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. Killed
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; 21Killed
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)
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.
No further details at this time.
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.
Researched by Kelvin T. Youngs (Aircrew Remembrance Society February 2009) 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.
