Operation: Tergnier, France

Date: 10th/11th April 1944 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit No: 158 Sqn, 4 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Halifax III

Serial: LW723

Code: NP:X

Base: RAF Lissett, East Riding of Yorkshire

Location: Erches, 45 km (28 mls) west of the Tergnier, France

Pilot: WO2. Arnold Roy Alexander Gibson R130888 RCAF Age 27. KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. James John 'Jimmy' Turner 749921 RAFVR Age 24. KiA

Nav: WO2. William Joseph Etienne ‘Bill’ Brayley R108037 RCAF Age 21. Evader (1)

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Henry Thomas Jeffrey MM 1392693 RAFVR Age 25. Evader (2)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Philip Dowdeswell 1586209 RAFVR Age 20. Id No: 78410 *, PoW No: 8035 ** (3)

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. John Clifford Williams 1819867 RAFVR Age 19. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Dennis George Robbins 623468 RAFVR Age 23. KiA

* Buchenwald concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimer, Germany in July 1937.

** Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland.

Above left to right: WO2. Gibson (from his service file) WO2. Brayley (Loyola College Review Montreal 1943 p.27)

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 10th/12th April 1944 Halifaxes from 158 Sqn joined a force of 167 aircraft detailed to attack the railway yards at Tergnier.

Of the 10 of Halifaxes lost on this raid, 4 were from 158 Sqn:

Halifax III LK826 NY:P. Shot down by a German night-fighter. Sqn Ldr. Walter Frank Dredge 120439 RAFVR, “C” Flight CO on his debut sortie and his crew were KiA;
Halifax III MZ533 NY:G. Shot down by a German night-fighter. Flt Sgt. Thomas Edward Frederick Sims 1320290 RAFVR and his crew were KiA;
Halifax III MZ542 NP:Z. Shot down by a German night-fighter. Flt Sgt. Leonard Neil Couchman 424430 RNZAF and his crew were KiA.

After successfully dropping its bombs on the target and on the return trip LW723 was attacked by a German night-fighter. LW723 was claimed by Uffz. Leopold Weinberger, his 3rd Abschuss and second of four this night, from 7./NJG4, at Erches, 8 km WNW of Roye and 3.400m at 00:07 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (16 March 1944 - 11 May 1944) Part 2 - Theo Boiten).

Uffz. Weinberger was killed on the 28th April 1944 flying a Do217 which crashed at Eutingen airfield due to an engine failure in a touch and go landing. He was credited with 5 confirmed Abschüsse, the last of the 5 being 158 Sqn Halifax III LK826 NY:P.

The aircraft crashed in a field at Erches, 45 km (28 mls) west of the Tergnier, France at about 00:20 hrs on the 11th April.

An eyewitness to the scene of the crash informed the Missing, Research and Enquiry Unit (MREU) investigator that on the morning after the crash the Germans recovered three bodies and a forth was recovered from the wreckage later that day. On one of the bodies he saw an Identity Card bearing the name “Williams”. The eyewitness saw the bodies being put in coffins and taken, it was believed at the time, to Meharicourt.

(1) The Escape and Evasion report for WO2. Brayley is not currently available, however, it is known that he was taken to a camp situated in the Forêt (Forest) Fréteval in France.

This camp was part of ‘Operation Marathon’ which was a plan to hide evading Allied airmen in secret camps in France and Belgium. The Forêt Fréteval camp was code named ‘Operation Sherwood’ and eventually held more than 130 Allied airmen.

On the 25th June 1944 a second camp at Richeray was established 7 km from the Bellande camp. The Bellande camp was then labelled “Camp No. 1” and the Richeray camp as “Camp No. 2”.

The RAF Escaping Society 1945-95 has posted a photographic record of WO2. Brayley’s time in the Forêt Fréteval camp.

WO2. Brayley was one of the PoWs who was transferred to “Camp No. 2”. The camps was liberated on the 11th August 1944 and he was interviewed on the 18th August 1944.

Above: WO2. Brayley reported missing in action (Courtesy of The Gazette, dated 18th May 1944)

WO2. Brayley was appointed to a commission and promoted to J86887 Plt Off.

William Joseph Etienne Brayley was born on the 2nd October 1922 in Quebec, Canada. He passed away on the 9th August 1973.

(2) Flt Sgt. Jeffrey baled out at approximately 00:30 hrs on the 11th April and landed to the north of Roye in the Somme area. He hid his parachute and Mae West in a bush.

