CAPTAIN: MOONEY
LANCASTER (Black Thursday) JB482 OF-S
All crew baled out safely, aircraft destroyed
CREW
Pilot: F/O Robert Leo Mooney
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Flight Engineer: Sgt Felix Bernard Grey
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Navigator: Sgt George Albert Johnson
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Bomb Aimer: F/S Jack Worsdale
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
W/Op: Sgt Norman Davidson Cameron
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Mid-Upper Gunner: F/S Godfrey Woolf
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Rear Gunner: F/S George Edward Smith
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
LANCASTER (Black Thursday) JB482 OF-S
All crew baled out safely, aircraft destroyed
CREW
Pilot: F/O Robert Leo Mooney
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Flight Engineer: Sgt Felix Bernard Grey
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Navigator: Sgt George Albert Johnson
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Bomb Aimer: F/S Jack Worsdale
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
W/Op: Sgt Norman Davidson Cameron
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Mid-Upper Gunner: F/S Godfrey Woolf
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
Rear Gunner: F/S George Edward Smith
Killed 1-Jan-44, aircraft hit by flak near Aachen, buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery
CREW: Robert Leo Mooney, Felix Bernard Grey, George Albert Johnson, Jack Worsdale, Norman Davidson Cameron, Godfrey Woolf, George Edward Smith
DETAILS
Posted to 97 Sqn from Pathfinder Force Navigation Training Unit on 3.12.43
OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT WITH 97 SQUADRON
(Extracts from Operations Record Book)
1. 16/17 December 1943 - Berlin
JB482S F/O R.L.Mooney, Sgts F.B.Gray, G.A.Johnson, F/Sgt J.Worsdale, Sgt N.D.Cameron, F/Sgt G.Woolf, F/Sgt G.E.Smith. Up 1705 Down 0035. 5 x 2000lb. Berlin bombed from 19,500'. Target identified by red and green TIs and Wanganui flares. On return crew baled out owing to weather conditions making landing too dangerous.
2. 23/24 December 1943 - Berlin
LM346O F/O R.L.Mooney, Sgts F.B.Gray, G.Johnson, F/Sgt J.Worsdale, Sgt N.D.Cameron, F/Sgt G.Woolf, F/Sgt G.E.Smith. Up 0038 Down 0751. 1 x 4000lb, 5 x 1000lb. Target bombed from 17,500'. 10/10ths cloud top 8,000'. Vis good. Red TIs and Wanganuis fell at 0400 hours and on leaving target these were observed to be well concentrated. The glow of fires could be seen from Hanover. 0424 hours - large explosion seen reflected on clouds.
3. 1/2 January 1944 - Berlin
JA960E F/O R.L.Mooney, Sgts F.B.Gray, G.A.Johnson, F/Sgt J.Worsdale, Sgts N.D.Cameron, F/Sgt G.Woolf, F/Sgt G.E.Smith. Up 0051 - missing.
1.1.44 20 aircraft Lancaster IIIs are detailed to attack Berlin. Two aircraft were withdrawn owing to engine troubles. The remaining 18 aircraft set out to attack the primary target. Weather was 10/10th cloud at 12,000', vis good. Defences moderate H/F to slight - S/Ls ineffective. Slight fighter activity and many scare crow flares. No results of bombing were seen and some scattered markers were reported. It appears that no good continuous concentration was achieved. One aircraft and crew - Captain F/O Mooney DFM is missing, no news being received since leaving base.
Extract from Bomber Command Losses - 1/2.1.44
Lancaster III JA960 OF - E. Op Berlin. T/O 0051 Bourn. Homebound hit by flak near Aachen and crashed 0507, local time. Funerals were held at Aachen on 8 January, since when their remains have been interred in Rheinberg War Cemetery. F/S Mooney had served with 106 Squadron, details of his award being published on 23 December 1941. Those for F/S Johnson and F/S Worsdale were gazetted on 8 May 1945.
F/O R.L.Mooney DFM(+), Sgt F.B.Grey(+), F/S G.A.Johnson DFM(+), F/S J.Worsdale DFM(+), F/S N.D.Cameron(+), F/S G.Woolf RAAF(+), F/S G.E.Smith(+)
Some time around one o'clock in the morning of 17th December 1943, two 97 Squadron crews, despairing of being able to land safely due to the fog, took the enormously difficult decision to abandon their Lancasters. This was absolutely a last resort, as abandoning the planes was a very serious business given the value of a Lancaster in wartime and the cost of building it, £59,000, never mind the loss of all the expensive equipment on board. Yet the navigator of one of the planes, John Arthurson, remembered more than fifty years later that not the slightest blame or criticism was ever directed at the two crews which took this option. The other catastrophes of the night put the matter into perspective, and Bourn's Station Commander and Commanding Officer were only too aware that without this drastic action there could have been another fourteen fatalities.
