Operation: Essen, Germany

Date: 30th April/1st May 1943 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit No: 12 Squadron, 1 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: W4925

Code: PH:N

Base: RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire

Location: About 4¾ km (3 mls) east of Winterswijk, Holland

Pilot: Flt Lt. James Wallace Potts 123653 RAFVR Age 29. KiA (1)

2nd Pilot: Flt Sgt. Frank Bruce Gillan 409042 RAAF Age 29. KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Ronald Martin 1010657 RAFVR Age 23. KiA (2)

Nav: Sgt. William Woodland 1318406 RAFVR Age 27. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Derek Sheldon 745491 RAFVR Age 22. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Kenneth Hall DFM, 635059 RAF Age 23. KiA (3)

Air Gnr (Mid Upper): Sgt. Leonard Gill 1351297 RAFVR Age 22. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Jack Sidney Harris 1312247 RAFVR Age 22. KiA

Above: Flt Sgt. Frank B. Gillan from his Service Record

We would like any other relatives to contact us regarding this loss as the nephew of Sgt. Martin would like to hear from you to exchange information / photographs.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire, part of a force made up of 305 aircraft (190 Lancasters, 105 Halifaxes and 10 Mosquitoes) to attack the city of Essen. The bombing commenced at 02.31 hrs and continued until 03.19 hrs. on the 1st May.

The raid was considered a success despite the cloud cover this night. No bombing photographs were available but 238 crews reported that they had bombed Essen. 189 buildings were destroyed, 237 severely damaged. The Krupps factory was hit again and 53 people on the ground were killed and a further 218 injured.

The raid cost the RAF 12 aircraft, 6 Lancasters and 6 Halifaxes. 81 crewmen were KiA, 2 WiA, a further 17 became PoWs.

W4925 was claimed by Hptm. Wilhelm Dormann from 9./NJG1, his 5th Abschuss, over Woold, 4 km south of Winterswijk at 6.000 m. at 02.36 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January - 22 June) 1943 Part 1 - Theo Boiten)

Hptm. Dormann baled out severely wounded on the night of the 17th/18th August 1943 over Lingen/Emm. His Bf110 G-2 G9+FZ was attacked by 141 Sqn Beaufighter V8713 flown by Fg Off. Harold E. White DFC & 2 Bars,119508 and Fg Off. Michael S. Allen DFC & 2 Bars, 120723. He was credited with 14 confirmed Abschüsse. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive - Biographies - Theo Boiten)

Series of great photographs showing the crew with some ground crew all courtesy of Alan Hulme.

Above: Rear left to right: Fg Off. Malise H. Stewart, Flt Sgt. Derek Sheldon, Unknown, Flt Sgt. Kenneth Hall, Sgt. Jack S. Harris, Flt Lt. Robert F. Noden; Front left to right: Sgt. Ronald Martin, Sgt. William Woodland.

Fg Off. Malise Herbert Stewart DSC, 133457 RAFVR;
Flt Lt. Robert Frederick Noden DSO, DFM, 125318 RAFVR.
Both of these officers served with a number of squadrons including 12 squadron and both survived the war.

The following is the report submitted by Fg Off. Keith G. Springborn 88514, RAF of 10 Section, No.2 Missing Research and Enquiry Unit (MREU) who visited the scene of the crash:

‘On 21st March 1946 a visit was paid to Winterswijk with the intention of gaining some more information regarding the crash of Lancaster I aircraft W4925, which was reported missing on 1st May 1943.

I first of all contacted the Chief Inspector of Police Mr. Esch van Ingen who reported the following:

“On 1st May 1943 at about 02:40 hours a 4-engined English bomber was seen to be attacked by a German night fighter, and burst into flames. A few minutes later the aircraft was seen to dive and finally to crash on a farm belonging to J. Prangen, Woold, K. 163 about 3 miles East of Winterswijk”.

Mr. Esch van Ingen was not in Winterswijk at the time as he spent most of the war in a concentration camp, to which he had been removed in 1942 owing to his. anti-German activities. However one of his aides had been to the site as soon as possible and reported that 7 bodies were recovered on the day of the crash, and as far as he knew no other body had been recovered as the aircraft after burning fiercely for about half an hour blew up and completely disintegrated. The seven bodies which were found, however, were found some distance away from the aircraft and had presumably tried to bale out, but too late. The bodies were found from 400 metres to within 15 metres from the aircraft, and when found, some of them appeared to have several bullet holes in their bodies.

