Archive Report: Allied Forces

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14.10.1944 No. 625 Squadron Lancaster I LL956 CF-Q F/O. Lloyd Albert Hannah

Operation: Duisberg

Date: 14th October 1944 (Saturday)

Unit: No. 625 Squadron

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: LL956

Code: CF-Q

Base: RAF Kelsterrn

Location: Between Fotherby and Little Grimsby

Pilot: P/O. Lloyd Albert Hannah J/87007 RCAF Age 26. Killed (1)

Pilot 2: Sgt. D.R. Paige R/174406 RCAF Safe

Fl/Eng: Sgt. R.B. Bennett 3050216 RAFVR Safe

Nav: Fl/Sgt. K. Roy Strachan R/160305 RCAF Safe

Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. Lloyd Douglas Bennett R/188356 RCAF Age 26. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. J. Bilan R/172682 RCAF Safe

Air/Gnr: Sgt. K.J. McCrorie R/265605 RCAF Safe

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Jack H. Loughran R/217337 RCAF Safe

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Page researched by David Langner and compiled by Jack Albrecht with Nic Lewis for Aircrew Remembered

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REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 03rd August 1944 P/O. L.H. Hannah and his crew arrived at RAF Kelstern from 11 Base. They included Sgt. G. Maynard, flight engineer, Sgt. T.M. Baird, air bomber, Fl/Sgt. K.R. Strachan, navigator, Sgt. J. Soule, wireless operator, Sgt. G.E. Way, mid upper gunner, and Sgt. J.H. Loughran, rear gunner.

Left: F/O. Lloyd Albert Hannah

After adjusting to squadron life and training flights to assess their fitness for ops they participated on their first mission to Raimbert on the 31st August 1944. For the next eight trips they gelled as a team to French targets and one to Frankfurt. Their ninth sortie to Frederick Hendrick [ed. note. Fortress Frederick Hendrick was the site of a German gun battery on the Scheldt Estuary near Breskens] was abortive and all bombs were brought back to Base.

By the time of his tenth op P/O. Hannah was considered sufficiently battle hardened to take a rookie pilot and his crew on a ‘second dickie’ trip on a maximum effort show to Duisburg. For this raid P/O. Hannah would depend on his navigator, Fl/Sgt. Strachan and rear gunner, Fl/Sgt. Loughran to keep him on track and the night fighters off his tail. For Sgt. Paige and his crew this would be a most memorable and insightful op. The rest of the crew as shown above - a crew of eight.

31 aircraft were detailed to attack the target, but one of the aircraft - “Q” , Captain and Pilot, P/O. Hannah and the Bomb Aimer, Fl/Sgt. Bennett - crashed just after take off and both of them were killed, the remaining six members baling out safely. From wheels up to impact - just 6 minutes! A period of great anxiety all of this time resting on the shoulders of the pilot to make the right decisions. The 30 remaining aircraft went on and bombed the target fairly accurately in spite of intense flak.

LL956 CF-Q Regular crew L-R: Fl/Sgt. J. Strachan, Sgt. J. Soule, P/O. L. Hannah, Sgt. J. Loughran, Fl/Sgt. J. Baird, Sgt. S. Way, and Sgt. G. Maynard.

Information provided by F/O. Hannah’s nephew, David Langner, adds to the tragedy of this loss. This includes accounts of the events from the rear gunner, Fl/Sgt. Loughran and F/O. Hannah’s brother, Harold, who was also lost on operations at a later date.

Harold related that LL956 had been grounded the previous week due to higher than normal operating temperature in the engine that caught on fire and that as a result of the Duisburg raid being a maximum effort the allowable temperature for this aircraft to participate was increased to include LL956 on the Battle Order.

