Operation: Wuppertal, Germany

Date: 24th/25th June 1943 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit No: 156 Squadron (Pathfinders), 8 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: EE127

Code: GT:X

Base: RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire

Location: North Sea, 30 km west of Schouwen, The Netherlands

Pilot: WO. Leo Frederick Joseph Brown 416018 RAAF Age 27. MiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Ivor Hall Bradley 569239 RAF Age 22. MiA

Nav: Flt Sgt. Albert Victor Newell 1391936 RAFVR Age 33. MiA

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Robert Franklin ‘Bob’ Worthington R106405 RCAF Age 25. MiA (1)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. John Malpass 1207245 RAFVR Age 28. MiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upper): Sgt. Ronald Gilbert 1264739 RAFVR Age 23. MiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Cecil Easton 1330123 RAFVR Age 20. MiA

Above: Six of WO. Leo F.J. Brown’s crew. Sgt. Worthington, standing 1st from the left, is the only one that is currently identified (Courtesy of Dorian Cowland).

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Warboys in what was then Huntingdonshire at 23:13hrs. 630 heavy aircraft took part in the bombing of the Elberfeld region of Wuppertal. The other region of the town Barmen had been devastated at the end of May.

The Pathfinders marked the target with great accuracy with a reported 94% of the target destroyed with the allied force bombing between 01:01 and 01:47 hrs. 815 tons of high explosive bombs fell, together with over 330,000 incendiaries. 171 Industrial premises as well as about 3,000 houses destroyed. A further 53 Industrial buildings and 2,500 houses damaged. It is estimated that 1,800 people were killed on the ground with a further 2,400 suffering injuries.

The night fighters of the Luftwaffe and Flak units managed to bring down some 33 heavy bombers most during the outbound part of the operation.

Above left to right Hptm. Wittgenstein, Lt. Heinz Struning

EE127 or 97 Sqn Lancaster LM327 were claimed two German pilots:

Hptm. Wittgenstein from Stab IV./NJG5 (detached from 1/.NJG1), his 32nd Abschuss and first of four this night, 30 km west of Katwijk at 3.000 m., at 02:25 hrs;

Lt. Heinz Strüning from 2./NJG1, his 31st Abschuss and first of two this night, 30 km west of Schouwen at 02:49 hrs.

Note: Also claimed by Flak of Marine Flak. Abt. 810 and by Nordbatterie Vissingen. The victory was confirmed for Lt. Strüning on the 19th December 1944. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (23 June - 22 September) 1943 Part 2 - Theo Boiten).

A second aircraft from the squadron failed to return:

Lancaster III ED858 GT-R - Flown by Plt Off. Richard J. Hudson 403742 RAAF, who was KiA along with his crew.

(1) Robert graduated from the Gordon Bell High School. He worked at the Canada Packers company as a livestock buyer prior to enlisting in the RCAF on the 4th June 1941.

After training as a Navigator “B’ he was posted to 30 Operational training Unit (OTU) on the 1st September 1942. On the 9th January 1943 he was posted to 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU). He and his crew were then posted to 12 Squadron on the 27th January 1943 and then to 156 Squadron on the 30th April 1943.

Burial details:

Plt Off. Leo Frederick Joseph Brown. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 190. Born on the 26th December 1915 in Sterling West, South Australia. Son of Joseph Henry and Emily Edith (née Coats) Brown. Husband of Erica Jean (née Packer) Brown of Port Lincoln, South Australia.

WO. Brown was posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to Plt Off effective 23rd May 1943.

Sgt. Ivor Hall Bradley. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 143. Born in the 3rd Qtr of 1920 in South Shields, Durham. Son of James Oliver and Clara (née Hall) Bradley of South Shields, Durham, England.

Flt Sgt. Albert Victor Newell. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 138. Born on the 6th December 1909 in Tuffnell Park, London. Son of Albert Victor and Mary Jane (née Laidler) Newell of Muswell Hill, Middlesex, England.

Plt Off. Robert Franklin Worthington. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 178. Born on the 21st July 1917 in Manitoba. Son of Frank (deceased in Feb 1925) and Sadie May Worthington of Winipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Sgt. Worthington was appointed to a commission and promoted to J17985 Plt Off. with effect 24th June 1943.

Worthington Lake, south of Wells Lake, Manitoba was named after Plt Off. Robert Worthington in 1994.

Sgt. John Malpass. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 158. Born on the 17th January 1915 in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire. Son of John Leighton and Lilian Mary (née Walker) Malpass of Audley, Staffordshire, England. Husband of Ivy (née Cooke) Malpass of Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, England.

Sgt. Ronald Gilbert. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 150. Born on the 21st January 1920 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Son of Major Henry Herbert Gilbert, MM (Royal Engineers) and of Eliza (née Renard) Gilbert of Gillingham, Kent, England.

Sgt. Cecil Easton. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 148. Born in the 2nd Qtr of 1923 in Edmonton, Essex. Son of Charles Henry and Edith Sarah (née Winter) Easton of Edmonton, Middlesex, England.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Nov 2018). Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered with new information with thanks to Dorian Cowland for the photographs and information for Plt Off. Worthington (Mar 2026).

Other sources listed below:

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