Operation: Essen, Germany

Date: 10th/11th April 1942 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit No: 106 Squadron, 5 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Manchester I

Serial: L7461

Code: ZN:U

Base: RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire

Location: RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk

Pilot: Flt Sgt. Christopher Horace Jermyn Brown 903770 RAFVR Age 23. Rtn (1)

2nd Pilot: Plt Off. Stephen Legh Cockbain 67706 RAFVR Age 25. Rtn (2)

Obs: Flt Sgt. Alfred William Wood 938827 RAFVR Age 23. PoW No. 189 * (3)

WOP/Air Gnr: Sgt. Stanley William Bertram Hewitt 1168511 RAFVR Age 22. PoW No. 162 ** (4)

WOP/Air Gnr: Sgt. Leslie Roland Sheward 1163449 RAFVR Age 22. Rtn (5)

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. John Albert Lewis 655717 RAFVR Age? Rtn (6)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Edwin Porter Youngs 908608 RAFVR Age? Rtn (7)

* Stalag Luft 6, Heydekrug, Memelland (now Šilutė in Lithuania).

** Stalag 357, Kopernikus at Thorn (Toruń) in Poland.

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the night of the 10th/11th April 1942 four (4) aircraft from 106 Sqn were detailed and took-off from RAF Coningsby commencing at 22:30 hrs to join a force of two-hundred and fifty-four (254) aircraft to bomb the city of Essen in Germany. Fourteen (14) aircraft failed to return.

One (1) of the four (4) Manchesters returned early due to Wireless equipment failure.

L7461 was severely damaged by Flak and the bombs were jettisoned over the target. The pilot ordered the crew to bale out but regained control of the aircraft and cancelled the order but not before two of the crew, Sgt. Wood and Sgt. Hewitt had already left the aircraft.

The damage in the air was not known at the time but it was thought that the tail trimmer gear had been hit and it was suspected that elevators made the aircraft fly in a clumsy manner. The pilot decided to crash land the aircraft on the flarepath at RAF Martlesham Heath in Suffolk for the following reasons:

The airspeed indicator was u/s, the pitot head had been shot off;
He was uncertain as to the extent of the damage to the tail unit and the handling of the aircraft was sluggish.

Flt Sgt. Brown decided to land with the undercarriage retracted. There were no injuries aboard the aircraft. The damage to the aircraft was:

Port & Starboard propellers bent;
Port engine caught fire on impact;
Major damaged to Port & Starboard coolant radiators and pipes;
Major damage to Port & Starboard mainplane;
Port Aileron minor damage from Flak;
Fuselage and Tail Unit considerable minor damage from Flak;
Major Damage to Bomb Bay doors.

The aircraft was categorised as “AC” (Repair is beyond the unit capacity, i.e. may be repaired on site by another unit or contractor)

In a combat report submitted by Flt Sgt. Brown he described an encounter with an enemy aircraft on this operation:

“On the night of the 10/11 April, 1942, an Me 109 was seen 350 yards astern of Manchester aircraft L7461, while the Manchester was flying 4 miles east of Amsterdam at 18,000 feet. The enemy aircraft was silhouetted against a searchlight beam.

Evasive action was taken by the pilot and the enemy aircraft disappeared from view and was not seen again”.

(1) Flt Sgt. Brown was appointed to a commission and promoted to 128006 Plt Off. on the 16th July 1942 (London Gazette 28th August 1942). He was promoted to Fg Off. on the 16th January 1943 (London Gazette 9th February 1943). On the 15th July 1944 he was transferred to the Administration and Special Duties Branch (London Gazette 29th September 1944).

Above: The Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificate for Christopher Horace Jermyn Brown

Fg Off. Brown was appointed to a commission as a Fg Off. in the Aircraft Control Branch in the reconstituted RAuxAF. (London Gazette 14th May 1948). On the 7th July 1949 he was transferred to the Fighter Control Branch retaining the rank of Fg Off. (London Gazette 31st October 1950). He was transferred to the Reserve on the 1st April 1951 (London Gazette 17th July 1953). He relinquished his commission on the 8th April 1948 (London Gazette 11th April 1958).

