Crupper 10 - 31.12.1944

[jill gresty]

I grew up with a framed photo of my cousin George Harris, nicknamed "Blossom" by my mother, who was lost on Crupper 10 from Tempsford on 31st December 1944 over the North Sea on a SOE mission to Norway. He was not flying with his normal crew and had been requested to join them. I would love to speak to any relatives of other crew members.

[Henk Welting]

Stirling IV serial LK283 of 138 Sqn. The Skipper was F/Lt Raymond McGREGOR - NZ412709 and perhaps Errol could be of any help.
Regards,
Henk.

[AlanW]

Jill,
i have a copy of the 138sqdn Operations Record Book, if you have not already had access to it, don't hesitate to ask for details from it
Alan

[Errol Martyn]

Jill,

From my trilogy

'For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915 (Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998)':


'Sat 30 Dec/New Year’s Eve 1944
BOMBER COMMAND
SOE Operation CRUPPER 10 - supply drop over Norway
138 Squadron, RAF (Tempsford, Bedfordshire - 3 Group)
Stirling IV LK283/J - took off at 2114 to drop supplies 5km south of Beinseter, 12km east of Flå and about 100km NW of Oslo. Believed to have been shot down en route by ships’ flak off Arendal, flak and a ‘terrific flash’ being seen in that area by the crew of another aircraft on a similar sortie. The seven crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Captain: NZ412709 Flt Lt Raymond McGREGOR, RNZAF - Age 24. 1333hrs. 16th op."

The others on board were:
Fg Off Aus432125 Alan George Comer (navigator)
Wt Off 1485057 George Harris (air bomber)
Flt Sgt 1805144 Derek Allen Kenningham (wireless opeator/air gunner)
Sgt 1898016 Richard Edward Ward (air gunner)
Sgt 1896164 David James Perkins (air gunner)
Sgt 2205992 Geoffrey Harrison (flight engineer)

Comer's service record has been digitised by National Archives Australia and can be viewed online. NAA also hold his casualty file which may or may not contain contemporaneous next of kin information about others of the crew. This file has not yet been digitised but can be upon request for payment of a small fee (about $AU16.00). The file references can be found here at:
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/ItemsListing.aspx

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Register online at www.cwgc.org also contains some basic next of kin information.

And, for McGregor, from my Volume Three (Biographies and Appendices):
McGREGOR, Flight Lieutenant Raymond.
NZ412709; b Auckland 17 Aug 20; Mt Albert Grammar; shipping clerk - John Chambers & Son, Auckland. RNZAF Levin/ITW as Airman Pilot u/t 4 May 41, 3EFTS 6 Jul 41, 3FTS 6 Sep 41, Pilots Badge [wef 30.10.41] & Sgt 29 Nov 41, att RAF & emb for UK 18 Dec 41, 3PRC 10 Feb 42, 3(P)AFU 24 Mar 42 [att 1523BATF for c.1 wk in e.May], 2FIS 3 Jun 42, 1 Refresher Flying Trg Sch (Oxford) as FI 29 Jul 42, 19(P)AFU (Oxford) as FI 21 Oct 42, Comm 27 Jul 43, slightly inj in a/c acc 12 Oct 43 [hosp at Inverness (until?), rtd to duty late Nov (sic? 15 Jan 44?)], 21(P)AFU (Oxford) as FI 17 Feb 44, 1BAS (Oxford) 14 Mar 44, 11OTU (Wellington) 21 Mar 44, 12OTU (Wellington) 31 Mar 44, 31 Base for 1653HCU (Stirling) 2 Jun 44, 138 Sqn (Stirling - 16 ops) 27 Jul 44 [att 11OTU for Hercules engine cse 23-27 Aug], kao 31 Dec 44. Runnymede Memorial - Panel 262. Son of John & Gertrude McGregor, Mt Eden, Auckland.

