Mission: Hamburg, Germany

Date: 29/30th July 1943

Unit: No. 156 Squadron

Type: Lancaster lll

Serial: ED822

Code: GT-?

Base: RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire

Location: Heide, Germany

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Thomas Tudor Hall 1446090 RAFVR Age ? Killed (1)

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Henry James Earl 1804045 RAFVR Age ? Killed (2)

Nav: Fl/Sgt. Leonard John Johnson R/128381 RCAF Age 23. Killed (3)

Air/Bmr: F/O. Norman Manifold 50977 RAF Age 24. Killed (4)

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Thomas Sidney James 1385904 RAFVR Age ? Killed (5)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Reginald Stanley Fish 1288872 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. James Mayson Church R/114617 RCAF Age 25 Killed (6)

REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 21.59hrs from RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire for a raid on Hamburg. This raid involved 777 aircraft with 28 of them being lost.

It is possible that this aircraft was shot down by Maj. Gunther Radusch (7) of Stab II.NJG3 with combat taking place at about 00.25hrs. at 6,000 mtrs. It is thought ED822 crashed approximately 10km South East of Heide.

Much damage was caused to the surrounding town with the loss of many lives. A total of 2,318 tons of bombs being dropped in the residential areas of Wandsbek, Barmbek, Uhlenhorst and Winterhude

Map showing approx.crash area.

(7) Major Gunther Radusch was already a night fighter ace and at the time of this combat had been credited with 34. He survived the war with 66 victories. He died in Nordstrand, Schleswig-Holstein on July 29th 1988 of natural causes

Left: AC2 Leonard John Johnson. Right: Graduation Day, Regina 1942. Sgt. Leonard John Johnson front row 2nd right

Training in Saskatchewan 1942. This picture may have been taken at 12 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) Manitoba. Leonard J Johnson is 4th from the right 2nd row from the front. The names on the back of this photograph

Fl/Sgt. Leonard John Jonson and framed picture of his portrait and medals. Leonards niece Wendy Johnson-Pederson who shares Leonards birthday and Leonard's sister Mabel Johnson. (courtesy of Dallas and Wendy Pederson)

No. 156 Squadron Wellingtons arrived from Alconbury in 1942 and converted to Lancasters in January 1943.

1952 Memorial Cross Fl/Sgt. Johnson and the memorial headstone for Fl/Sgt. Johnson, Hamburg Cemetery.(Courtsey Dallas and Wendy Pederson) Family memorial headstone for Fl/Sgt. Church, Dilke Cemetery, Sarina, Canada (Courtesy Ron Isherwood)

Cenotaph at the Oungre Memorial Reginal Park, Saskatchewan, Canada. Fl/Sgt. Johnson. (courtsey of Dallas and Wendy Pederson) Wroxham, Norfolk Memorial Fl/Sgt. Hall (courtesy Moominpapa)

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Thomas Tudor Hall. Hamburg Cemetery. 5A. G. 3. No further details as yet. (1) Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Thomas Tudor Hall is also remembered on the Wroxham War Memorial

Sgt. Henry James Earl. Hamburg Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5A. J. 9-11A. (2) At one time the family were living at 50 Brading Road, Brighton. Henry was born in 1919 in Brighton, he was the third child born to Edwin and Elizabeth Earl. Henry had five brothers and five sisters. Sgt. Henry James Earl is also remembered on the Falmer War Memorial, Sussex

Fl/Sgt. Leonard John Johnson. Hamburg Cemetery. 5A. G. 2. Son of Rasmus and Karen Johnson of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Fl/Sgt. Leonard John Johnson was born on 5th February 1920 on a farm (SW-19-1-13-W2) in Southern Sask. The farm was 2.5 miles East and 7 miles South of Oungre in the Knoxville School District in the Rural Municipality of Souris Valley No. 7. Leonard was named after his uncle John Johnson. Leonard was the third child born to Rasmus and Karen Johnson. Leonard had two older sisters Ragna and Mabel. He also had two younger brothers, Herman and Robert. Leonard attended grade school at Knoxville. He attended High School in Oungre, Saskatchewan and a year of Bible School in Estevan, Saskatchewan and joined the Air Force as a Navigator. He received his training in Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He went overseas in 1942 and was reported missing on July 29th 1943 only two months after his fathers death. In 1958 his mother and sister Mabel Johnson had the privilege of visiting his grave-site at the British Cemetery in Hamburg, Germany

F/O. Norman Manifold. Hamburg Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5A. J. 9-11A. Son of Alfred Benjamin and Margaret Sophie Manifold of Liverpool. (4) It is thought that Norman had a brother Alfred and a sister Esther

Sgt. Thomas Sidney James. Hamburg Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5A. J. 9-11A. NoK details currently not available - are you able to assist completion of these and any other information?

Sgt. Reginald Stanley Fish. Hamburg Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5A. J. 9-11A. Son of Thomas and Eliza Fish of Bethnal Green, London

Fl/Sgt. James Mayson Church. Hamburg Cemetery. 5A. J. 15. Son of Charles Boyle and Ade Selina Church. (6) James (known as Mayson by the family) had two brothers Glen Francis and Arthur. James is also remembered in Dilke Cemetery, Sarina, Canada and Church Rapids in Saskatchewan is named after Fl/Sgt. Church

Researched by: Kate Tame for Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. With thanks to the following: Dallas Pederson and Wendy Johnson-Pederson and Mabel Johnson - relatives of Fl/Sgt. Johnson, Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses", Theo Boiten - "German Nightfighter War Diaries", Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - "Bomber Command War Diaries", the superb work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Ron Isherwood -Saskatchewan Cemeteries Project.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is owned or managed by Aircrew Remembered and should not be used without prior permission.
© Aircrew Remembered 2012 - 2025 Last Modified: 09 November 2016, 08:34