Roderick Stanley Emerson, Albert Joseph Newell, Irwin Worth, John Arthur Bartholomew, Robert James Dickie, Geoffrey Walter Wood, William Garfield Duncan
CAPTAIN: EMERSON
LANCASTER - JB312 OF-A
21st February 1944. The Lancaster crashed on the edge of Bourn airfield, the entire crew was killed.
CREW
Pilot: Roderick Stanley Emerson
Flight Engineer: Albert Joseph Newell
Navigator: Irwin Worth
Bomb Aimer: John Arthur Bartholomew
W/Op: Robert James Dickie
Mid-Upper Gunner: Geoffrey Walter Wood
Rear gunner: William Garfield Duncan
LANCASTER - JB312 OF-A
21st February 1944. The Lancaster crashed on the edge of Bourn airfield, the entire crew was killed.
CREW
Pilot: Roderick Stanley Emerson
Flight Engineer: Albert Joseph Newell
Navigator: Irwin Worth
Bomb Aimer: John Arthur Bartholomew
W/Op: Robert James Dickie
Mid-Upper Gunner: Geoffrey Walter Wood
Rear gunner: William Garfield Duncan
DETAILS
ORB Flight Details
ORB Flight Details
JB312A F/L R.S.Emerson, F/Sgt J.Newell, F/O I.Worth, P/O J.A.Bartholomew, W/O R.Dickie, F/Sgt W.Duncan, F/Sgt G.W.Wood.
Up 0015 Down 0740. 4 flares, 4 x TI, 1 x 4000lb, 5 x 1000lb. Successfully bombed target. Collision with another aircraft over target and damage from flak. Aircraft crashed on landing at base at Bourn airfield. All of the crew were killed.
ORB 21.2.44Up 0015 Down 0740. 4 flares, 4 x TI, 1 x 4000lb, 5 x 1000lb. Successfully bombed target. Collision with another aircraft over target and damage from flak. Aircraft crashed on landing at base at Bourn airfield. All of the crew were killed.
F/Lt R.S.Emerson and crew crashed on approaching to land on the runway - there were no survivors. The aircraft had circled and been in touch with Control by R/T. The captain stated that they were in difficulty, having collided over the target with another aircraft. The aircraft was considerably damaged which no doubt was the cause of the aircraft diving into the ground some 300 yards short of the runway. The aircraft was burnt and wreckage strewn about - seven bodies taken to SSQ Bourn.
ORB 24.2.44
Flying training etc carried out as per schedule. In the morning the funeral took place at Cambridge Cemetery at 1100 hours, of those killed in the crash. The following were buried :- F/L R.S.Emerson, P/O I.Worth (Aus) Nav, P/O J.A.Bartholomew A/B, W/O R.Dickie W/Op (Can), F/Sgt G.W.Wood A/G, F/Sgt J.Newell F/E. Relatives of those living in this country attended. The Flight Commander, Adjutant and 20 officers and NCO aircrew were also in attendance. F/Sgt W.Duncan A/G was conveyed to be buried at his home town in Ireland.
Flying training etc carried out as per schedule. In the morning the funeral took place at Cambridge Cemetery at 1100 hours, of those killed in the crash. The following were buried :- F/L R.S.Emerson, P/O I.Worth (Aus) Nav, P/O J.A.Bartholomew A/B, W/O R.Dickie W/Op (Can), F/Sgt G.W.Wood A/G, F/Sgt J.Newell F/E. Relatives of those living in this country attended. The Flight Commander, Adjutant and 20 officers and NCO aircrew were also in attendance. F/Sgt W.Duncan A/G was conveyed to be buried at his home town in Ireland.
Thanks to David Layne and Kyt we now have a letter of the official notification of the loss of the aircraft.
It is hoped that a better quality image of this letter can be obtained, but basically it advises that the Lancaster not only collided with another aircraft over the target, but may also have sustained flak damage. It lost its H2S blister (thanks Kevin Bending for deciphering this one), the fueslage was badly damaged and the flaps were also damaged. The journey home must have been an absolute nightmare. What a tragedy that the crew did not bale out over England. More than anything, perhaps, this demonstrates an aircrew's reluctance to trust their lives to a parachute.
It is hoped that a better quality image of this letter can be obtained, but basically it advises that the Lancaster not only collided with another aircraft over the target, but may also have sustained flak damage. It lost its H2S blister (thanks Kevin Bending for deciphering this one), the fueslage was badly damaged and the flaps were also damaged. The journey home must have been an absolute nightmare. What a tragedy that the crew did not bale out over England. More than anything, perhaps, this demonstrates an aircrew's reluctance to trust their lives to a parachute.
For contemporary reports on the loss of the aircraft and the recollections of Des Evans 65 years later, see below.
Des Evans' Recollections, January 2009
My recollection is seeing Emerson's Lancaster circling the Airfield low enough for us to see a gaping hole on the Port side of the Fuselage. It had to be that side as it was circling above us and in a left circuit. The reason he had to keep circling was because other Lancasters were waiting to come in, so he had no option but to wait. Obviously Air Control anticipated he was going to have problems and would probably close down the airfield if he came in and crashed blocking the runways.I had difficulty in trying to understand on recollection why we could see him so clearly in mid February at such an early hour. Then it dawned on me when I first saw your request for information. In those days we had Double Summer time and so it would have been light earlier.When he did start his approach he was approaching quite straight, then as he neared the Landing strip I suppose at about 200 feet the Lancaster just folded midway down the fuselarge and fell apart, both section hurtled to the ground. It was an awful sight. These guys could see for at least half an hour before that final approach the runway and all the activity going on and expecting to be with us soon.