The ORB gives 12.35 as the time when Pilot Officer Robert Leo Mooney and his crew abandoned S-Sugar "owing to weather conditions making landing too dangerous". This crew was at first reported as missing, lost at sea. Eventually, however, they all turned up safely and it was accepted that the aircraft, flying on George, the automatic pilot, had followed the correct heading out to the North Sea where its petrol finally ran out and it crashed into the waves. The accident card specifically records the reason for the abandonment of S-Sugar as being lack of petrol.
The second aircraft to be ditched was Y-York, its captain's name was Smith, and there is a detailed account of what happened to that crew that night. To see the Caterpillar Club memento which was ordered for all the bale out crews, see Crew Smith - scroll down to the bottom of the crew page.
Unfortunately the Mooney crew did not live to receive their pins - they were all killed 2 weeks after Black Thursday.
The following details of Robert Mooney's flying career were supplied by Des Evans.
FLYING OFFICER 120499 R.L.MOONEY DFM
Previous tour of operations with 106 Sqn as Sergeant 742608 (28 ops - 11 as Navigator, 17 as Pilot/Captain). Awarded DFM (London Gazette 23.12.41).The second aircraft to be ditched was Y-York, its captain's name was Smith, and there is a detailed account of what happened to that crew that night. To see the Caterpillar Club memento which was ordered for all the bale out crews, see Crew Smith - scroll down to the bottom of the crew page.
Unfortunately the Mooney crew did not live to receive their pins - they were all killed 2 weeks after Black Thursday.
The following details of Robert Mooney's flying career were supplied by Des Evans.
FLYING OFFICER 120499 R.L.MOONEY DFM
Posted to 97 Sqn from Pathfinder Force Navigation Training Unit on 3.12.43
OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT WITH 97 SQUADRON
(Extracts from Operations Record Book)
1. 16/17 December 1943 - Berlin
JB482S F/O R.L.Mooney, Sgts F.B.Gray, G.A.Johnson, F/Sgt J.Worsdale, Sgt N.D.Cameron, F/Sgt G.Woolf, F/Sgt G.E.Smith. Up 1705 Down 0035. 5 x 2000lb. Berlin bombed from 19,500'. Target identified by red and green TIs and Wanganui flares. On return crew baled out owing to weather conditions making landing too dangerous.
2. 23/24 December 1943 - Berlin
LM346O F/O R.L.Mooney, Sgts F.B.Gray, G.Johnson, F/Sgt J.Worsdale, Sgt N.D.Cameron, F/Sgt G.Woolf, F/Sgt G.E.Smith. Up 0038 Down 0751. 1 x 4000lb, 5 x 1000lb. Target bombed from 17,500'. 10/10ths cloud top 8,000'. Vis good. Red TIs and Wanganuis fell at 0400 hours and on leaving target these were observed to be well concentrated. The glow of fires could be seen from Hanover. 0424 hours - large explosion seen reflected on clouds.
3. 1/2 January 1944 - Berlin
JA960E F/O R.L.Mooney, Sgts F.B.Gray, G.A.Johnson, F/Sgt J.Worsdale, Sgts N.D.Cameron, F/Sgt G.Woolf, F/Sgt G.E.Smith. Up 0051 - missing.
1.1.44 20 aircraft Lancaster IIIs are detailed to attack Berlin. Two aircraft were withdrawn owing to engine troubles. The remaining 18 aircraft set out to attack the primary target. Weather was 10/10th cloud at 12,000', vis good. Defences moderate H/F to slight - S/Ls ineffective. Slight fighter activity and many scare crow flares. No results of bombing were seen and some scattered markers were reported. It appears that no good continuous concentration was achieved. One aircraft and crew - Captain F/O Mooney DFM is missing, no news being received since leaving base.
Extract from Bomber Command Losses - 1/2.1.44
Lancaster III JA960 OF - E. Op Berlin. T/O 0051 Bourn. Homebound hit by flak near Aachen and crashed 0507, local time. Funerals were held at Aachen on 8 January, since when their remains have been interred in Rheinberg War Cemetery. F/S Mooney had served with 106 Squadron, details of his award being published on 23 December 1941. Those for F/S Johnson and F/S Worsdale were gazetted on 8 May 1945.
F/O R.L.Mooney DFM(+), Sgt F.B.Grey(+), F/S G.A.Johnson DFM(+), F/S J.Worsdale DFM(+), F/S N.D.Cameron(+), F/S G.Woolf RAAF(+), F/S G.E.Smith(+)
Left: Godfrey Woolf, the M/U gunner, on his enlistment. Note the ruler which determines his height, he is six foot tall.
Aircrew on Berlin op - December 16/17 1943