CAPTAIN: WILSON
16/17 December 1943 - LANCASTER Z-ZEBRA - JB312
Landed at Bourn with some damage.
All the crew were lost the following month.
CREW
Pilot: F/L Charles Thomas Wilson
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Flight Engineer: Sgt Terence Walter Smith
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Navigator: F/O George Wilson Syme Borthwick
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Bomb Aimer: F/O George Alfred Watling
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
W/Op: Sgt Lawrence George Jones
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Mid-Upper Gunner: Sgt Geffrey Kelvin Harper
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Rear Gunner: Sgt Horace John Pleydell
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
16/17 December 1943 - LANCASTER Z-ZEBRA - JB312
Landed at Bourn with some damage.
All the crew were lost the following month.
CREW
Pilot: F/L Charles Thomas Wilson
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Flight Engineer: Sgt Terence Walter Smith
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Navigator: F/O George Wilson Syme Borthwick
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Bomb Aimer: F/O George Alfred Watling
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
W/Op: Sgt Lawrence George Jones
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Mid-Upper Gunner: Sgt Geffrey Kelvin Harper
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
Rear Gunner: Sgt Horace John Pleydell
Killed 29-Jan-44, No Known Grave
CREW: Charles Thomas Wilson, Terence Walter Smith, George Wilson Syme Borthwick, George Alfred Watling, Lawrence George Jones, Geffrey Kelvin Harper, Horace John Pleydell
DETAILS
On Black Thursday, the aircraft landed just before midnight, at ten to twelve, and seriously damaged its starboard pin and rudder on landing. The plane was too far down the runway when it touched down, but the skipper, Flight Lieutenant Wilson, somehow managed to turn the aircraft aside just as it ran out of landing space. The Lancaster hit a transformer violently, sideways on, the point of impact being just above the tail wheel. The rear gunner, Sergeant Pleydell, narrowly escaped injury when the tail section was ripped off on the port side and twisted back at right angles to the main fuselage. By the time the aircraft had finally jolted to a halt, Pleydell had decided that enough was enough. In his hurry to get out of the Lancaster, no doubt thinking with good reason it was likely to catch fire, he used his axe to hack his way out of the gun turret.
CREW DETAILS
George Wilson Syme Borthwick
RAF service number: 132740 (RAFVR); rank at 16/17th December 1943: F/O.
He completed his Navigator training in Canada and below is an aerial photograph of the Racecourse at Chatham, New Brunswick taken by him during his training.
He was posted to 97 Squadron at Bourn, in the rank of F/O, from No. 664 Conversion Unit, at Winthorpe, together with his pilot F/O Charles Thomas Wlison and his Bomb Aimer P/O George Alfred Watling with effect from 4th August 1943.
He was married to Robina Borthwick, nee Rennie, and lived in Edinburgh where prior to the war he had been a Maths teacher. Unfortunately we do not have an exact date of birth for him but at the time of his death (28/29th January 1944) he was 33 years old, somewhat ancient for aircrew in those days.
The award of his DFC was gazetted posthumously on 11th February 1944.
RAF service number: 132740 (RAFVR); rank at 16/17th December 1943: F/O.
He completed his Navigator training in Canada and below is an aerial photograph of the Racecourse at Chatham, New Brunswick taken by him during his training.
He was posted to 97 Squadron at Bourn, in the rank of F/O, from No. 664 Conversion Unit, at Winthorpe, together with his pilot F/O Charles Thomas Wlison and his Bomb Aimer P/O George Alfred Watling with effect from 4th August 1943.
He was married to Robina Borthwick, nee Rennie, and lived in Edinburgh where prior to the war he had been a Maths teacher. Unfortunately we do not have an exact date of birth for him but at the time of his death (28/29th January 1944) he was 33 years old, somewhat ancient for aircrew in those days.
The award of his DFC was gazetted posthumously on 11th February 1944.
Left: photo taken by Borthwick during his navigator training in Canada
Below: Charles Wilson's family after receiving his posthumous DFC at Buckingham Palace -
The young girl on the right is the daughter of Charles Wilson, and the lady next to her is his mother, Alice. He had married a girl from Lincolnshire, possibly having met her while stationed there, but she too died young and their daughter was brought up by Alice. The lady on the left of Alice in the photo may well be Charles' widow but the family are not 100% certain.
Charles Wilson was also 33 at the time of his death, making him and the navigator atypical of the wartime RAF
Below: Charles Wilson's family after receiving his posthumous DFC at Buckingham Palace -
The young girl on the right is the daughter of Charles Wilson, and the lady next to her is his mother, Alice. He had married a girl from Lincolnshire, possibly having met her while stationed there, but she too died young and their daughter was brought up by Alice. The lady on the left of Alice in the photo may well be Charles' widow but the family are not 100% certain.
Charles Wilson was also 33 at the time of his death, making him and the navigator atypical of the wartime RAF
The Pathfinder Year - 97 Squadron at Bourn
Extract from Bomber Command Losses - 28/29.1.44
Lancaster III JB353 OF - L. Op Berlin. T/O 0035 Bourn. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
F/L C.T.Wilson DFC(+), F/S T.W.Smith(+), F/L G.W.S.Borthwick DFC(+), F/L G.A.Watling(+), F/S L.G.Jones(+), F/S G.K.Harper(+), F/S H.J.Pleydell(+).
Lancaster III JB353 OF - L. Op Berlin. T/O 0035 Bourn. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
F/L C.T.Wilson DFC(+), F/S T.W.Smith(+), F/L G.W.S.Borthwick DFC(+), F/L G.A.Watling(+), F/S L.G.Jones(+), F/S G.K.Harper(+), F/S H.J.Pleydell(+).
Above: Wilson with his daughter, Christine, probably in 1939