Bomber Ops in November 1944

[Robo283]

Steve,

If you have more info on the above op I would be interested in talking to you. My great uncle Sgt. Peter Gosnold was F/E on PD265. They were hit by flak on the approach to the target. The pilot (F/O France) and navigator (F/O F Eisberg) baled out, F/O France losing his leg in the process. Peter and the remainder of the crew were killed. F/O Eisberg wrote to Peter's family after the war and the incident was witnessed by Harry Yates and recorded in his book 'Luck and a Lancaster'.

By a bizarre coincidence I managed to obtain F/O France's log book and uniform recently.

[brianmather]

can any one help me my great uncle raymond glover lost in action on 9 nov 1944 was part of 625 sq i know two aircraft were on that night but dont know if ramond was on either of them

[Theletterwriter]

Brian

Bill Chorley's Bomber Command War Losses 1944 indicate the following : -

625 Squadron Lancaster III PB556 CF-

P/O L G Harris +
Sgt P Connell +
Sgt R Glover +
Sgt DJD Huggett +
Sgt RAS Scott +
Sgt JA Sherritt +
Sgt ED Wakefield +

T/O Kelstern. Lost without trace. All commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Their average age was 22.

Best wishes

Douglas

[helmes11]

Thanks Dick; most appreciated.
Steve

Is somebody able to tell me, how many LANCASTERS from wich squadron take part on this 182 bomber attack against HEINSBERG

Thank you for your help

Helmut

[ChipyNZ13]

Hi Brian,

I work with a team who are busy comprising Aircrew Remembered Reports for all 74 losses of 625 Squadron. I am hoping you might be able to help us to put one together for your Great Uncle and his crew on PB556?

If so, please get in contact.

Thanks,
Mike

[alieneyes]

Hi Mike,

Brian hasn't visited the board in over a decade.

Usually what we do is send them an email and let them know there's been movement on a specific thread.

Unfortunately, Brian did not leave us an email address.

Regards,

Dave

[David Duxbury]

Steve,
I think the convention on the plural spelling of aircraft with names ending in "O" is to simply add an "s" WITHOUT an intervening "e", thus Mosquitos, Buffalos, Zeros. This presumably because these aircraft names are actually PROPER nouns (somewhat like a ship's name, although in latter case this applies to a unique vessel, whereas for aircraft it is almost always considered as "type" or "class" name), so should have a capital initial letter. However this subject is a bit of a mine-field, as many well known items which are named specifically after an actual person (dead or alive), a god, a company, or a place, frequently are not given the privilege of an initial capital, e.g., tannoy (PA system), bofors gun, aldis sight, very pistol, lewis gun, or lindholme equipment. Incidentally, it seemed (maybe no longer?) that in WW2 in particular, the American armed forces decided to use an apostrophe in the plural case for aircraft where no actual name was used, before adding an "s" to signify more than one aircraft, such as "fifteen P-40's". MY ten cents worth for today. I am certain the Americans would have written an argument for this style of presentation in all their official publications, but I have never seen it!
David D