Avro Lancaster III ND415 Memorial
St Lawrence Church Revesby
A drive along the A155 between Coningsby and East Kirkby will take the traveller through the village of Revesby. Apart from the road, there is little to disturb the peace. But go back in time to the years of war, and the sound of Merlins would have filled the air. The airspace around here would have been very congested as the Lancasters of Bomber Command undertook their nightly incursions into Germany and Occupied Europe. With the skies crowded, it was inevitable there would be accidents, and one such occurred here at 03:57hrs on 23 May 1944.
Lancaster III ND415 was one of a batch of 600 built by Avro at Chatterton, with deliveries taking place between December 1943 and May 1944. On 8 January 1944, the aircraft was assigned to No. 97 (Straits Settlements) Squadron based at Coningsby. It was taken on charge as the Battle of Berlin was in progress and flew its first operation to the Big City on January 28/29, 1944. A further fifteen trips followed, including three of infamy, Leipzig (19/20 February), Nuremburg (30/31 March) and Mailly-le-Camp (3/4 May). Of note, on 15 March, Richard Trevor-Roper, who had taken part in Operation 'Chastise' as part of Gibson's crew, was occupying the rear turret on a sortie to Stuttgart.
On 23 May 1944, ND415 OF-B was rostered for an operation to Braunschweig crewed by Fg Offs Wallace Jardine (pilot), George White (navigator), James Page (air gunner), W/Os George Dunae (bomb aimer), Ronald Baker (w/op), Sgts Jack Olive (flight engineer) and John Phillips (air gunner). The crew had flown six previous operations. Completing their objective, they would have been looking forward to a quick debrief with the Intelligence Officer and then warm beds. However, the skies over Revesby were busy as the night's raiders returned to take up their positions for landing.
Another returning was Lancaster I LL967 DX- of No. 57 Squadron from East Kirkby. In the early hours of 23 May, ND415 and LL967 collided, sending Jardine's aircraft to the ground near Revesby. The crew from No. 57 were lucky as they were able to crash land at their base with no injuries. Their Lancaster was eventually returned to service with No. 1651 HCU in November 1944. Unfortunately, for those onboard ND415, their luck had run out, and they all perished in the ensuing crash. The impact must have been catastrophic as only three crew members, Paige, Dunae and Phillips, were retrieved for burial. The others are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Today, a visit to St Lawrence Church Revesby will often find it locked, but on occasion, it is open, allowing viewing of the village's memorial to those lost during the Second World War. In recognition of the tragic event of 23 May 1944, the names of those lost aboard ND415 have been added. They are in good company as another commemorated is Sqd Ldr Humphrey Gilbert DFC of Revesby Manor.
During the Battle of Britain, Gilbert flew with No. 601 Squadron and later Nos. 71 and 65, the latter of which he was Commanding Officer. He was killed while attempting to take off from Debden on 2 May 1942, piloting Spitfire Vb BL372. From the available evidence, it appears he had Controller Flt Lt Ross in the cockpit, sitting on his lap. The reason for this is they were going to a party.
Lancaster III ND415 was one of a batch of 600 built by Avro at Chatterton, with deliveries taking place between December 1943 and May 1944. On 8 January 1944, the aircraft was assigned to No. 97 (Straits Settlements) Squadron based at Coningsby. It was taken on charge as the Battle of Berlin was in progress and flew its first operation to the Big City on January 28/29, 1944. A further fifteen trips followed, including three of infamy, Leipzig (19/20 February), Nuremburg (30/31 March) and Mailly-le-Camp (3/4 May). Of note, on 15 March, Richard Trevor-Roper, who had taken part in Operation 'Chastise' as part of Gibson's crew, was occupying the rear turret on a sortie to Stuttgart.
On 23 May 1944, ND415 OF-B was rostered for an operation to Braunschweig crewed by Fg Offs Wallace Jardine (pilot), George White (navigator), James Page (air gunner), W/Os George Dunae (bomb aimer), Ronald Baker (w/op), Sgts Jack Olive (flight engineer) and John Phillips (air gunner). The crew had flown six previous operations. Completing their objective, they would have been looking forward to a quick debrief with the Intelligence Officer and then warm beds. However, the skies over Revesby were busy as the night's raiders returned to take up their positions for landing.
Another returning was Lancaster I LL967 DX- of No. 57 Squadron from East Kirkby. In the early hours of 23 May, ND415 and LL967 collided, sending Jardine's aircraft to the ground near Revesby. The crew from No. 57 were lucky as they were able to crash land at their base with no injuries. Their Lancaster was eventually returned to service with No. 1651 HCU in November 1944. Unfortunately, for those onboard ND415, their luck had run out, and they all perished in the ensuing crash. The impact must have been catastrophic as only three crew members, Paige, Dunae and Phillips, were retrieved for burial. The others are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Today, a visit to St Lawrence Church Revesby will often find it locked, but on occasion, it is open, allowing viewing of the village's memorial to those lost during the Second World War. In recognition of the tragic event of 23 May 1944, the names of those lost aboard ND415 have been added. They are in good company as another commemorated is Sqd Ldr Humphrey Gilbert DFC of Revesby Manor.
During the Battle of Britain, Gilbert flew with No. 601 Squadron and later Nos. 71 and 65, the latter of which he was Commanding Officer. He was killed while attempting to take off from Debden on 2 May 1942, piloting Spitfire Vb BL372. From the available evidence, it appears he had Controller Flt Lt Ross in the cockpit, sitting on his lap. The reason for this is they were going to a party.