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Operation: Vaires-sur-Marne, France
Date: 27th/28th June 1944 (Tuesday/Wednesday)
Unit No: 12 Squadron, 1 Group
Type: Lancaster III
Serial: ND424
Code: PH:G
Base: RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire
Location: SW suburbs of Paris, France
Pilot: Plt Off. Michael Alexander Guilfoyle 172424 RAFVR Age 23. Id No: 78393 *, PoW No: 8048 ** (1)
Flt Eng: Sgt. Hugh David Davies 1836026 RAFVR Age 19. Evader (2)
Nav: WO2. Joseph Sonshine R148644 RCAF Age 23. Id No: 78393 *, PoW No: 8930 ** (1)
Bomb Aimer: Sgt. John Smith Johnston Stephen 1560846 Age 19. Evader (3)
WOp/Air Gnr: WO. Robert Edgar Yates 410409 RAAF Age 20. Evader (4)
Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Leslie John Faircloth 1894767 RAFVR Age 19. Evader (5)
Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Douglas Foster Jordin 2210100 RAFVR, Age 19. Id No: 78393 *, PoW No: 8099 ** (1)
* Buchenwald concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimer, Germany in July 1937.
** Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland.
REASON FOR LOSS:
Lancaster III ND424 took off from RAF Wickenby at 00:29 hrs on the 28th June 1944 and joined a combined force of 214 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos on a mission to bomb the railway marshalling yards at Vaires-sur-Marne and Vitry-le-François in France
ND424 was in the stream to attack the railway marshalling yard at Vaires-sur-Marne about 19¼ km (12 mls) east of the centre of Paris.
On the outbound leg one engine suffered an oil leak and was shut down but they pressed on and successfully dropped their bombs on the target. Turning for home the aircraft was hit by Flak which knocked out two more engines leaving just the port inner engine running. As it became clear that they could not remain airborne Plt Off. Guilfoyle gave the order to abandon the aircraft at about 03:30 hrs. All of the crew successfully baled out of the aircraft.
From the available information it is believed that the aircraft crashed in the SW suburbs of Paris.
The history of ‘G’ for George, 12 Squadron Bomber Command has been comprehensively researched and compiled by Paul Faircloth the son of Sgt. Leslie John Faircloth.
(1) Plt Off. Guilfoyle and Sgt. Jordin were captured in Paris on the 15th July and WO2. Sonshine on the 19th July 1944.
They were taken to Fresnes prison which was located to the south of Paris and was where French political prisoners were held. 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.
WO2. Sonshine was transferred with the majority of the 166 PoWs to Stalag Luft 3, Sagan over the period 15th to 20th October 1944.
The Buchenwald records for Plt Off. Guilfoyle and Sgt. Jordin show that they left on the 19th and 20th October 1944 respectively. It is possible that these dates where entered in error as no explanation has been found for their delay in being transferred to Stalag Luft 3.
Whilst a PoW WO2. Shoshine was appointed to a commission and promoted to J89256 Plt Off.
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.
Plt Off. Sonshine was one of the 500 PoWs who were too ill to travel and remained at the camp where they were looked after by medical staff. On the 6th February these PoWs were also evacuated and after a few days, they joined up with the East Compound PoWs at Stalag 13D at Nürnberg.
Between the 2nd and 12th April 1945 large numbers, including Plt Off. Sonshine were marched to Stalag 7A, Mooseburg and on the 29th April 1945 the camp was liberated by elements of the US 14th Armoured Division.
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, the PoWs were divided up according to compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages and dispersed to a number of different locations and camps
Plt Off. Guilfoyle and Sgt. Jordin joined PoWs from the North, East and remaining West compound PoWs and sent to the Marlag und Milag Nord PoW camp at Westertimke in Lower Saxony.
Marlag is an acronym for Marinelager (naval prisoner of war camp), Milag is short for Marine-Internierten-Lager (naval internment camp), and Nord is German for ‘north’.
On the 2nd April 1945 the Commandant announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of his guards, leaving only a small detachment behind to hand over the camp to Allied forces, who were already in Bremen.
However, that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. Records show that Plt Off. Guilfoyle was listed as being on this forced march. It is not known if Sgt. Jordin was on the forced march as the list is incomplete. The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed.
Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. Finally the Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), who was later killed in a strafing attack by RAF aircraft, offered the Germans the PoW’s parole, in return for being allowed to rest during the day and march at night. The Germans agreed.
On the 9th April 1945 the guards at Marlag-Milag moved out and were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm. Meanwhile, the column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April.
On the 27th April the camps were liberated by elements of the British Guards Armoured Division.
The next day, the 28th April, the column finally arrived at Lübeck on the Baltic coast. They were liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on the 1st May 1945.
Michael Alexander Guilfoyle was born on the 1st October 1920 in St. Andrews, Jamaica. He came to Britain on the 21st October 1941 as a Civil Servant with the Jamaican Government. He enlisted in the RAFVR shortly thereafter.
He relinquished his commission as a Fg Off. on the 12th January 1955.
Michael Alexander Guilfoyle joined the Jamaican National Airline ‘Air Jamaica’ and on the 2nd May 1966 he was a Captain on an all-Jamaican crew that took the first 'Sunjet' plane, carrying 102 passengers, into the skies together with Captain Herbert Steele and Captain John Purchas.
After he retired he emigrated to Australia in 1968 and died in May 2009 in Atherton, Queensland, Australia.
Joseph Sonshine was born on the 11th October 1920 in Toronto, Canada. He died on the 13th March 2005 in Toronto, Canada.
Douglas Foster Jordin was born on the 18th October 1924 in Latchford, Lancaster. He died on the 10th February 2010 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
(2) Sgt. Davies landed in a field somewhere SW of Paris, and as there was a lot of activity on the roads, he hid his parachute, mae west, and harness, and made off quickly in a South-Westerly direction. He walked for about an hour, rested in a field, and then continued walking for another 20 minutes.
Near Biévres, some 15 km (9½ mls) SW of the centre of Paris, he saw a girl picking cherries, approached her, and made his identity known. She went indoors to fetch her parents, and he was taken into the house and kept there until about 18:00 hrs. He was provided with food and allowed to rest, but was not given any civilian clothes. He was advised to try and make for the Allied lines near Caen, but he thought it would be impossible to cross the German lines, and instead headed south.
He walked until about 23:00 hrs and then slept in some woods. The next morning on the 29th June he continued in a south-westerly direction and eventually reached Dourdan a further 29 km (18 mls) to the SW. He had been provided with enough food to last 4 days by the helpers at Biévres, and he obtained an occasional drink of wine at farms along the way,
He made for the main road and decided to avoid asking for shelter. Instead he rested and slept in woods eventually reaching Orléans, a further 70 km (43¾ mls) south, on about the 1st July. He continued south and, probably on the 4th July after 20 km (12¼ mls), reached La Ferté-Saint-Aubin where he approached a man who took him to some patriots in the village. The patriots gave him clean socks and food. He left these people around mid-night and eventually reached a small farm near Neung-sur-Beuvron a further 21½ km (13¼ mls) south. Here he made his identity known to the occupants and was taken in for 2 days.
Whilst here he met a member of the Maquisards, (French Resistance fighters) who took him to meet some 20 other members in the woods. They told him of an RAF Sergeant, Bomb Aimer, called Pearce, Marlin, from Pontypridd, who had joined one of their groups some time back, asking him if he knew what had become of him.
Believed to be Sgt. Merlin Pearce 1313589 the Bomb Aimer from 10 Sqn, Halifax II JD368 lost on the 27th August 1943. (1 KiA, 1 PoW, 6 Evd). He was one the 6 who successfully evaded and returned to the UK on the 28th October 1943. He returned to operations and was KiA as 161468 Fg Off. whilst on a mission to Gelsenkirchen as the Bomb Aimer aboard 640 Sqn, Halifax III MZ912 (6 KiA, 1 PoW).
The leader of this group advised him to continue towards Romorantin-Lanthenay. some for 20¼ km (12½ mls) further south. He went around Romorantin-Lanthenay, and as the bridges over the Le Cher River to the south were guarded, he swam across.
He approached a farm somewhere north of Valencay where he was allowed to shelter in the granary. The next morning, which he thought was about the 7th July, he was given a bicycle. He cycled to Châteauroux, rode through the town and continued through Argenton-sur-Creuse, then took a turn towards Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire. About 8 km (5 mls) north of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire he approached a house in a very small village and asked for help, and from this point onward his journey was arranged.
