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Operation: Sombor, Yugoslavia, (Serbia)
Date: 3/4th July 1944
Unit: 148 Squadron RAF (Special Duties-SOE), Balkan Air Force
Type: Halifax B.II
Serial No: JP292
Code: FS-W
Base: Brindisi, Italy
Location: Backi Gracac. Serbia
Pilot: W/O. Charles Thomas Fairweather 656958 RAF Age 24. Killed
Fl/Eng: Fl/Sgt. Richard Jacques 1672823 RAFVR Age 20. Killed
Nav: P/O. Allen Haigh 182988 RAFVR Age 21. Killed
Air/Bmr: F/O. John Stanley Brown J/22188 RCAF Age 24 Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Ronald Frederick Houghton 1146101 RAFVR Age 23. Killed
Air/Gnr/Disp: Fl/Sgt. Leonard James Smith 1335857 RAFVR Age 22. Killed
Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. John Easton 1568744 RAFVR Age 20. Killed
We are pleased to be able to offer the story of Fl/Sgt. Leonard James Smith as researched by Terry Maker. This remarkable 90 page article "Missing - believed killed" can be downloaded free of charge - please contact us.
Reason for Loss:
Halifax JP292 FS-W, took off from Brindisi, Italy at 20:45, local time, Monday 3rd of July 1944, on Operation 401C, and failed to return.
It was a disastrous night for thus SOE squadron losing 4 crews, the others:
Halifax JP179 Flown by Fl/Sgt. Leonard John Blattman Aus/412369 RAAF (4 crew killed - 3 PoW)
Halifax JP286 Flown by Sq/Ldr. Surray Philip Victor Bird 70064 RAFVR (all 8 crew killed)
Halifax JP247 Flown by Fl/Lt. George Raymond Wood 125855 RAFVR (2crew killed - 5 PoW)
The ‘recovery’ of their story, after its loss for 65 years, owes itself to one ‘dog-eared’ photograph that raised interest, and had to be investigated.
W/O. Charles Thomas Fairweather. Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia, Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Son of Charles and Catherine Fairweather (née Tomlinson - died 30th March 1956, age 65), of North Shields, Northumberland, England.
Fl/Sgt. Richard Jacques. Belgrade War Cemetery. Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Son of George Jacques (died 16th October 1965, age 78) and Margaret (née Turnbull - died 14th February 1978, age 89) of Ashington, Northumberland, England.P/O. Allen Haigh. Belgrade War Cemetery. Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Son of Mr Ernest, and Isabella Haigh, of Birkenhead, the Wirral, Cheshire, England.
F/O. John Stanley Brown. Belgrade War Cemetery. Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Born on the 23rd January 1920 in Wetaskawin, Albert, Canada. Enlisted on the 29th October 1941. Son of Herbert Brown (died 1956, age 78) and Laura Brow (née Martin - died 29th January 1962, age 83) of Wetaskawin, Albert, Canada
Fl/Sgt. Ronald Frederick Houghton. Belgrade War Cemetery. Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Son of Frederick and Clara Houghton, husband of Betty Houghton, of Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
Fl/Sgt. Leonard James Smith. Belgrade War Cemetery. Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Son of James and Margaret Smith, husband Of Ethel Annie Smith, of Coventry, England.
Fl/Sgt. John Easton. Belgrade War Cemetery. Collective grave 1.E.1-7. Son of John and Mary Cook Easton, of Dundee, Scotland.
Article prepared by Terry Maker, cousin of Fl/Sgt. Leonard James Smith. Terry runs the Operation Dark of the Moon Yahoo group about these specialised squadrons and more can be read on his website.
KTY - 17.11.2024 Page updated
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