Operation: Braunschweig
Date: 12/13th August 1944 (Saturday/Sunday)
Unit: No. 51 Squadron
Type: Halifax II
Serial: MZ349
Code: MH-U
Base: RAF Snaith, Yorkshire
Location: Wilhelmshaven-Cuxhaven
Pilot: Fl/Lt. ‘Bob’ Alexander Hannay 120473 RAFVR Age 25. PoW - no details available (1)
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Jack Gregory 1005552 RAFVR Age 23. Killed
Nav: F/O. Robert Alexander McDonald J/28828 RCAF PoW No: 7482 Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria
Air/Bmr: F/O. Edmund Thomas Tunstall 152827 RAFVR Age 23. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. John A. Boyes 1621546 RAFVR PoW No: 554 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
Air/Gnr: F/O. Anthony Alfred Arthur Bradley 118225 RAFVR Age 34. Missing
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Isaac P. Cundall 1593070 RAFVR PoW No: 567 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreulberg
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 21:09 hrs. from Snaith, Yorkshire to join 241 Lancasters and 137 Halifaxes in an experimental raid to establish how they could bomb a target without the aid of pathfinder aircraft and to simply use the H2S (1) sets.
The raid was a failure with bombs scattered over a large area with no concentration in fact bombing also took place on other towns some 20 miles away! 99 people were killed on the ground.
The allies lost 27 aircraft with the deaths of 125 aircrew and a further 61 being made PoW.
L-R rear: F/O. McDonald, Fl/Lt. Hannay, F/O. Bradley, F/O. Tunstall L-R front: Sgt. Boyes, Sgt. Cundall, Sgt. Gregory (courtesy 51 Squadron History Association)
(1) Fl/Lt. Alexander Hannay remained in the RAF after the war for a short period, left, then rejoined in 1949. When stationed at RAF Leeming he was killed in a mid-air collision. Flying a Martinet TTI NR570 whilst with 228 OCU when on the 13th August 1951 they collided with Wellington T10 PG367 from the same unit. Both crew from the Martinet were killed with all but one of the Wellington crew of seven losing their lives.
Burial details:
Sgt. Jack Gregory. Kiel War Cemetery Grave 4.E.8. Son of Jack and Ada Gregory, of Brierfield, Nelson, Lancashire, England.
F/O. Edmund Thomas Tunstall. Runnymed Memorial. Panel 209. Son of James Miller Tunstall and Mary Esther Tunstall, of Liverpool, England.
F/O. Anthony Alfred Arthur Bradley. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 204. Son of Walter Hermit Bradley and Edith Alice Bradley.
In 1951 - Fl/Lt. Alexander Hannay. Kirkcolm Cemetery, Stranraer. Son of the late Mr. Willam and Mrs. Mary (née Donaldson) Hannay, Corsewall Mill. Husband of Barbara (née Tully)
Researched by: 51 Squadron History Association with additional information by the webmaster for relatives of the crew. With thanks to sources as quoted below.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember
them. - Laurence
Binyon
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