Lancasters at dispersal RAF Kelstern

The accounts of Jack Loughran and Harold, are essential to understanding the sequence of events as they unfolded:

27/10/44
"Dear Mrs. Hannah (Lloyd’s widow)
I was the rear gunner in Lloyd’s crew and was with him the morning of the fateful accident. I think it best that I should tell you some of the facts of the crash, so that you will understand, as do we, what a hero Lloyd was.
We were taking off on our thirteenth trip, to Duisburg, when the starboard inner engine caught fire. It was only due to expert skill and with the help of God’s hand that he even got her off the ground. The fire got out of control and the skipper ordered us to abandon ship. There was no panic and we were out of the aircraft in a matter of seconds but even at that there wasn’t a chance for Lloyd. The aircraft blew up and crashed to the ground.
There was just the navigator and myself of Lloyd’s crew on board and the rest of the positions were being manned by another crew on their first operational sortie. The rest of the crew thought the world of Lloyd, and for myself, I lost the best friend a fellow could have in the Air Force.
I met Harold and Gladys at the funeral but as yet have not had time to have a long talk. They gave Lloyd an all Canadian funeral. There were lots of flowers, and I managed to take a few pictures of the grave which I will send as soon as they are developed.
I have found it very hard to write this and I am deeply sorry that I can’t do more than offer my most heartfelt sympathies and to remember you and Lloyd in my prayers.
I will say good-night for now and may God bless you.
Yours Sincerely, J. Loughran"

19/10/44
"Dear Mother, I’ve been trying for hours to think what I should put in the letter, but I don’t suppose I would ever say the right thing.
By this time you’ll know that Lloyd was killed on the 14th, so I’ll try and give some of the details.
He was taking off on a raid at six o’clock on Saturday morning, and when he was about ready to lift the Lancaster off the runway one of the motors caught fire, he did the only thing he could have done and got off the ground and immediately tried to put the fire out. This proved impossible and so he climbed as best he could on three engines, and he managed to get to about 800 feet and he told his crew to bale out, and he held the airplane level, but before he could get out himself one of the gas tanks blew up, and the airplane went straight into the ground, and all the bombs exploded and blew a hole in the ground about sixty feet across. He wasn’t excited at all, and by his coolness, and by quick thinking he saved the lives of six men. The seventh got out but didn’t get his parachute to open.
I didn’t know anything about it and went on leave to visit him on Monday morning. After getting the details I went to Harrogate where he was buried on Wednesday morning, October 18th, at 11 a.m.
Gladys and I, Bert Ormson and Elmer Hannah were there. It’s a beautiful cemetery, and is being fixed up by the Canadian government. The air force took some photos and there were some private ones taken, and I’ll see that you get them right away.
At present I am in London finishing my leave with Gladys.Please don’t feel too badly Mother, if he had to die he died one of the best deaths a man could, and by his sacrifice and by doing practically the impossible, he saved the lives of six men. My one ambition is to be half the man he was.
Love, Harold". (Lloyd’s younger brother)

An eyewitness account by an air raid warden describes how the pilot manoeuvred his crippled Lancaster to avoid hitting the villages of Fotherby or Little Grimsby. LL956 crashed in a field midway between the two. The impact and secondary explosion from the fuel and bomb load blew the windows out of nearby farm and greenhouses, and scattered debris. It is incredible that no civilian lives were lost and symbolic that the crash site is still marked by a pond that is visible on Google Earth. Out of respect the farmer has not filled it in and it has been a habitat for carp and a rogue pike.

The townsfolk of Fotherby and Little Grimsby were so moved by the devotion and sacrifice of this crew that they dedicated a memorial plaque to express their gratitude. It is a affixed to St. Edith’s Anglican Church in Little Grimsby. It does not detract from the intent but the crew positions of the wireless operator and mid upper gunner are reversed. It notes that the pilot and air bomber “gave their lives”.

This tragic event would have a lasting impression on their squadron mates participating in this Duisburg raid - the first of two that day! LL956 was tenth in the take off sequence, starting her take off roll at 06:28, 17 minutes after Sq/Ldr. Hamilton in LM691 lifted off to join the bomber stream. During the ground run, past the point of no return P/O. Hannah was confronted with every bomber pilot’s nightmare - an engine fire, at maximum gross take off weight of fuel and bombs, and facing rising terrain. The crews already departed were quite likely ignorant of his plight unless observed by vigilant gunners. The three crews that took off next would have had a ringside seat as the tragedy unfolded. The twenty crews taxying around the airfield perimeter to position for take off had no choice but to watch as their unknown squadron mates struggled with a futile situation, as parachutes blossomed and LL956 was consumed by a terrific explosion. Amongst the captive spectators was F/O. David Mattingley and his crew, awaiting the green flare from flight control to get the show on the road. In his book, Battle Order 204, he recounts how their crew was mesmerised by the vision of a Lancaster crippled by an engine alight, struggling to return to Base, the relief of five parachutes, followed by a terrific explosion. This indelible vision was imprinted for life. Who would be next?

