Sgt. Cundall, Sgt. Gregory (Courtesy 51 Squadron History Association)
Above left to right: Fl/Lt. Hannay, F/O. Tunstall, Sgt. Boyes (Courtesy 51 Squadron History Association)
Interesting as the chaps at 51 Squadron History Association who we work very closely with have establish that although F/O. Tunstall is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial he was in fact buried on the beach at Fanø but that the Air Ministry could not find the grave during extensive searches in 1947 - so today he is classed as missing! To reinforce these findings the identity disc belonging to him was returned to the family!
F/O. Tunstall's identity disc (Courtesy 51 Squadron History Association)
Sgt. John A. Boyes broke into the offices at Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg and stole the prisoner records and handed them out around the camp before escaping, he was captured shortly afterwards and is in contact with our friends at 51 Squadron History Association today.
Fl/Lt. Alexander Hannay remained in the R.A.F after the war until 1951 when he was killed in a mid-air collision.
Sgt. John A. Boyes today (Courtesy 51 Squadron History Association)
H2S radar as fitted to the Halifax
(1) The H2S radar was used in bombers of RAF Bomber Command. It was designed to identify targets on the ground for night and all-weather bombing. On January 30 1943, H2S radar was used by RAF bombers for navigation for the first time and so became the first ground mapping radar to be used in combat. Initially it was fitted to Stirling and Halifax bombers and provided a ground mapping capability for both navigation and night bombing. This development, using 10 cm radar, (actually 9.1 cm) was possible thanks to the development of the cavity magnetron. Later versions of H2S reduced the wavelength used, first to 3 cm and then 1.5 cm, at which wavelength the system was capable of detecting rain clouds.
Relatives of 51 Squadron who would like us to put them into contact with the 51 Squadron Society please do not hesitate to contact us.
Burial details:
Sgt. Jack Gregory. Kiel War Cemetery Grave 4.E.8
Son of Jack and Ada Gregory, of Brierfield, Nelson, Lancashire.
F/O. Edmund Thomas Tunstall. Runnymed Memorial. Panel 209
Son of James Miller Tunstall and Mary Esther Tunstall, of Liverpool.
F/O. Anthony Alfred Arthur Bradley. Runnymed Memorial. Panel 204
Son of Walter Hermit Bradley and Edith Alice Bradley.
Researched by: 51 Squadron History Association and Kelvin T. Youngs (A.R. Society) for relatives of the crew.
Acknowledgments: With thanks to the following: Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses", Theo Boiten - "German Nightfighter War Diaries", Martin Middlebrook "Bomber Command War Diaries". The Commonwealth Graves Commission.
