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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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9 Squadron Crest
14/15.01.1944 No. 9 Squadron Lancaster III ED721 WS-S P/O. Edward J. Argent

Operation: Braunschweig

Date: 14/15th January 1944 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit: No. 9 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: ED721

Code: WS-S

Base: RAF Bardney, Lincolnshire

Location: Bartolfelde, Germany

Pilot: P/O. Edward James Argent 156647 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. W. Lyons RAFVR PoW No: 270060 Camp: Stalag Mühlberg-Elbe

Nav: F/O. Frederick Edward Forshew 134683 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. H.T. Jolliffe RAFVR PoW No: 270050 Camp: Stalag Mühlberg-Elbe

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Fradley 1457002 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Alfred Kenneth Trevena AUS/410182 RAAF Age 23. Killed

Air/Gnr: W/O II. ’Ted’ David Alexander Powley R/133214 RCAF Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Left RAF Bardney, Lincolnshire at 16.42. hrs. Part of a force of 498 aircraft targeting the aircraft component and other armament manufacturing facilities in and around the city of Brunswick. 

Being an important industrial area the target was heavily defended by flak installations and Luftwaffe night fighters. 

Flying almost due east, the bomber stream crossed the North Sea and entered enemy held territory over North Holland. Turning south east toward Brunswick, in the region of Bremen, the bombers were met by many German night fighters infiltrating the stream. 

In all, 38 aircraft were lost during the raid which turned out to be very unsuccessful in terms of damage to the target and the loss of so many aircrews. 

Of the many aircraft lost on this operation, very little information of claims can be identified from the Luftwaffe records. 

Lancaster ED721 crashed at Bartolfelde. 


Right: Pilot of Lancaster ED721 P/O. Edward James Argent (courtesy Peter Argent)

9 Squadron Lancaster at RAF Bardney (courtesy IWM)

Four members of this crew had only just resumed operational flying following a traumatic ditching returning from Frankfurt on  20/21st of December 1943 in Lancaster ED700 WS-O which was shot and damaged by a night-fighter, finally,after running out of fuel, ditched in the North Sea. After several hours in a dinghy, they were rescued by an ASR launch and taken to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England.

Burial details:

The crew who died were originally buried on January the 17th, some 7 km west of Bad Sachsa. Their bodies later being re interred in the Hanover War Cemetery.

P/O. Edward James Argent. Hanover War Cemetery. Coll.Grave 2.C.6-10. Further information: Son of Herbert James and Ellen Argent and brother to Herbert (Pat) and Hanna (Joan) Argent of St.Margarets, Middlesex, England. Although unmarried at the time of his death, he is believed to have had a Canadian girlfriend whom he met while he was training there and whose family is believed to have kept in touch with his sister after the war.

F/O. Frederick Edward Forshew. Hanover War Cemetery. Coll.Grave 2.C.6-10. Son of Edward James and Amy Edith Forshew of Strood, Kent, England.

Sgt. George Fradley. Hanover War Cemetery. Coll.Grave 2.C.6-10. NoK details currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

Fl/Sgt. Alfred Kenneth Trevena. Hanover War Cemetery. Coll.Grave 2.C.6-10. Son of Ernest Henry and Stephanie Hope Trevena of Hawthorne, Victoria, Australia

W/O II. David Alexander Powley. Hanover War Cemetery. Coll.Grave 2.C.6-10. Son of Mr and Mrs. R.S. Powley. Brother of Eleanor, Richard, Raymond and Bill (all 3 brothers served, Richard had been discharged from the Army). From Langley Prairie, Burnaby, Vancouver, Canada. 

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Linda Ibrom for relatives of this crew. Photo and information of Pilot Officer Argent and information to Peter Argent (nephew).

For further details our thanks to the following, Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vol's. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', ‘Bomber Command Database’, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vol's. 1 and  2', 'Kracker Luftwaffe Archives'. Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries (Updated 2014 version), 'Paradie Archive'. Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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