I then contacted the Chief of the local A.R.P., Mr. Steemerdink who informed me that on the night of the crash he was at the scene of a fire which had been caused by incendiaries, when he saw a 4 engined bomber being hit by a night-fighter and finally crash about 300 metres from where he was standing. After a while it blew up. The Germans arrived on the spot about 1½ hours later, and roped the area off. The remains of the aircraft were salvaged a few days later and no other human remains were ever found, although the area was intensively searched.

I visited the scene of the crash and contacted farmer J. Pranger, who confirmed the above story. The field over where the incident took place has been ploughed several times but Mr. Pranger nor his men ever found any remains, papers or any other clues to identify any of the crew’.

The Germans however erected the crosses on the graves of the 7 members of the crew, who were buried with Military honour. Their graves have been registered by 37 G.R.U. and they are well kept.

It may be assumed that Ft Sgt. Sheldon D, was killed by a direct hit of the attacking night fighter and that his body was destroyed when the aircraft disintegrated.

(1) James Wallace Watts was a school prefect at King's College, Auckland. He moved to the United Kingdom and was an early secretary of KCOBA, London Branch. When he graduated with honours in Economics from Cambridge university, he was drafted into the wartime Ministry of Food and forbidden to enlist in the armed services. However, he managed to join the RAF.

(2) Sgt. Ronald Martin

Above the flight engineer Sgt. Ronald Martin (courtesy Alan Hulme)

(3) Flt Sgt. Hall was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) whilst with 12 Sqn. (London Gazette 29th April 1943).

The recommendation for this award reads:

‘Flight Sergeant Hall is a Wireless Operator who has carried out 29 sorties on his first tour and 18 sorties with this squadron on his second tour. His operations with the squadron include sorties to Essen (4), Berlin, Turin, Stuttgart, Pilsen and Stettin. Throughout his operations with the squadron he has set a fine example by his enthusiasm for his work and his fearless courage. I have no hesitation in recommending this N.C.O. for the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal’.

Burial details:

Above: The Winterswijk Cemetery (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Flt Lt. James Wallace Potts. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 17. Grave Inscription: “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS”. Born in 4th Qtr of 1914 in Auckland. Son of Andrew Alexander and Mary Elizabeth (née Wallace) Potts (both his parents predeceased him in February 1931 and August 1921) of Auckland City, New Zealand.

Above: Initial Grave marker for Flt Sgt. Frank B. Gillan, from his Service Record

Flt Sgt. Frank Bruce Gillan. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 20. Grave Inscription: “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART: FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD”. Born on the 17th March in Yea, Victoria. Son of Bruce and Gladys Gillan. Husband of Lorna Mary Gillan of Preston, Victoria, Australia.

Sgt. Ronald Martin. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 21. Grave Inscription: “WORTHY OF EVERLASTING REMEMBRANCE”. Born on the 6th March 1920 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Son of George Henry and Mary Ellen (née Sansom) Martin of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.

Sgt. William Woodland. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 22. Grave Inscription: “I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH”. Born on the 10th January 1916 in Bishops Stortford, Oxfordshire. Son of Ernest William and Dorothy (née Shaw) Woodland of Bray, Berkshire, England.

Flt Sgt. Derek Sheldon. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 139. Born on the 13th May 1920 in Lewisham, London. Son of Douglas Albert and Edith (née Hawkes) Sheldon of Lewisham, London, England.

Flt Sgt. Kenneth Hall DFM. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 18. Grave Inscription: “IN PROUD, EVERLASTING MEMORY OF KEN. WHO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY. AT REST”. Born in the 4th Qtr of 1920 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Son of Arthur and Annie (née Morris) Hall. Husband of Ellen L. (née Rushton) Hall of Caverswall, Staffordshire, England.

Sgt. Leonard Gill. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 23. Grave Inscription: “SWEET MEMORIES ARE ALL WE HAVE LEFT OF ONE WE LOVED AND WILL NEVER FORGET”. Born on the 28th September 1920 in York, Yorkshire. Son of Ernest and Emily (née Brown) Gill of York, England.

Sgt. Jack Sidney Harris. Winterswijk Cemetery, Grave 19. Born on the 22nd August 1920 in Guildford, Surrey. Son of Frederick Percy Edgar May and Margory Marry Harris of Durban, Natal, South Africa.

Researched for Alan Hulme (nephew of Sgt. Ronald Martin) and other relatives of the crew with thanks to Alan Hulme. Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered with new information (Mar 2026).

Other sources listed below:

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is owned or managed by Aircrew Remembered and should not be used without prior permission.
© Aircrew Remembered 2012 - 2026 Last Modified: 24 March 2026, 08:03