Operation: Munchen, Germany

Date: 21/22nd December 1942 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit: No. 103 Squadron

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: W4820

Code: PM-S

Base: RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire

Location: Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Colin Evan Bayliss AUS/406555 RAAF Age 21 POW No 27520 Camps: Stalag VIIIB - Lamsdorf, Stalag IVA - Hohnstein (1)

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Gwilym "Nick" Nicholls 951248 RAFVR Age 21 Killed

Nav: Fl/Sgt. John Massey Jefferies AUS/405154 RAAF Age 23 Killed (2)

Air/Bmr: P/O. Ivor George Arthur Faulk 83803 RAFVR Age 29 Killed (3)

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Robert Ian Robb AUS/408736 RAAF Age 23 Killed (4)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Arthur Jeffreys 1512110 RAFVR Age 21 Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Henry Kitchen 943904 RAFVR Age? Killed (5)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Lancaster W4820 took off at 17:38hrs from RAF Elsham Wolds for an operation on Munchen. 137 aircraft took off that night on the same operation. Most of the bombs fell outside the target area in open ground. Lancaster W4820 was hit by an enemy night fighter Lt. Ferdinand Christiner 5./NJG4 at 20:04hrs and the aircraft caught fire and then blew up in the air, crashing at Bar-le-Duc 6km from Vavincourt, France

RAF Elsham Wold (Aircrew Remembered archive) Lancaster I (courtesy IWM)

Map showing the area of the air crash

Left: Colin Evan Bayliss and Arthur Jeffreys.

C E Bayliss front row 3rd from the right. A Jeffreys middle row 3rd from right. Lichfield, Staffordshire 1942. Group photograph No 22 course at 27 OTU. (courtesy Australian War Museum)

(1) Fl/Sgt. Colin Evan Bayliss was born on the 7th August 1921 in Perth, Western Australia. Enlisted in Perth on the 3 February 1941. Colin completed part of his training at No 27 OTU (Operational Training Unit), Lichfield, Staffordshire on course 22 in 1942. Colin managed to safely parachuted out of his burning aircraft.

Sheltered by a French family he evaded capture until 26 January 1943 when he was arrested by a German sentry. He was first sent to Stalag VIIIB arriving on the 14 Febuary 1943 and later moved to Stalag IVA and then Stalag 344 before being liberated.

Colin had changed identity with a Gordon Highlander, Pte. W. Angus 2879444 PoW No. 96496 while in captivity (probably a prelude to attempting an escape from a work party that worked outside the 'wire') Colin qualified as a doctor after the war and became Head of the Department of Rheumatic Diseases. Colin retired in 1986 and had his book "No Flying Without Wings" published in 1994.

Colin flew his first operational flight with 103 Squadron on the night of the 15/16 October 1942 and in the next two months was sent on operational flights to Turin, Duiseberg, Munich, Mannheim, Cologne, Stuttgart and Terschelling. Colin Evan Bayliss MB BS, MRACP, FRACP died on the 1st January 2004

Burial details:

Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France (courtesy CWGC)

Sgt. Gwilym "Nick" Nicholls. Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France. Grave 3. Son of Horace William and Margaret Nicholls of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

Fl/Sgt. John Massey Jefferies. Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France. Grave 1. Son of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Sarah Jane Jefferies of Wynnum, Queensland, Australia. Husband of Daphne Lilian Jefferies of East Ipswich, Queensland (2) John was born on the 25 November 1919 in Wynnum, Queensland and enlisted in Brisbane. John completed part of his training at No 27 OTU (Operational Training Unit), Lichfield, Staffordshire on course 22 in 1942

P/O. Ivor George Arthur Faulk (shown right). Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France. Grave 2. Son of Thomas Henry and Rhoda Catherine Faulk of Malvern, Worcestershire. B.A. (Oxon) (3) Before enlisting Ivor was teaching in Port Said, Egypt in 1938 and his address at that time and from his probate record was 109 Newtown Road, Malvern. Ivor George Arthur Faulk is remembered on the Worcester Royal Grammar School war memorial and in North Malvern Holy Trinity Church

Left: Colin Evan Bayliss and Robert Ian Robb. Members of RAAF attached to RAF squadrons in September 1942 (courtesy Australian War Museum)

Left to right: 401848 Fl/Sgt Colin McDowell Miller, No 12 Sqr. RAF of Melbourne, Victoria (killed on flying operation over Germany 18 January 1943): 411566 Fl/Sgt Douglas George Williams, No 103 Sqr RAF of Sydney, NSW (killed on flying operations over the Netherlands on 21 January 1943): 406693 Fl/Sgt Edward Vivian Laing No 103 Sqr RAF of Denmark, Western Australia (killed on flying operation over Netherlands on 21 January 1943): 408765 F/Lt James (Jim) Tarleton-Rayment who became a post-war medical practitioner: 412099 Fl/Sgt John Keith Bond No 12 Sqr RAF of Sydney (killed on flying operations over Germany on 18 January 1943): 408736 Fl/Sgt Robert Ian Robb No 103 Sqr RAF of Canterbury, Victoria (killed on flying operation over North West Europe on 21 December 1942): 406555 W/O Colin Evan Bayliss No 103 Sqr of Perth Western Australia

Fl/Sgt. Robert Ian Robb (shown left). Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France. Grave 5. Son of James Mathieson Robb and Margaret Robb of Canterbury, Victoria, Australia (4) Robert was born on the 12 April 1919 in Canterbury, Victoria and enlisted in Melbourne 22 May 1941. Robert completed part of his training at No 27 OTU (Operational Training Unit), Lichfield, Staffordshire on course 22 in 1942

Sgt. Arthur Jeffreys. Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France. Grave 6. Son of Nathan and Mary Ellen Jeffreys of Thornton, Blackpool, Lancashire

Sgt. George Henry Kitchen. Vavincourt Communal Cemetery, Meuse, France. Grave 4. Son of George and Mary Kitchen of Leeds, Yorkshire (5) George Henry Kitchen is remembered on the Wetherby War Memorial, West Yorkshire

Researched by: Kate Tame Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. With thanks also to Mark Rogers for photographs and information - October 2019. With thanks to John Jones for Pte. Angus details October 2019. Also to Ralph Snape for information.

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