After walking approximately 7 kms (4¼ mls) to the south he arrived at Saint-Mard, a small village about 2 km (1¼ mls) west of Roye, at about 07:00 hrs where he contacted a farm worker. He was provided with civilian clothing, and in the afternoon was taken by the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) to Paris, some 97 km (61 mls) to the SSW, where he stayed for approximately one month.

He met up with Plt Off. David Thompson, RCAF, of 31 Clayton Road, Newcastle-on-Tyne; and 2nd Lt. Richard Miller, of Cleveland Heights, Cleveland, Ohio and they caught a train to Toulouse, a journey of 594 km (369 mls) south as the crow flies.

They stayed in Toulouse for 5 days and on the 13th May they contacted 4 Belgians and with 2 Spanish guides and together they caught train to the small town of Sarrangolin, which is some 113 km (70 mls) to the SW and 26 km (16 mls) from the Spanish frontier. They had previously been told this small town was unguarded. However, as they left the carriage in single file behind the two guides, two German frontier guards saw them, and when they tried to escape they were arrested.

Plt Off. David Thompson RCAF - This was Plt Off. David Noel Thompson J26496 RCAF, the Mid Upper Gunner from 405 (Vancouver) Sqn Lancaster III JB737 LQ:R lost on the night of 1st/2nd January 1944 on a raid to Berlin (5 KiA, 2 PoW). He became a PoW at Stalag Luft 1 - PoW No. 5304;

2nd Lt. Richard Miller - This was 2nd Lt. Richard M. Miller O-738448 USAAF who was the Co-Pilot from 551st Bombardment Sqn (H), 385 Bombardment Group (H), B-17F #42-30249 ‘El Sabo’ which crash landed at Ligny, France on the 30th December 1943. (1 KiA, 6 PoW, 3 Evd). He became a PoW at Stalag Luft 1.

Two of the Belgians gave their names as Sgt. Viermulen and Sgt. Dubois, both in the RAF.

Details for the airmen named Sgt. Viermulen and Sgt. Dubois have not been found.

On the 13th May they were taken to Arrien, some 59 km (37 mls) to the NW, where they stayed overnight. During the night they were badly beaten up by the Gestapo. They had to strip and were put against a wall and beaten with canes and with fists. Flt Sgt. Jeffrey was treated in this way for 45 mins. They were then taken by the Waffen SS to Tarbes, 21 km (13 mls) to the west, where they stayed for 2 days. On the 16th May, they were taken back to Toulouse and held in the Prison Saint-Michel, where they met about 20 more Allied aviators. Amongst them were: Capt. Henry Aldridge, USAAF; T/Sgt. Henry, USAAF; Ft Lt. William Forster, RCAF; Plt Off. Murphy, RAF 2nd Lts. Bangos, Hart, and Campbell, USAAF.

Details of the USAAF airmen named Capt. Henry Aldridge; T/Sgt. Henry; 2nd Lt. Bangos; 2nd Lt. Hart and 2nd Lt. Campbell have not been found.

Ft Lt. William Forster, RCAF - This was actually Flt Lt. William Wells Foster J8788, RCAF who was the pilot of 169 Sqn, Mosquito II HJ711 VI:? Shot down by Flak on a Bomber Support mission on the night of the 15th/16th March 1944. (1 KiA, 1 PoW). He was captured on the 12th May 1944 and became a PoW at Stalag Luft 1- PoW No. 4293;

Plt Off. Murphy, RAF - This was Plt Off. David Raymond Murphy 169196 RAFVR who was the Bomb Aimer from 12 Sqn Lancaster III JB650 PH:E which was lost on a mission to Berlin on the 27th/28th January 1944 (3 PoW, 4 Evd). He was captured on the 12th May 1944 and became a PoW at Stalag Luft 1.

After about five weeks they were taken to Fresnes prison which was located to the south of Paris and was where French political prisoners were held and ordinarily Allied airmen, after questioning, were moved to a PoW Camp. They were held 4 to a cell and restricted to 15 mins exercise a week. The food was poor and they only had one shower in three weeks with no soap or towels.

On the 1st August, 60 PoWs were placed under Gestapo guard and evacuated by train bound for Frankfurt, Germany. They were handcuffed in pairs with Flt Sgt. Jeffrey and Sgt. Dubois paired together.

