Operation: Stettin, Germany. (Seaport)

Date: 29th/30th August 1944 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit: 300 Squadron (Polish)

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: ED327

Coded: BH:R

Location: Baltic Sea

Pilot: Plt Off. Harry Lupton 179649 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Flt Eng: Sgt. John Bryce Hamilton 1825268 RAFVR Age 19. Killed

Nav: Flt Sgt. Kenneth James Jewell 1401468 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Donald John Kelsall Baron 1389866 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

WOp/Air Gnr: WO. Frederick William White 410758 RAAF Age 28. Killed

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Flt Sgt. Ivor Charles Vaughan 1389416 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Stanley Sutton Barnett 1584724 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

ED327 took off at 21:15 hrs from RAF Faldingworth, Lincolnshire.

ED327 was claimed as a probable by Oberfeldwebel (Flt Sgt). Schmitt, his 2nd Abschuss, from 3./NJG7, as a 4-mot 5-30 km West to South-West of Viborg at 2.500 m at 00:10 hrs. The aircraft was severely damaged in a Night Fighter attack over Jylland, presumed to have crashed in the Baltic. The victory for Ofw Schmitt was conformed on the 30th November 1944. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (24 July 1944 - 15 October 1944) Part 4 - Theo Boiten)

One of three 300 squadron lost on this 403 strong Lancaster force:

Lancaster I LL947 BH:W Flown by Fg Off. D.I.C. Jones RAFVR - interned in Sweden with all his crew.
Lancaster I PA163 BH:M Flown by Flt Lt. Wacław Piotr Wasik P-0840 PAF Evaded capture, remaining 6 Polish crew killed. (Flt Lt. Wasik died on the 31st October 2000 in California, USA)

Earlier, by an hour, 189 Lancasters also attacked - but their target was Königsberg. Very strict radar silence was enforced and aircraft were instructed to fly at a low level of below 2,000 ft for much of the North Sea crossing.

This foiled the German Night Fighters of any early warning and it wasn't until 23:15 hrs when the Königsberg force were already 25 miles over Denmark were the first plots of this force transmitted to the German Night Fighters.

38 Aircraft from these two attacks were lost - 23 from the Stettin raid and 15 from the Königsberg attack. The Lancaster force shot down 5 x Ju88 G-1's and 2 x Bf110 G4's in the combat area.

Above: Sgt. George Hamilton (Courtesy of Drew E. Stewart through Mr. George Hamilton Bell)

Russell Faille's parents met Sgt. Harry Lupton and a fellow airmen whist they were undertaking flying training in Montreal, Canada in 1941. Harry and his colleague were invited to the Faille family home in Massachusetts. After their week long stay Harry gave them a photograph of himself and thanked them for their kindness. (credit: Russell Faille)

Burial Details:

Plt Off. Harry Lupton. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 211. Son of Arthur and Mabel Constance, of Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England.

Sgt. Lupton was commissioned and promoted to acting Pilot Officer on probation (Emergency) on the 14th July 1944.

Sgt. John Bryce Hamilton. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 230. Born in 1925 in Scotland. Son of George and Isabella Clelland, of Kirkmuirhill, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Sgt. Donald John Kelsall Baron. Falkenberg Forest Cemetery Sec. III. 105. Inscription Reads: "GREATLY LOVED "PER ARDUA AD ASTRA"". Son of Dr. Alfred Edward and Constance Evelyn, of Hampstead, London, England.

Flt Sgt. Kenneth James Jewell. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 219. Son of Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Jewell, of Lipson, Plymouth, England.

WO. Frederick William White. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 259. Son of John Thomas and Florence May, husband of Freda, of Pensby, Cheshire, England.

Flt Sgt. Ivor Charles Vaughan. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 223. Son of Rees Henry and Anne, of Ilford, Essex, England.

Sgt. Stanley Sutton Barnett. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 224. Son of E.W.T. and Emily Mary, of Silverdale, Staffordshire, England.

Photo of memorial kindly supplied by Faldingworth memorial website. Thanks to Russell Faille for kindly providing the photograph of Sgt. Lupton (Sep 2018). Thanks to Ian Hamilton Brown, the 2nd cousin of Sgt. Hamilton for his age at the time of his loss (May 2021). Thanks to Drew W. Stewart for the photograph provided by George Hamilton Bell of his uncle Sgt. John B. Hamilton. (Feb 2022).

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