Right: Rear L-R: Jack Loughran "Junior", Lloyd "Skip" Hannah, Roy "Strack" Strachan. Front: Stanley "Baldy" Way, Jack "Doc" Soule, Tom "Pappy" Baird (notations on the reverse by Lloyd Hannah)

It is difficult to explain the death of the air bomber, Fl/Sgt. Bennett. His position as a member of the crew would make him responsible for removing the forward escape hatch to facilitate the bale out for the forward six members of the crew. The rear entry door would be the escape route for the two gunners. Fl/Sgt. Bennett should have been the first to leave through the nose hatch. If so his parachute failed to deploy due to faulty packing or his inability to pull the rip cord. However, there is another explanation that is just as plausible. After releasing the hatch, he assisted the other members in their escape and then stuck his head into the cockpit just to the right of P/O. Hannah’s feet and asked if he could help his pilot. It is noteworthy that they shared nationality, age and christian names. Fighting to control a mortally wounded bomber with his life unravelling before his eyes it is quite likely that he exhorted: ”Lloyd, GO NOW!” We will never know but by now the altitude for a safe bale out was lost in their slipstream.

The exhausted crews returning to Kelstern were in for a rude awakening. Twenty-four of them were on the days Battle Order for the next op: Target Duisburg! After a brief nap, giving the ground crews time to refuel and bomb up their trusty steeds they would do it all again. Of the 29 crews despatched to attack Duisberg, all returned to Base. Fortunately P/O. Hannah and Fl/Sgt. Bennett would be the only casualties from this double op day to the same German target.

Left: Fl/Sgt. Lloyd Douglas Bennett.

The Burial Return for R/188356 Fl/Sgt. Bennett at the Harrogate, Yorkshire Stonefall Cemetery states Means of I.D: By features and signet ring. There was no burial return completed for P/O. L.A. Hannah.

P/O. Hannah was married. His widow would not remarry until in her eighties. It took her that long to find a man who could fill Lloyd’s shoes. Fl/Sgt. Bennett was a graduate pharmacist. He would never put his education to use. Their headstone inscriptions are most fitting.

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(1) On the 27th January 1945 Lloyd Hannah would be joined by his younger brother, Harold, several rows back. The Second World War was a very costly and devastating affair for Allan and Mary Hannah of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.

His brother, F/O. Harold Allan Hannah died from injuries received on the 03rd November 1944. Flying with 405 Squadron Lancaster III PB413 LQ-K on return from an operation to Dusseldorf.

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Above: Funeral of F/O. Lloyd Albert Hannah - 18th October 1944.

BURIAL DETAILS

F/O. Lloyd Albert Hannah. Harrogate Cemetery (Stonefall). Sec. G. Row A. Grave 11. Son of Allan and Mary Hannah, of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada and husband of Margaret Lorene Hannah, of Tuxford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Grave inscription reads: "Greater Love Hath No Man Than This: He Gave His Life That We Might Live".

Hannah Lake in Saskatchewan is named after F/O Lloyd Hannah and his brother F/O Harold Hannah in 1950.

Photos courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada, CVWM

Fl/Sgt. Lloyd Douglas Bennett. Harrogate Cemetery (Stonefall). Sec. G. Row A. Grave 12. Son of Frank and Sadie Bennett, of Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. Grave inscription reads: "Greater Love Hath No Man Than This".

Lloyd was born in St. Thomas, Ontario and attended Myrtle Street Public School and the St.Thomas Collegiate Institute (STCI). Both of these schools have now long been demolished to make way for housing. However, the successor to STCI, Central Elgin Collegiate Institute, held a Commemorative Service of Dedication of the Book of Remembrance for the ex-students of STCI in 1961 which includes the name of Lloyd Bennett.

Upon graduation from STCI, he enrolled at the University of Toronto where he gained his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 1942. After working for a short time at L.R. Liggett & Co., Druggists, he enlisted in August that year in Toronto. While he was at the U of T Lloyd was an avid sportsman and played on a variety of teams.

