Operation: Dessau, Germany

Date: 7th/8th March 1945 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 625 Sqn, 1 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: NG324

Code: CF:L2

Base: RAF Kelstern, Lincolnshire

Location: Versetalsperre, 6 km (3¾ mls) ESE from Lüdenscheid, Germany

Pilot: Flt Lt. Harry Chapman 150056 RAFVR Age 21. KiA (1)

Flt Eng: Sgt. J. Raymond ‘Ben’ Lyons 1595629 RAFVR Age? PoW (2)

Nav: Flt Sgt. George Alfred 'Alfi' Lee 1582434 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. Thomas Skilbeck 'Tom' Akenhead 164761 RAFVR Age 21. KiA (3)

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Thomas James 'Tommy' Crossman 2892412 RAFVR Age 20. KiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Bernard Stephen Frederick Hessey 1205303 RAFVR Age 24. PoW * (4)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Frank ‘Grandpa’ Walker 1491044 RAFVR Age 33. PoW * (5)

* Dulag Luft, Wetzlar. Transit camp about 5 km WNW of the small town of Wetzlar near Frankfurt

Above: Crew of NG324. Back row left to right: Sgt. Bernard S.F. Hessey, Fg Off. Thomas S. ‘Tom’ Akenhead, Sgt. Raymond ‘Ben’ Lyons, Flt Sgt. Thomas J. ‘Tommy’ Crossman. Front row left to right: Sgt. Frank ‘Grandpa’ Walker, Flt Lt. Harry Chapman, Flt Sgt. George A. ‘Alfi’ Lee (Courtesy of the 625 Sqn Association and Stewart McGeoch)

REASON FOR LOSS

On the night of the 7th/8th March 1945 625 Sqn detailed twenty-two (22) aircraft to join the force of five-hundred and twenty-six (526) Lancasters and five (5) Mosquitoes to bomb Dessau and its industrial infrastructure. NG324 took off at 17:01hrs from RAF Kelstern in Lincolnshire.

Of the eighteen (18) Lancasters lost on this mission NG324 was the only aircraft from 625 Sqn that failed to return. It has been reported that the aircraft crashed at 20:45 hrs in or near the Versetalsperre reservoir, 6 km (3¾ mls) ESE from Lüdenscheid and some 323 km (201 mls) WSW of the target at Dessau.

The time of take-off, the distance from the target and the reported time of the crash makes it appear that this loss was during the outbound leg of the mission. This places the aircraft in a position that makes it a possible victim of Lt. Kurt Matzak, his 16th Abschuss, from Stab IV./NJG1, who claimed a Lancaster in the Lüdenscheid-Olpe area at 20:31 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January 1945 - 3 May 1945) Part 6 - Theo Boiten).

(1) 1577671 LAC. Chapman was appointed to a commission and promoted to 150056 Plt Off. on probation (war substantive) on the 1st January 1943. (London Gazette 20th April 1942). He was confirmed in this appointment and promoted to Fg Off. (war substantive) on the 1st July 1943 (London Gazette, 13th August 1943). On the 1st January 1945 he was promoted to Flt Lt. (war substantive) (London Gazette 2nd March 1945).

Above: Marriage announcement (Courtesy Leicester Mercury, dated 6th December 1943)

Fg Off. Harry Chapman married Margaret Ball of Leicester on the 9th December 1943.

(2) In the absence of any record of his death or of any Escape and Evasion Report and despite the absence of a ‘General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners of War’ it is surmised that he became a PoW and was held at Dulag Luft, Wetzlar along with Sgt. Hessey and Sgt. Walker.

(3) 1672984 LAC. Akenhead was appointed to a commission and promoted to 164761 Plt Off. on probation (war substantive) on the 7th April 1944 (London Gazette 27th June 1944). He was confirmed in this appointment and promoted to Fg Off. (war substantive) on the 7th October 1944 (London Gazette 27th October 1944).

(4) Sgt. Hessey baled out and suffered cuts to his face. He was captured in the vicinity of the crash that day. The only information provided in his ‘General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners of War’ is that he was held at Dulag Luft, Wetzlar from the 22nd until the 1st April 1945. He was interviewed on the 24th April 1945.

