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Operation: Witten, Germany
Date: 12/13th December 1944 (Tuesday/Wednesday)
Unit: No. 149 (East India) Squadron. 3 Group (motto: Fortis Nocte - Strong by Night)
Type: Lancaster l
Serial: HK645
Code: OJ-R
Base: RAF Methwold, Norfolk
Location: Target area
Pilot: F/O. Edmund Henry Stephen Dorey 183947 RAFVR Age 22. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. R. Laird. 1825466 RAF Age? PoW No. 1334. Camp L7 Stalag Luft Bankau-Kreuiberg (1)
Nav/Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. Dudley Wham 426407 RAAF Age 23. Killed
Nav/Air/Bmr: P/O. John Rae Walter 427575 RAAF Age 33. PoW No. 6890. Camp Stalag Luft 1, Barth Vogelsang (2)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Neville Alfred L'Green 423018 RAAF Age 20. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. William Lee Taylor 1623557 RAFVR Age? Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Leslie Albert Victor Hunt 1898110 RAFVR Age 29. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
The aircraft took off from RAF Methwold at 1137hrs on the morning of the 12th December 1944 to bomb the Ruhrstahl steelworks at Witten. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after takeoff. 140 Lancasters of 3 Group took part in this raid with the loss of 8 Lancasters. Witten provided a report for this raid. It was the town's first major raid of the war. The steelworks were not hit and bombs fell all over the town destroying many houses and premises
Above L-R: Sgt. Neville Alfred L'Green, P/O. John Rae Walter and Fl/Sgt. Dudley Wham, the RAAF members of the crew.
(1) Sgt Laird was captured on 12 December 1944 in the Dortmund area and was part of Trupp 57. He arrived at Bankau on 17 January 1945.
(2) P/O. John Rae Walter in a Prisoner of War report stated "We were attacked by enemy fighters. The first burst started a fire in the starboard wing. The Pilot and Engineer were discussing the fire and the Captain stated he may have to abandon. All the crew acknowledged. I tried to jettison the bombs but found the electrical circuit apparently affected as the bombs would not go out. The next attack put the port wing on fire. I was the first to leave the aircraft at 20000 feet. The aircraft was still under control but badly on fire. It exploded as the Engineer followed me out. He was brought to the same PoW Camp as I was in at Dortmund. I was captured as soon as I landed".
P/O. John Rae Walter was released by the Russians on the 30th April 1945 and repatriated UK on the 13th May 1945. John was born on the 5th December 1910 in Katanning. He enlisted on the 19th July 1942 in Perth. F/O. John Rae Walter was discharged from service on 23rd January 1946 and at that time was serving with 149 Squadron
L-E rear: Doug Haldane; Peter Rossiter; 437243 Donald John (Don) Woon; 423649 Mervyn John (Merv) Byrne; 424838 Kenneth Harold (Ken) Rowley (later Flt Sgt, 12 Squadron, killed on 23 October 1944); 423018 Neville Alfred L'Green (later Flight Sergeant, 149 Squadron, killed on operations 12 December 1944); 419096 Mervyn Langdon Morey (later Flt Sgt, 31 Base, killed on operations 4 November 1944); 423561 James Patrick Sullivan; Bill Pearce; Joe Hunt (possibly 423537 Joseph Herbert Arthur Hunt); ?Bluey Watson; 422840 Allen Cragg.
Second row: 412919 Archer John (Archie) Croft; Doug Wilson; Bill Peacock; 423468 Kenneth Howard (Ken) Kearney; Col Heaton; Col Terriss; Ron Taylor; Brian Lawton; Bill Evans.
Front: Unidentified; 430006 Montague Rufus (Monty) Bernstein; Ernie Woods; 'Speed' ?Andsley; unidentified; Bill McLeod; Joe Taylor(?); 422653 Ronald Noble (Ron) Stockwell; Bates; Ian McLea (Courtesy AWM)
Above: Old Northern Grammar School now Mayfield School Reichswald Forest War Cemetery
Burial details:
F/O. Edmund Henry Stephen Dorey. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 205. Son of Edmund John and Eleanor Dorey of North End, Portsmouth. Edmund is remembered on the WW2 memorial plague in the old Northern Grammar School now Mayfield School, Portsmouth. F/O Dorey had flown on 17 successful raids during 1944
Fl/Sgt. Dudley Wham. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Grave Ref. 4. D. 7. Son of Frederick Henry (Died 25 Jun 1954, age 79) and Anne Tab Wham (Died 1955, age 72). Husband of Audrey Joyce Wham of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Dudley was born on the 7th October 1921, Mount Morgan, Queensland. He enlisted in Brisbane on the 20th June 1942. He is remembered on the Mount Morgan, Queensland Roll of Honour
Sgt. Neville Alfred L'Green. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 261. Son of Athol Victor (Died 31st August 1958, age 67) and Claudia Alline L'Green (died 25th October 1962, age 62) of Fairfield, New South Wales, AustraliNeville was born on the 24th May 1924, Leeton, New South Wales. He enlisted on the 18th June 1942, No 2 Recruiting Centre, Sydney. Prior to entering the R.A.A.F. Neville was an electrical engineer working in his father's Electrical Manufacturing Business. He attended Canley Vale Public School and Sydney Technical High School. Neville is remembered on the Fairfield NSW Roll of Honour.
Note: Paperwork from the National Archives of Australia show that Sgt. L'Green was buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery not Runnymede Memorial. We hold a copy of John Jones sent this information to CWGC in November 2023. Hopefully they will update and advise .(November 2024 they have now updated the record.)
Sgt. William Lee Taylor. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 239. No further details as yet - are you able to assist?
Sgt. Leslie Albert Victor Hunt. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 231. Son of Mr. and Mrs H. N. Hunt. Husband of Kathleen Louise Hunt of Reading, Berkshire
Researched by Kate Tame for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of the crew. With thanks to Alan Fraser 149 Squadron historian. With thanks to John Jones for updated information (November 2024) also
Other sources as quoted below.
KTY 22.11.2024 Page updated
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Binyon
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