Photos courtesy Torontonensis Yearbook 1942 via Veterans Affairs Canada, CVWM

Selected for training as an Air Bomber he was posted to No.7 Bombing & Gunnery School, Paulson, Manitoba, and then to No.1 Central Navigation School at Rivers, Manitoba where he attained his Air Bomber badge on 10 December 1943.
After a four-week survival course at No.4 AGTS, Valleyfield, PQ designed to train aircrew should they be shot down over enemy territory, Lloyd embarked for the UK on 5 March 1944.
Posted to No.2 (O) AFU at RAF Millom and then to 30 OTU at RAF Hixom for training on heavy bombers, joining 625 Squadron on 28 September 1944.

Above and left: Crash site of LL956 seventy years after the event- a natural shrine preserved in memory of the violent deaths of the aircrew of Bomber Command. Of the seventy-four Lancasters and crews lost by 625 Squadron, fifty-five met violent traumatic ends or were lost without a trace. Of these less than a handful crashed to earth in England.

This explains why the citizens of Occupied European countries have great compassion and memorialise these brave brave young men. There is no reason to suspect that the aircrew of the other Squadrons of Bomber Command would have experienced different outcomes. It is quite likely that the Squadrons operating with Wellingtons, Stirlings and Halifaxes would have suffered even higher losses.

David Langner and Sally Bishop have provided the photographs of crew, burial and commemorative plaque as well as input to localise the Google Earth crash site and crash site photos. The photograph of F/S Bennett courtesy of Library and Archives Canada/Ancestry.ca - 625 Squadron Aircrew and Graveside Photos and Documents- F/S Lloyd Douglas Bennett, R188356, p.93 RG24 24839/ May 2017.

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Decoration suggestions submitted by Jack Albrecht:

P/O. L.A. Hannah - Victoria Cross for gallantry “in the presence of the enemy”, eye witness accounts by crew, Squadron mates and citizens of Fotherby and Little Grimsby.* Fl/Sgt. D.B. Bennett - Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for an act or acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy, eye witness accounts by crew, Squadron mates and citizens of Fotherby and Little Grimsby. (It should be noted that P/O. Hannah was promoted to F/O. posthumously) *- notable VC exceptions: G/C Leonard Cheshire and P/O Andrew Mynarski.

For 2nd Pilot D.R. Paige, Sgt's. R.B. Bennett and McRorie this would be an invaluable dress rehearsal for the 23rd February 1945 raid on Pforzheim, Loss # 66 - PB815. This loss was due to friendly fire, struck by incendiaries from above. The wireless operator, Fl/Sgt. J. Bettany, a member of the RAFVR, was awarded the CGM for his actions in extinguishing numerous fuselage fires. However, when a wing fire threatened an adjacent fuel tank the crew was forced to bale out. They all survived, the only injury being a sprained ankle by the navigator. There is no doubt that the spirit of P/O. Lloyd Hannah was with them as they floated to earth. For three members of this crew this adventure would make them Honorary Members of the Caterpillar Club - extremely rare for Bomber Command aircrew with most of them getting one kick at the cat to become PoWs or evaders in Occupied Europe. P/O. Paige was prudent to fly westward to reach the friendly side of the battle line. They would be soon back to Base and in their warm beds. The exception was the navigator in a hospital bed nursing a sick ankle.
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/paige-d-r.html

ADDENDUM

75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION, LITTLE GRIMSBY

On October 14, 2019 the citizens of Little Grimsby commemorated the 75th anniversary of the loss of 625 Squadron’s Lancaster LL956, “Q” Queenie, with the tragic deaths of F/O Lloyd Hannah RCAF, a veteran pilot and F/Sgt. Lloyd Bennett RCAF, bomb aimer on his first operational flight. This accident resulted from an engine fire beyond the abort point of the take-off run. The remainder of the crew, including Sgt. D.R. Paige RCAF on his ‘second dickie’ trip, parachuted to safety.

The ceremony was planned and organized by Barbara Chester, church warden of St. Edith’s, Little Grimsby. Sally Bishop, the daughter of eyewitness Tony Bywater, had liaised with David Langner, F/O Hannah’s nephew, for over a decade. She had mailed him memento fragments of LL956 and notified him of the pending ceremony. Her hospitality was overwhelming. Sally and her husband, Al, took Dave and a friend on a tour of the remains of RAF Kelstern and the ancient church in the village, where the airmen of 625 Squadron worshipped — topped off with dinner!

