Archive Report: Allied Forces

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19/20.08.1940 No. 51 Squadron Whitley V P4968 P/O. Brodie

Operation: Zohornewitz

Date: 19/20th August 1940

Unit: No. 51 Squadron

Type: Whitley V

Serial: P4968

Code: MH-?

Base: RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire

Location: Ijsselmeer, Holland

Pilot: P/O. Peter Gascoyne Brodie 41662 RAF Age 23. PoW No: 1242 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria (1)

Pilot 2: P/O. Theo Faire Storrier Johnson 43643 RAF Age 21. PoW No: 1247 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria (2)

Obs: Sgt. Ronald Entwhistle 551800 RAFVR Age 20. PoW No: 212 Camp: Stalag Luft Heydekrug (Also served time in Barth Vogelsang)

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Peter White 746987 RAFVR Age 24. PoW No: 235 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria (Also served time in Barth Vogelsang)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Walter Arthur Kelham 626132 RAFVR Age 19. PoW No: 221 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria (Also served time in Barth Vogelsang)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Dishforth in Yorkshire at 20:10 hrs to bomb the electricity power station at Zohornewitz. Wireless transmissions indicated that they had bombed their primary objective and that they were on their return trip.

Above: Zohornewitz Power Station

At 01:42 hrs a distress call from the aircraft was made - it then appears that the pilot was forced to ditch on the shallow waters of the Ijsselmeer - thought to have been on the east coast. The crew were finally picked up and served time at several PoW camps.

(1) P/O. Peter Gascoyne Brodie - retired as a Wing Commander on the 28th December 1963.

(2) P/O. Theo Faire Storrier Johnson - Appointed as a Fl/Lt. in the RNZAF on the 10th May 1945. His younger brother, 22 year old, P/O. Samuel Graham Johnson NZ/416502 RNZAF was killed flying Stirling III LJ455 H4-C from 1653 HCU. Born on the 21st May 1919 in Wellington, New Zealand.

Lamsdorf Prisoner of War camp (courtesy New Zealand Bomber Command Association)

Back row: NZ/403290 W/O. Carlye Arthur Powel (AB), NZ/412369 W/O. Raymond Herbert Thom (W/Op/Air/Gnr.), NZ/404535 Fl/Lt. William Edmund Gibbes (Nav/AB), NZ/402493 W/O. Gordon Leonard Otter (AB), NZ/403819 W/O. Noel Stuart Craddock (AG), NZ/41135 F/O. Aynsley Stuat Forbes (P), NZ/41164 W/O. Roden Barnsdale Pickford (AG), NZ/412222 W/O. Douglas Cecil Giddings (W/Op/Air/Gnr.)

Centre row: NZ/414564 W/O. John Douglas Hardie (P), most likely NZ/41565 W/O. Leslie Sydney Bevan (AG) - otherwise - NZ/44772 (but previously RAF as 959593 until Jun 44) W/O. Stephen Henry Rossfield Bevan (AG), NZ/413470 W/O. Derek Cecil Pitts (P), NZ/402174 W/O. George Emmerson (P), NZ/411057 W/O. John William Filda Atkin (AG), NZ/411745 W/O. Thomas William Devine (W/Op/Air/Gnr.), NZ/405310 W/O. Uila Nicolson (not Nicholson) (Nav), most likely NZ/413423 W/O. Eric William Peter Johnson (P), otherwise - RAF 43643 (later NZ/2473 in 1945) Fl/Lt. Theodore Faire Storrier Johnson (P). NZ/404559 W/O. Gordon George Whitla (not Witla) (Nav)

Front row: NZ/405311 W/O. William Kevin Charles O'Byrne (AB), either NZ/416637 W/O. Jack Edwin Hyde (AB) - or - NZ/413420 W/O. Galbraith Mickle Bullen Hyde (P), Grimsby - no New Zealander of this surname in WWII air force, NZ/404550 Fl/Lt. Bruce Alexander McKenz/ie (not MacKenz/ie) (Nav/AB), NZ/412349 W/O. Edwin Burton Mossman (W/Op/Air/Gnr.), NZ/41708 W/O. William James Stanley Voice (AG), NZ/405327 W/O. Denis Butler Scoble (not Scobie) (Nav/AB), NZ/41596 W/O. Norrice John MacKeNZ/ie (W/Op/Air/Gnr.)

Burial details:

None - all crew members survived the war.

Researched for Aircrew Remembered by Linda Ibrom - June 2017. With thanks to Errol W. Martyn for confirmation of details on P/O. Theo Faire Storrier Johnson.

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