Bernard Stephen Frederick Hessey was born on the 23rd March 1920 in Taunton, Somerset. He was a Wireless Mechanic in Taunton, Somerset prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 3rd October 1940.

(Courtesy of the Western Daily Press, dated 9th September 1948)

He married Janet N. Chambers on the 2nd September 1948 in Weston-Super-Mare-Somerset.

Sgt. Hessey was appointed to a commission and promoted to Plt Off. (retaining his Airman service number) in the RAFVR Training Branch on the 14th October 1948 (London Gazette 31 December 1948). On the 19th July 1951 he was promoted to Fg Off. (London Gazette 23 October 1951). He resigned his commission on the 19th February 1952 (London Gazette 15th April 1952).

(Courtesy of The Daily Telegraph, dated 16th February 2002)

Bernard passed away on the 13th February 2002 in Bristol, Gloucestershire.

(5) Sgt. Walker baled out and was captured on the 9th March in Lüdenscheid area. The only information provided in his ‘General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners of War’ is that he was held at Dulag Luft, Wetzlar from the 23rd until the 27th March 1945. It appears that he was liberated from there as he was interviewed on the 7th April 1945.

Frank Walker was born on the 4th November 1911 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire West Riding. He was working in the Textile industry prior to enlisting in the RAFVR in July 1941.

He married Grace Margaret Goodall on the 3rd November 1935 in Longwood, Yorkshire West Riding.

(Courtesy of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, dated 10th November 1981)

Frank passed away on the 6th November 1981 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire West Riding.

On the 8th March 2025 at the Kelsterm memorial a service of Remembrance commemorating the 80th anniversary of the loss of the crew of NG324 was conducted. Lesley Lundgren joined the service, who was just seven (7) months old when her father Harry Chapman and his crew left Kelstern at 17:01 hrs on the 7th March 1945.

We will remember them.

Above: Tentative identification from left to right: RAF Coningsby’s Chaplin, Imam Ali Omar; Daughter-in-Law of Lesley-Anne; Lesley-Anne (daughter of Flt Lt. Chapman); Stewart McGeoch; Grandson of Flt Lt. Chapman (Courtesy of Stewart Mcgeoch).

Burial Details:

The reported burials took place at Loh, Waldfriedhof (Forest Cemetery) near Lüdenscheid, some 7½ km (4¾ mls) west of the crash site. They were finally laid to rest at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery on the 27th August 1947.

Above: The Reichswald Forest War Cemetery (Courtesy of the War Graves Commission)

Flt Lt. Harry Chapman. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 30.B.2. Grave Inscription: ‘DEVOTED HUSBAND OF MARGARET, BELOVED DADDY OF LESLEY ANNE. ALWAYS REMEMBERED’. Son of Harry and Florence Chapman of Stoney Stanton, Leicestershire. Husband of Margaret (née Ball) Chapman of Leicester, Leicestershire, England

Flt Sgt. George Alfred ‘Alfi’ Lee. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 30.B.4. Grave Inscription: ‘HONOURED GOD, KING, HOME AND COUNTRY. A BELOVED SON, BROTHER AND COMPANION’. Born in the 2nd Qtr of 1923 in Aston. Son of George Henry and Annie Eliza (née Deaves) Lee of Erdington, Birmingham, England.

Fg Off. Thomas Skilbeck 'Tom' Akenhead. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 30.B.3. Grave Inscription: ‘SWEET ARE THE MEMORIES SILENTLY KEPT OF ONE WE LOVED AND WILL NOT FORGET’ . Born in the 1st Qtr of 1924 in Easingham, Durham. Son of Thomas Skilbeck and Isabella (née Scott) Akenhead of Deneside, Seaham, Co. Durham, England.

He is also commemorated on the War Memorial at St. John the Evangelist Parish Church, Seaham.

Flt Sgt. Thomas James Crossman. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 30.B.1. Grave Inscription: ‘MAY PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON OUR BELOVED SON. REQUIESCAT IN PACE. AMEN’. Born on the 4th Qtr of 1924 Holborn, London. Son of Arthur Henry and Elizabeth (née Driscoll) Crossman of Bethnal Green, London, England

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to this crew and their families (Mar 2025). Addition of new information and crew photograph (May 2025). Addition of memorial service photographs with thanks to Stewart McGeoch (Aug 2025).

Other sources listed below:

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
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