This event was attended by representatives of Little Grimsby, the Hannah family, 625 Squadron Association (Nic Lewis), RAF Association, RCAF Association, eyewitness Tony Bywater and the press, including BBC. The formal ceremony was held in St. Edith’s church and followed by a wreath and poppy ceremony at the symbolic crater site of LL956’s tragic demise.

Order of Service to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Lancaster Bomber Air Crash at Little Grimsby on 14th October 1944

Monday 14th October 2019

2 PM

Message from the Churchwardens of St Edith, Little Grimsby

Welcome to the parish church of St Edith, Little Grimsby.

We welcome you to this special service as we mark the 75th anniversary of the Lancaster Bomber Air Crash with a Canadian crew in Little Grimsby on 14th October 1944.

We express our thanks to all those who have supported the planning and organisation of this service, today and especially Mr Mike Brader for providing access to the crash site and preparing the land for today's service.

As we mark this anniversary today, residents of Fotherby will also be laying a wreath in remembrance at the 625 Squadron Memorial Stone in Kelstern from where 'Q' Queenie set flight.

Wreaths will also be laid by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the graves of Lloyd Albert Hannah and Lloyd Douglas Bennett in Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate.

Following the flypast of Typhoon aircraft from RAF Coningsby, we do hope you will join us for refreshments at St Mary's Church, Fotherby. Please follow the sign to the church from the end of Little Grimsby Lane and park in the village.

Barbara Chester and Judith Hunter

Greetings by the Rural Dean of Louthesk Deanery,

Reverend Nick Brown

Hymn (Praise, my soul, the King of heaven)

Ensigns of the Grimsby and Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea Royal Air Force Associations will be received at the Altar.

Bidding Prayer

We gather together today to remember those who gave their life and those who gave service on 14 October 1944 as the Canadian crew flew on the Lancaster Bomber 'Q' Queenie from Kelstern and over these villages of Fotherby and Little Grimsby.

The roll call and service is as great today as then and today we pray for all those who continue to serve in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force (formerly known as Air Command).

God of earth and sea and sky, to whom all creation owes its being, and in whose service our work takes wing; pour down on all as we remember those who served on 'Q' Queenie and those who gave their own life. Today we continue to pray for those who strive tirelessly for peace and justice, who serve with faithfulness and courage through the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Reflection of 14 October 1944

(Tony Bywater)

'High Flight' by John Gillespie Magee (a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force who served at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire and lost his own life in 1941) read by Group Captain Mark Flewin, Commanding Officer, RAF Coningsby

Hymn (Guide me, O thou great redeemer)

Reading

(Psalm 139, verses 1-12 read by Mr David Langner, nephew of Lloyd Albert Hannah)

Address by Reverend Nick Brown

Prayers of Intercession led by Mr David Margarson

Let us pray

Heavenly Father, who appears on the wings of the wind, we give our heartfelt thanks for the dedication and life given of Pilot Flying Officer, Lloyd Albert Hannah and Bomb Aimer, Flight Sergeant Lloyd Douglas Bennett. For the crew who served on 'Q' Queenie that October day. For the selfless giving of themselves in the service of those they served. As we honour their memory seventy-five years later, give us we pray the gifts to be worthy successors, that their memories will live on in the commitment and dedication of those who serve today. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God and Father of all, whose wisdom is unsearchable; hear our prayer which we offer for all who have served and who continue to serve today in the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Bless, we pray, those who have supported and upheld them and for the families, particularly at times of loss and for those who await anxiously, their safe return. Amen.

Everlasting God, creator of the ends of the earth, in whose will is our peace, we pray that this generation and generations to come, find humility to wait upon thee, the wisdom to know what is true and the courage to do what is right. Turn our hearts and the hearts of all, to thyself, that by the power of your Spirit, the peace which is founded on righteousness may be established throughout the whole world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We gather our prayers together, by saying... (Lord's Prayer)

Hymn the Airman's Hymn, Anonymous (O Ruler of the earth and sky)

During this hymn, a collection will be taken

The Blessing.

National Anthem

The order of service included a copy of the telegram sent to Lloyd's wife, a photo of Lloyd Hannah, and a photo of Lloyd Bennett.

The BBC report on the commemorative ceremony in Little Grimsby via YouTube is here.

A private video of the ceremony, including the recollection of Tony Bywater ( aged 14 on the day of the crash) via YouTube is here.

Submission: David Langner, Nic Lewis, Roy Wilcock and Jack Albrecht.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
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