Christopher Horace Jermyn Brown was born on the 28th April 1918 in Lucknow, India. Christopher passed away on the 18th November 1997 in Brighton, Sussex, England.

(2) 1266379 Sgt. Stephen Legh Cockbain was appointed to a commission and promoted to 67706 Plt Off. on the 1st June 1941 (London Gazette 27th June 1941). He was promoted to Fg Off. on the 1st June 1942 (London Gazette 31st July 1942).

Acting Sqn Ldr. Cockbain was Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 14th January 1944

As an acting Sqn Ldr. he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) whilst with 44 Sqn which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 9th June 1944.

Sqn Ldr. Cockbain DFC was killed whilst flying in Stirling III, KH968 of No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) on a transit flight, which crashed with an engine on fire near Hucknell shortly after taking off from RAF Winthorpe on the 14th January 1945. The crew comprising Pilot, Flt Eng., Nav., WOp. and Air Gnr. were killed in the crash.

Stephen Legh Cockbain was born in the 4th Qtr of 1916 at St. George Hanover Square, London, England.

(3) It is inferred from records that Flt Sgt. Wood was captured at the same time as Sgt. Hewitt. What is known was that he was at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia in Germany and Stalag Luft 6, Heydekrug in Memelland.

Flt Sgt. Wood was appointed to a commission and promoted to 120071 Plt Off. effective 4th April 1942 (London Gazette 28th April 1942). Promoted to Fg Off. Effective 4th October 1942 (London Gazette 30th March 1943). Promoted to Flt Lt. effective 4th April 1944 (London Gazette 18th April 1944).

Records show that Flt Lt. Wood was one of eight (8) PoWs who were repatriated to the UK on the 16th September 1944. The records do not document the reason(s) for the repatriations.

Alfred William Wood was born on the 4th March 1919. He was a Student prior to enlisting in the RAFVR. No further biographical information found on-line.

(4) The Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, Sgt. Wardill who was on the original crew list, was replaced by Sgt. Hewitt.

Above left to right: Stan Hewitt, Danny Walker, Bob Hutchinson (Courtesy of Chris Hewitt)

Stan Hewitt - Sgt. Stanley William Bertram Hewitt

Danny Walker - This was Fg Off. Daniel Revie 'Danny' Walker, DFC and Bar, J15336 RCAF. He was the Navigator aboard Lancaster Type 464 (Provisioning) ED929 AJ:L flown by Flt Lt. David John 'Dave’ Shannon DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar, 407729 RAAF on Operation "Chastise". They both survived the war and returned to Canada and Australia respectively.

Bob Hutchinson - This was Flt Lt. Robert Edward George 'Bob’ Hutchinson DFC and Bar, 120954 RAFVR . He was the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner aboard Lancaster Type 464 (Provisioning) ED932 AJ:G flown by Wg Cdr. Guy Gibson VC, DSO, DFC on Operation "Chastise". On the night of the 15th/16th September 1943 on an operation to Altendorf his Lancaster III EE144 AJ:S was hit by light Flak at 300 ft and crashed at Altendorf. All eight (8) of the crew were KiA.

Chris Hewitt informed us that his father told him that he had swapped sorties on the night that he was shot down. The sortie for which he was rostered was on a later date. That aircraft was shot down and his father told him that all the crew were lost. He regarded the swap as lucky, as he lived to see another day, admittedly as a PoW for the first three years.

It is possible that the aircraft that he was to fly on at a later date was Manchester I L7485 ZN:? which was presumed lost over the English Channel on the night of the 16th/17th April 1942 on a “Gardening” mission (5 KiA, 2 MiA).

Sgt. Hewitt was captured on the 11th April near Dorsten, some 21 miles (13 km) north of Essen. He was the transferred to Dulag Luft, Oberursel arriving there on the 13th April. For the next ten (10) days he was subjected to the standard techniques of solitary confinement, interspaced with interrogations.

On the 23rd April he was transferred to Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia in Germany arriving there on the 25th April. He was promoted to Flt Sgt. on the 1st May 1943. On the 23rd June 1943 he was transferred to Stalag Luft 6, Heydekrug, arriving there on the 25th April.