Errol

[jill gresty]

Jill,
i have a copy of the 138sqdn Operations Record Book, if you have not already had access to it, don't hesitate to ask for details from it
Alan

I would love to see this. Thank you.
Jill

[jill gresty]

Jill,

From my trilogy

'For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915 (Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998)':


'Sat 30 Dec/New Year’s Eve 1944
BOMBER COMMAND
SOE Operation CRUPPER 10 - supply drop over Norway
138 Squadron, RAF (Tempsford, Bedfordshire - 3 Group)
Stirling IV LK283/J - took off at 2114 to drop supplies 5km south of Beinseter, 12km east of Flå and about 100km NW of Oslo. Believed to have been shot down en route by ships’ flak off Arendal, flak and a ‘terrific flash’ being seen in that area by the crew of another aircraft on a similar sortie. The seven crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Captain: NZ412709 Flt Lt Raymond McGREGOR, RNZAF - Age 24. 1333hrs. 16th op."

The others on board were:
Fg Off Aus432125 Alan George Comer (navigator)
Wt Off 1485057 George Harris (air bomber)
Flt Sgt 1805144 Derek Allen Kenningham (wireless opeator/air gunner)
Sgt 1898016 Richard Edward Ward (air gunner)
Sgt 1896164 David James Perkins (air gunner)
Sgt 2205992 Geoffrey Harrison (flight engineer)

Comer's service record has been digitised by National Archives Australia and can be viewed online. NAA also hold his casualty file which may or may not contain contemporaneous next of kin information about others of the crew. This file has not yet been digitised but can be upon request for payment of a small fee (about $AU16.00). The file references can be found here at:
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/ItemsListing.aspx

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Register online at www.cwgc.org also contains some basic next of kin information.

And, for McGregor, from my Volume Three (Biographies and Appendices):
McGREGOR, Flight Lieutenant Raymond.
NZ412709; b Auckland 17 Aug 20; Mt Albert Grammar; shipping clerk - John Chambers & Son, Auckland. RNZAF Levin/ITW as Airman Pilot u/t 4 May 41, 3EFTS 6 Jul 41, 3FTS 6 Sep 41, Pilots Badge [wef 30.10.41] & Sgt 29 Nov 41, att RAF & emb for UK 18 Dec 41, 3PRC 10 Feb 42, 3(P)AFU 24 Mar 42 [att 1523BATF for c.1 wk in e.May], 2FIS 3 Jun 42, 1 Refresher Flying Trg Sch (Oxford) as FI 29 Jul 42, 19(P)AFU (Oxford) as FI 21 Oct 42, Comm 27 Jul 43, slightly inj in a/c acc 12 Oct 43 [hosp at Inverness (until?), rtd to duty late Nov (sic? 15 Jan 44?)], 21(P)AFU (Oxford) as FI 17 Feb 44, 1BAS (Oxford) 14 Mar 44, 11OTU (Wellington) 21 Mar 44, 12OTU (Wellington) 31 Mar 44, 31 Base for 1653HCU (Stirling) 2 Jun 44, 138 Sqn (Stirling - 16 ops) 27 Jul 44 [att 11OTU for Hercules engine cse 23-27 Aug], kao 31 Dec 44. Runnymede Memorial - Panel 262. Son of John & Gertrude McGregor, Mt Eden, Auckland.

Errol

Thank you so much for this information. It has provided me with more details of my cousin's last flight. I did not know that the plane was shot down off Arendal. I knew it was the North Sea but not the exact location.
Jill

[Phil Maiden]

I grew up with a framed photo of my cousin George Harris, nicknamed "Blossom" by my mother, who was lost on Crupper 10 from Tempsford on 31st December 1944 over the North Sea on a SOE mission to Norway. He was not flying with his normal crew and had been requested to join them. I would love to speak to any relatives of other crew members.

Hi there. I am Alan Comer's great nephew. My Nan is his sister. I have his log book of operations and a couple of photos of him in his flight suit. If you want to know any details, please let me know :)

[jill gresty]

Hi Phil, I am so sorry to admit that I have only just seen your message of January last and thank you so much for responding. I would be very interested to see any photos you have of your great uncle Alan Comer. My cousin Jack Harris, who was George Harris's brother, has now died but he did know of your great uncle. My email address is jillgresty AT blueyonder DOT co DOT uk if you have any photos etc. Where in Australia are you?
Best wishes, Jill

[Oggie2620]

If you are looking for family members then you might try www.rootschat.com/forum as the bods on there have been very helpful to me in the past :)
Dee

[KiwiRobyn]

Hi Jill,
I am a niece of Raymond McGregor. Would love to make contact with you if at all possible or any other relatives of the crew that were lost that night.