During the night of the 2nd August, Flt Sgt. Jeffrey picked the lock of his handcuffs with a small penknife which he was able to smuggle out of the suitcase which he had to carry. He and Sgt. Dubois, pretending that they wanted to go to the lavatory, opened their handcuffs and jumped out of a window. They separated because Flt Sgt. Jeffrey was lagging because he had injured a leg and shoulder when he jumped from the train. He made his way back and crossed the German-Alsatian frontier approximately 10 kms (6¼ mls) outside of Metz at 11:30 hrs. He contacted a farmer at Waville, which is about 20 km (12½ mls) and hid in a barn until the 4th of August. The farm people brought a doctor who attended to his injuries. He then walked from Waville for the whole day and reached Dommartin-la-Chaussée where he stayed at a farm for a week.

On the 11th August, he contacted the Maquis who took him back to Weville where stayed in a Maquis camp for 6 days. On the 16th August the camp was attacked by the Germans and the Maquis had to retreat but not before killing about 36 Germans. Flt Sgt. Jeffrey helped the Maquis in these battles.

After leaving the camp he went to Hattonchâtel, where he was rejoined Sgt. Dubois. They stayed there until the 19th August when a guide took them to a FFI camp about 10 kms (6¼ mls) away. They remained there until the 21st August when they and 3 unnamed Canadians were taken to Toul, some 37 km (23 mls) to the south, in a Maquis van.

They stayed in Toul with an unnamed Count, who seemed to be some sort of leader in the FFI, because he told them a lot about the organization and were very well looked after. On the 25th August they were moved to the house of a small butcher in Toul, where they stayed until the 4th September when Toul was liberated by American forces. He reported to the US Military authorities who arranged his repatriation to the UK arriving there on the 10th September.

Flt Sgt. Jeffrey was awarded the Military Medal (MM) which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 9th February 1945. No citation was provided. However, others who had fought with the Maquis had been awarded the MM so it is possible that this was the case with Flt Sgt. Jeffrey.

Henry Thomas Jeffrey was born on the 22nd October 1918 in Tottenham, London. He was a Police Constable prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 24th June 1941. He passed away on the 13th May 1981 in Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

(3) The escape and evasion details for Flt Sgt. Dowdeswell until he was captured are not known.

What is known is that Robert Moulet of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) and his assistant collected Flt Sgt. Dowdeswell, together with Flt Sgt. Bennett, Sgt. Hegarty and Flt Sgt. Fairclough who were hiding in several places around Breteuil.

Flt Sgt. Geoffrey Bennett 1578765 RAFVR, the Navigator from 57 Sqn Lancaster III JB370 shot down on the night of the 7th/8th July 1944;

Sgt. Patrick W. Hegarty 1894062 RAFVR and Flt Sgt. Mervyn J. Faircloth 427078 RAAF were the Mid-Upper and Rear Gunners respectively from 51 Sqn Halifax III LV880 shot down on the night of the 10th/11th April 1944.

The airmen were trapped which was organized by two French collaborators working for the who were working with the local Sicherheitsdienst (SD) (Security service of the Schutzstaffel (SS)). The airmen were arrested on the 25th July and sent to the Beauvais prison and then on the 29th July to Fresnes after interrogation.

After liberation both of the French collaborators were eventually brought before the French courts and found guilty of the charges brought against them. They were sentenced to death, however, their sentences were commuted to hard labour and then to 20 years imprisonment. They were both released in the early 1960s and were never seen or heard of again.

Fresnes prison was located to the south of Paris and was where French political prisoners were held and ordinarily Allied airmen, after questioning, were moved to a PoW Camp. In the summer of 1944, with the Allies having liberated Paris and closing in, the Gestapo guards started reducing the prison population by execution, and then relocating surviving prisoners to various concentration camps east of France. On the 15th August 1944 they was amongst 169 Allied PoWs and hundreds of French men and women who were packed into a freight train and transported to Buchenwald concentration camp on a journey lasting five days. Buchenwald was located 8 km (5 mls) north of Weimar, in the German province of Thüringen. It was established and administered by the Schutzstaffel (SS).

Fg Off. Joel Mathews ‘Tex’ Stevenson C27788 RCAF, the pilot of 419 (Moose) Squadron, RCAF Lancaster X KB727 VR:H escaped from the train and successfully evaded.

Sqn Ldr. Lamason and Fg Off. Chapman succeeded in getting all but two of the Allied PoWs transferred to Stalag Luft 3. Two airmen, 1st Lt. Levitt Clinton Beck Jr. O-736945, US AAF and Fg Off. Philip Derek Hemmens, 152583, RAFVR died in the sick barrack.

Recognition:

For decades the International Red Cross (IRC) had stated that there were no military personnel in Buchenwald despite the overwhelming documentary and anecdotal evidence. It was not until 1988 that the IRC eventually confirmed the airmen were illegally held at Buchenwald.