My own conclusion for what its worth is because of that gaping hole, the Lancaster was stable as long as Emerson was able to maintain a flying speed; once the approach was being made and the last descent was being put into operation, the Pilot would order his Flight Engineer to throttle back - with that hole in the fuselage he would need both his hands holding the Lancaster on a straight line. The weight of the aircraft would then increase dramatically and the strain with such a large fracture in the fuselage would be too much, hence it would literally break up. As to why they didn't bale out, it's possible - as they had been hit by another Lancaster over the target and sustained damage - that perhaps a couple of the crew's parachutes were damaged. At a height of possibly 20000 feet on a bombing raid a collision ripping a hole could create a suction of a considerable force - anything loose near the hole would be sucked out.
My recollection is seeing Emerson's Lancaster circling the Airfield low enough for us to see a gaping hole on the Port side of the Fuselage. It had to be that side as it was circling above us and in a left circuit. The reason he had to keep circling was because other Lancasters were waiting to come in, so he had no option but to wait. Obviously Air Control anticipated he was going to have problems and would probably close down the airfield if he came in and crashed blocking the runways.I had difficulty in trying to understand on recollection why we could see him so clearly in mid February at such an early hour. Then it dawned on me when I first saw your request for information. In those days we had Double Summer time and so it would have been light earlier.When he did start his approach he was approaching quite straight, then as he neared the Landing strip I suppose at about 200 feet the Lancaster just folded midway down the fuselarge and fell apart, both section hurtled to the ground. It was an awful sight. These guys could see for at least half an hour before that final approach the runway and all the activity going on and expecting to be with us soon.
My own conclusion for what its worth is because of that gaping hole, the Lancaster was stable as long as Emerson was able to maintain a flying speed; once the approach was being made and the last descent was being put into operation, the Pilot would order his Flight Engineer to throttle back - with that hole in the fuselage he would need both his hands holding the Lancaster on a straight line. The weight of the aircraft would then increase dramatically and the strain with such a large fracture in the fuselage would be too much, hence it would literally break up. As to why they didn't bale out, it's possible - as they had been hit by another Lancaster over the target and sustained damage - that perhaps a couple of the crew's parachutes were damaged. At a height of possibly 20000 feet on a bombing raid a collision ripping a hole could create a suction of a considerable force - anything loose near the hole would be sucked out.
Battle of Berlin - November 1943-March 1944
THE GUNNERS
Left: Geoffrey Wood
Right: William Duncan
These photos have come from other crew photos. In the case of Geoffrey Wood, he was on Sauvage's crew the previous year - we have yet to put Sauvage (who was one of the great survivors) on the website . A big thank you to both Kevin Bending and Henry Pedersen for pointing this out. Henry has also pointed out that there is a description of "Geoff" Wood in Eddie Wheeler's book, "Just to get a Bed" (page 87). Wheeler writes that Geoff was very shy. He had left the safety of his farm in South America to come to help the land of his birth.
In the case of William Duncan, he was on McEgan's crew, missed the fatal night when the crew was lost, but survived them only another two months. Thanks are due again to Henry Pedersen for spotting the connection.
Left: Geoffrey Wood
Right: William Duncan
These photos have come from other crew photos. In the case of Geoffrey Wood, he was on Sauvage's crew the previous year - we have yet to put Sauvage (who was one of the great survivors) on the website . A big thank you to both Kevin Bending and Henry Pedersen for pointing this out. Henry has also pointed out that there is a description of "Geoff" Wood in Eddie Wheeler's book, "Just to get a Bed" (page 87). Wheeler writes that Geoff was very shy. He had left the safety of his farm in South America to come to help the land of his birth.
In the case of William Duncan, he was on McEgan's crew, missed the fatal night when the crew was lost, but survived them only another two months. Thanks are due again to Henry Pedersen for spotting the connection.
Contemporary Diary - John Fairbairn, W/Op on Perkins' crew
Feb 20-21 Stuttgart
... home 6.30. Mac and I watched Apple come in with belly shot away, stalled and burned on approach.
(Mac is almost certainly M H McBride, the rear gunner on the crew at that time.)
Feb 20-21 Stuttgart
... home 6.30. Mac and I watched Apple come in with belly shot away, stalled and burned on approach.
(Mac is almost certainly M H McBride, the rear gunner on the crew at that time.)
Note added on the 65th anniversary of the crash, 21st February 2009
William Duncan was known as Billy. The family photos of him were lost over the years, and it has been a very great pleasure to learn that his surviving brother, now 77 years old, has in the last two days been able to once again see a photograph of Billy through this website.
Many thanks to all concerned.
William Duncan was known as Billy. The family photos of him were lost over the years, and it has been a very great pleasure to learn that his surviving brother, now 77 years old, has in the last two days been able to once again see a photograph of Billy through this website.
Many thanks to all concerned.