In June 1943 Stalag Luft 6 became a Stalag for enlisted men, when British and Canadian NCOs (non-commissioned officers) arrived at the camp from Stalag Luft 1 and Stalag Luft 3.

He was promoted to Warrant Officer (WO) on the 1st July 1943.

In early 1944 the Russian Army were advancing into the Baltic States from the North and the East preparation for evacuating the camp was being made. On the 17th July 1944 he was amongst the PoWs from Stalag Luft 6 who were in the "northern route" of the force-marches. They were initially transported to Stalag 20A by train and from there took part in the forced-march.

It was estimated that 100,000 PoWs took the northern route. It went to Stalag Luft 4 at Groß-Tychow, Pomerania then via Stettin to Stalag 9B and Stalag 357, Kopernikus at Thorn (Toruń) in Poland arriving there on the 19th July.

On the 9th August 1944 he was the PoWs who were force-marched from Thorn (Toruń) in Poland to the site of the former Stalag 11D, with construction being carried out by the Italian PoW from Stalag 11B. The camp was commonly known as Stalag 357, Fallingbostal but officially the designation was Stalag 357, Oerbke.

In early April 1945 the PoWs were informed by the Commandant Oberst Hermann Ostmann that 12,000 British PoWs were being evacuated from the camp in the face of the Allied advance. Onn the 6th April 1945 he was amongst the men who marched from the camp in columns of 2,000.

After ten (10) days they arrived at Gresse, east of the Elbe. There they were issued with Red Cross parcels, but were then unfortunately strafed by British Typhoonfighter-bombers, mistaking them for German troops. Reportedly sixty (60) PoW were killed and many wounded.

Research to date has identified forty-two (42) named Allied deaths. Of the total known deaths fourteen (14) were soldiers from the Commonwealth and South Africa. There was also one (1) unnamed American amongst the dead.

WO. ‘Dixie’ Deans confronted OberstOstmann and bluntly gave him a choice, to be captured to the Russians or the British. Ostman provided WO. Deans with a pass and a German guard, and they headed west to contact the advancing British troops. On the 1st May WO. Deans and his guard were sheltering in a house east of Lauenbergwhen they heard over the radio the news of the death of Adolf Hitler. The next morning the house was overrun by troops of the British 6th Airborne. WO. Deans was taken to the commander of VIII Corpsand explained the situation. He was given a captured Mercedes car and drove back to Gresse. Two days later the PoW column marched back across the British lines. WO. Hewitt was interviewed on the 6th May 1945.

Above: A page from WO. Hewitt's PoW Log (Courtesy of Chris Hewitt)

Stanley William Bertram Hewitt was born on the 6th February 1920 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire. He was employed as a salesman in Outfitting in Birmingham prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 6th February 1940. Stanley passed away on the 2nd January 1985 in Carmarthen, Wales.

(5) Sgt. Sheward on the crew of eight (8) aboard 405 Sqn Halifax II W7802 LQ:T were KiA on the night of the 1st/2nd October 1942 when their aircraft was hit by Flak and crashed into the water tower at Bohlberg on an operation to Flensburg, Germany

(6) Warrant Officer (WO) Lewis was appointed to a commission and promoted to 176568 Plt Off. on the 16th May 1944 (London Gazette 23rd June 1944).

As a WO he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) whilst with 61 Sqn on the 19th September 1944 (London Gazette 15th September 1944).

He was promoted to Fg Off. on the 16th November 1944 (London Gazette 12th December 1944).

John Albert Lewis appears to have survived the war. No further biographical information found.

(7) Flt Sgt. Youngs was appointed to a Commission and promoted to 179602 Plt Off. (London Gazette 5th September 1944). He was promoted to Fg Off on the 10th January 1945 (London Gazette 6th February 1945).

Fg Off. Youngs was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) whilst with 223 Sqn on the 25th May 1945 (London Gazette 22nd May 1945).

He relinquished his commission on the 9th May 1957 retaining the rank of Fg Off. on the 9th May 1957 (London Gazette 5th July 1957).

No further biographical information found.

Burial details:

None.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered with thanks to Chris Hewitt for the photographs and information, and dedicated to the crew and their families (Dec 2025).

Other sources listed below:

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