The Australian, New Zealand and Canadian governments also consistently denied that any of their service personnel were ever held in concentration camps and refused to investigate the claims made by a 'mere’ handful of men.

Reparations were made to the British airmen who had been illegally held at Buchenwald in 1965. Eventually in 1988 the Australian, New Zealand and it is believed the Canadian governments acknowledged that their airmen had been illegally held in concentration camps.

American airmen were among those receiving compensation and the US Air force have acknowledged the Buchenwald airmen with an exhibit at the Air Force Museum, albeit the airmen are shown in uniform rather than in civilian attire. Furthermore, there is no mention of decades-long denial of their experiences by other branches of the government.

He was transferred to Stalag Luft 3 over the period 15th to 20th October 1944. Around the 1st January 1944 he was amongst some 500 British prisoners from the East and Centre compounds of Stalag Luft 3 were sent to the Belaria compound. Belaria was situated about 5 km (3 mls) west of Stalag Luft 3 on a grassy hill overlooking Sagan.

On the night of the 27th January 1945, with Soviet troops only 26 km (16 mls) away, orders were received to evacuate the PoWs to Spremberg which is to the West in Germany. The PoW’s were informed of the evacuation, which was on foot, at about 22:00 hrs the same night and were given 30 mins to pack and prepare everything for the March. The weather conditions were very difficult, with freezing temperatures, and it was snowing accompanied by strong winds. There was 15 cm (6 in) of snow and 2000 PoWs were assigned to clear the road ahead of the main groups.

After a 55 km (34 mls) march, the PoWs arrived in Bad Muskau where they rested for 30 hours. The PoWs were then marched the remaining 26 km (16 mls) to Spremberg where they were housed in empty garages, storerooms and in military barracks. There they were provided with warm soup and bread.

During next days, PoWs were divided up according to Compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages. He was amongst the PoWs from the West Compound that were sent to Stalag 3A, Luckenwalde.

In early 1945, some 1,000 PoWs from the Stalag 8C and Stalag Luft 3 were brought to Stalag 3A, and also PoWs from the Stalag 21C in Wolsztyn In February 1945 prisoners from Stalag 3B Furstenberg were evacuated to Stalag 3A, adding to the already overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.

On the 22nd April 1945 as the Russians approached the camp the guards fled leaving the prisoners to be liberated by the Red Army.

Stalag 3A was turned over to the Americans on the 6th May at which time the Senior American Officers (SAO) took over the running of the camp until all the PoWs were evacuated. Flt Sgt. Dowdeswell was interviewed on the 15th May 1945.

Philip Dowdeswell was born on the 6th August 1923. He was an Electrician in Whitby, Yorkshire prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 20th October 1941. He passed away on the 3rd April 1965 in Perth, Western Australia aged 41.

Burial details:

Above: The Meharicourt Communal Cemetery (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC))

Plt Off. Arnold Roy Alexander Gibson. Meharicourt Communal Cemetery, British Plot, Grave 19. Grave inscription: ‘"THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE"’. Born on the 18th November 1916 in Edmonton, Alberta. Son of James Irvine and Agnes Matilda (née Bradley) Gibson, of Alliance, Alberta, Canada.

WO2. Gibson was posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J87558 Plt Off. with effect 9th April 1944.

Sgt. James John 'Jimmy' Turner. Meharicourt Communal Cemetery, British Plot, Grave 21. Grave Inscription: ‘JIMMY, NEVER FORGOTTEN’. Born on the 8th July 1920 in Tufnell Park, London. Son of James and Jessie Agnes (née Cope) Turner of Tufnell Park, London, England.

Sgt. John Clifford Williams. Meharicourt Communal Cemetery, British Plot, Grave 18. Grave Inscription: ‘WE NEVER FORGET, ALTHOUGH THE YEARS GO BY. MUM, DAD AND JEAN’. Born in 4th Qtr of 1925 in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales. Son of Herbert James and Mabel Jane (née Gibbons) Williams of Hereford England.

Sgt. Dennis George Robbins. Meharicourt Communal Cemetery, British Plot, Grave 20. Born on the 17th January 1921 in Bristol. Son of George William and Gladys Evelyn (née Sandall) Robbins of Kingswood, Bristol, England.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Jun 2024). Update to Flt Sgt. Dowdeswell narrative (Jul 2024). Thanks to Franck Signorile (French Historian) for additional information about the captured airmen. (Sep 2024).

Other sources listed below:

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