Sgt. Davies returned to the UK, by aircraft, on the night of the 27th/28th July 1944.
There was one pick-up from Châteauroux in France on the night in question. This sortie was carried out by 161 Sqn, Hudson Mk I N7221 ‘MA-P’ flown by Wg Cdr. Boxer. The aircraft took off from RAF Tempsford at 21:48 hrs on ‘Op Teneriffe’. At 01:23 hrs 2 passengers and 10 packages were boarded. A further 4 passengers and 4 packages were taken aboard for the return journey. The aircraft return to base at 04:52 hrs.
Note: This was Wg Cdr. Alan Hunter Cachemaille Boxer DSO, DFC 41545 RAFO.
Above Lockheed Hudson Mark I, N7221 'MA-P' of 161 (Special Duties) Squadron RAF, making a low pass over the runway at Tempsford, Bedfordshire. In the background can be seen Handley Page Halifaxes parked at dispersals (Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum (IWM))
Hugh David Davies was born on the 2nd March 1925 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. He was a Fitter in Blackwood, Monmouthshire in Wales prior to enlisting in the RAFVR during March 1943. He died in 2017 Monmouthshire, Wales.
(3) After Flt Sgt. Stephen baled out and just before he touched the ground his parachute hit some high tension wiresand he was left hanging about 5 feet from the ground. He released himself and landed close to a wood south of Villebon-sur-Yvette, which is some 20 km (12 ½ mls) SW from the centre of Paris.
He went into the woods and buried his mae west and slept until morning He then started off and walked all day in a westerly direction, and slept in some woods when darkness fell.
On the morning of the 29th June he called at a house on the outskirts of Bures-sur-Yvette some 7 km (4½ mls) west of Villebon-sur-Yvette. The lady of the house took him in and gave him food.
He remained there until the until 27th August and then left heading for Chevreuse, some 9½ km (5¾ mls) further west, where he contacted US forces who sent him back to the UK.
He left from Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-14 at Amblie on the 28th August 1944 and landed at RAF Northolt the same day.
John Smith Johnston Stephen was born on the 19th January 1923. He was employed as a Telegraphist in Aberdeen prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 9th September 1941.
(4) WO. Yates baled out at 0300 hrs and landed near Orsay, some 21 km (13 mls) SSW of the centre of Paris.
After burying his parachute, harness and mae west in a ditch he started to walk to Paris but gave up due to injuries to his leg muscles and back sustained in the fall from the aircraft. He hid in a cornfield till the 29th June and then walked to Orsay, where he hid under a haystack in a field. He awoke to find French peasants standing over him and was given food and water. Later he received clothes and a note in English telling me to wait till dark. He was then interviewed by a Frenchman who gave him food and shelter and contacted the ‘organisation’.
Approximately one week later a member of a local Resistance group escorted him to Paris by the metro. He stayed there for five weeks until approximately the 9th July, when he was escorted to the Palais Royal gardens and met a member of the Resistance movement who took him to Vanves about 6 km (3¾ mls) SW of Paris. Whilst staying here he saw an RAF man shot by the Germans whilst descending by parachute. He found out later that his name was Sgt. Howell.
Believed to be Sgt. Ronald Frederick Howell 1875086 RAFVR who was the Rear Gunner from 640 Sqn Halifax III LW464 which was shot down on the 24th July 1944 and crashed near Clamart which is some 3 km (1¼ mls) SW of Vanves. (1 KiA, 5 PoW, 2 Evd)
On approximately the 15th August he was escorted back to Paris and stayed there until it was liberated. He returned to England on the 4th September 1944. He was interviewed on the 6th September.
WO. Yates was repatriated to Australia on the 25th October 1944 arriving in Brisbane on the 16th January 1945. He was transferred to the Reserve on the 20th July 1945.
Robert Edgar Yates was born on the 26th June 1923 in Melbourne, Victoria. He was a lathe operator before he enlisted in the RAAF in Melbourne on the 6th December 1941. He died in 2012 in Perth, West Australia.
