Date: 24/25th July 1944
Unit: No. 50 Squadron
Type: Lancaster I
Serial: LL842
Coded: VN-F
Location: 2 km south south west Nogent-le-Rotróu, France
Pilot: F/O. Gordon Howard Parker J/25943 R.C.A.F. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Thomas William Thompson 966222 R.A.F.V.R. Age 27. Killed
Nav: F/O. John Mason Neal J/27480 R.C.A.F. Age; 21, Killed (1)
Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. J. H. Spencer R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. (Camp. L7, P.O.W. No: 630)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Leslie Salway 1587294 R.A.F.V.R. Age 21. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. H. Hampton R.A.F.V.R. Evaded capture. (P.R.O. Kew list: File No. 3321. Report: 2115)
Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. David Sinclair Campbell J/90306 R.C.A.F. Age 31. Killed.
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off from Skellingthorpe, (Nicknamed "Skelly" by aircrews) Lincolnshire at 21.51 hrs as part of a 412 Lancaster and 138 Halifax force to attack Stuttgart.
During this operation some 23 bombers were lost. This raid was the first in a series of 3 such attacks on this city and this, for the first time used masses of long window (The length - 1.8 metres long and 7 cm wide) effectively jamming the German night fighter A/1 radar. Stuttgart was extremely badly damaged during this raid.
LL842 Lancaster was claimed to have been shot down by Ofw. Wilhelm Glitz of Stab NJG2 at a height of 2.500m over Dreux-Llliers very early during the raid at 23.56hrs.
Ofw. Glitz survived the war with a total of 12 kills to his score.
Lancaster LL842 Ground crew (Photo courtesy of J. Phillips) 
(1) Neal Island in Kitchi Lake, Manitoba is named after F/O. Neal
Burial Details:
Gordon Howard Parker Nogent-LeRotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7.
No further details at this time.
Thomas William Thompson Nogent-LeRotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7.
Son of Peter and Polly Thompson, of Atherton, Lancashire.
John Mason Neal Nogent-LeRotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7.
Survived by his wife Norma Neal (nee Finch) and their daughter.
Leslie Salway Nogent-LeRotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7.
Son of Charles and Carrie Dorothy Salway, of Bristol.
David Sinclair Campbell Nogent-LeRotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Grave 2.
Son of Andrew and Cecelia Campbell, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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 C.W.G.C.