(5) Sgt. Faircloth landed in a field somewhere SW of Paris and after walking about 100 yards hid his parachute, harness and mae west. He walked for about an hour in a south-westerly direction and then laid low until daylight. The next day, 28th June, he continued walking west, but about mid-day changed his mind and turned due east.
At about 18:00 hrs he saw a man working on a small allotment, approached him and identified himself. He had previously removed his battle dress jacket and was in shirt sleeves. He found that he was at Gif-sur-Yvette, some 23 km (14 mls) SW of the centre of Paris.
The man hid him in a hut and left him there. He returned an hour later with food and wine, some old overalls, and a coat. He remained in the hut for that night, the next day and night. During this time the man brought him food and some straw to sleep on from his sister-in-law's house, which was in the neighbourhood.
On the 30th June the man and his wife took him to Paris by train and to their own house. That day his host took one of his escape photographs and on the 1st July a police inspector turned up with an identity card for him and also a "carte de travail" (Work Permit). The inspector returned the next day with an unnamed young man, who brought him a ration card.
On the 5th July he was taken to the railway station at Gare de Lyon. His host bought him a ticket to Perpignan and at 21:00 hrs he boarded the train without any escort.
Perpignan is some 684 km (425 mls) to the south as the crow flies and just 25 km (15½ mls) from the Spanish frontier.
He was on this train for 5 days, which was routed via Nevers and Moulins. When the train reached Moulins at about mid-day on the 6th July, a German Officer and three NCOs boarded the train to inspect identity cards, fortunately Sgt. Faircloth’s identity card passed muster without any comment.
The train left Moulins at about 13:00 hrs and continued via Vichy and Clermont-Ferrand to Langeac, arriving there at 17:00 hrs on the 6th July. The train was held up until the 8th July and then continued via Alès.
On the way he was spoken to by a girl who, after some questioning, spotted him as being an Englishman. She was travelling with a member of the Maquis, The girl changed trains, but the man accompanied him on the train to Montpellier, Béziers and Narbonne.
The train arrived in Narbonne on the 10th July. His new unnamed helper took him to his house in Narbonne and provided him with a meal. He then returned him to the railway station he continued on to Perpignan on his own.
His host in Paris had given him the address of a hotel manager in Perpignan. He found the hotel and the manager passed him onto a cafe, who in turn passed him on to yet another cafe, but nobody could or would help him.
He decided to try to cross the Pyrénées on his own and on the 11th July walked inland towards Thuir, some 13 km (8 mls) to the SW of Perpignan. After having slept on the night of the 11th July in the woods, he turn south to a point between Le Boulou and Cérét, which is about 7¼ km (4½ mls) from the Spanish frontier.
Here he was approached by a man who asked him if he was English. Being hungry and thinking that he wanted to help him and after he replied "Yes" he was taken a house. The man disappeared and within 10 mins Sgt. Faircloth saw him returning, followed by two armed Germans. He immediately fled through the back door of the house and into some woods and hid. He watched as the Germans enter the house and then exit, and search the woods.
He turned SE and after sleeping somewhere near Cérét crossed the frontier on the 13th July. He then continued walking and passed west of La Junquera heading for Pont de Molins, some 12¼ km (7½ mls) south of the frontier. Here he was picked up by a party of Spanish militia on patrol.
He told them that he was a member of the RAF, and they took him to their headquarters, where he stayed the night of 13th July. The next day they escorted him to Figueras, where he was taken to the Fort (Castell de Sant Ferran) and after a brief interrogation he was imprisoned. He remained in prison until the evening of the 19th July, when he was rescued by the British Vice-Consul from Girona.
He stayed at a hotel in Girona, under parole, and on about the 20th July was taken to Barcelona. From there he was taken to Alhama where he stayed until the 28th July. Then to Madrid where he stayed until the 7th August, before crossing into Gibraltar. He left Gibraltar by air on the 9th August and arrived at RAF Tilstock, Whitchurch on the 10th August.
Leslie John Faircloth was born on the 27th October 1924 in Croydon, Surrey. Prior to enlisting in the RAFVR during March of 1943 he was a clerk in Surrey, England.. He died on the 19th November 2016 in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales.
Burial details:
None - all crew survived
Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Apr 2024).
Other sources listed belowRS 14.04.2024 - Initial upload
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