Operation: Chartres, France

Date: 15th August 1940 (Thursday)

Unit No: 40 Squadron, 2 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Blenheim IV

Serial: R3609

Code: BL:X

Base: RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire

Location: In a field located in Les Corvées-les-Yys, France

Pilot: Plt Off. George Parker 42523 RAF Age 19. PoW No. 1250 * (1)

Obs: Sgt. G.H. Easton MiD 751228 RAFVR Age? Evader (2)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Eric Watson MM 967923 RAFVR Age? Evader (3)

* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland. (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser, Bavaria).

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the evening of the 15th August 1940 at 21:05 hrs four Blenheims of 40 Sqn took off from RAF Wyton detailed to bomb the airfield at Chartres in France.

Above: 40 Squadron Blenheims running up engines at RAF Wyton (Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum)

They could not find target so they headed instead for the port of Le Havre but as Plt Off. Parker turned on the new course, about 30 mins or so before midnight, the aircraft’s ailerons failed. Unable to control the aircraft Plt Off. Parker ordered their bombs and flares to be jettisoned and for the crew to bale out.

The aircraft crashed in a field near Les Corvées-les-Yys, France

The escape and evasion of Sgt. Watson, Sgt. Easton and the capture of Parker is summarised in the recommendations for awards for Sgt Easton (Ser 2) and Sgt Watson (Ser 3) below.

(1) After Plt off. Parker was captured at Chateaudun, France on the 23rd August 1940

He was transferred to Oflag 9A/H, Hauptlager Schloss Spangenberg (Spangenberg Castle - Main Camp) located in the small town of Spangenberg in NE Hesse, Prussia and remained there until March 1941.

Plt Off. Parker was promoted to Fg Off. with effect 1st February 1941. The camp was closed in February 1941 and reopened in July 1941. Fg Off. Parker was amongst the PoWs transferred to Stalag 20A at Thorn/Toruń in Poland. In July 1941 he returned to Oflag 9A/H.

In October 1941 he was transferred Oflag 6B, which was located SW of the village of Dössel (now part of Warburg) in northwestern Germany. Whilst here he was promoted to Flt Lt. with effect 1st February 1942.

In September 1942 the British PoWs were transferred to Stalag 21B located at Szubin located a few miles southwest of Bydgoszcz, Poland and were replaced by Polish PoWs

In April 1943 the camp was cleared of all PoWs and he was amongst those who were sent to Stalag Luft 3, in Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland. Records show that he was in the East Compound.

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.

At first the groups of men were marching in close columns some 200 m. in length, which over the hours stretched to some 2 km. At the rear of the columns PoWs too exhausted to walk were on tractors with trailers and horse carts.

The marching columns passed through Iłowa, Borowe, Gozdnica, Przewóz, Potok, Łęknica, Bad Muskau, Kromlau, Graustein and to Spremberg which was a distance of some 93½ km (58 mls).

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.

The North, East and remaining West compound PoWs were sent either to Stalag 8D at Nürnberg on the 2nd February or to Marlag und Milag Nord, Westertimke in Lower Saxony. Flt Lt. Parker was amongst those who was sent to Marlag und Milag Nord.

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. The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed.

It is not known whether Flt Lt. Parker was marched out of the camp or whether he was amongst those that were known to have hidden in the camp or in the surrounding woods.

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. Flt Lt. Parker was interviewed on the 3rd May 1945.

George Parker was born on the 18th December 1920 in Southport, Lancashire. He enlisted in the RAF on the 22nd June 1939. No further information found.

(2) Sgt. Easton caught pneumonia in March 1941 whilst in Gibraltar and returned to Glasgow on the 12th July 1941.

Sgt. Easton was Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 11th June 1942.

The recommendation for his award of being awarded Mention in Despatches reads as follows:

“Sergeant Easton was observer of a Blenheim which crashed on an operational flight owing to engine trouble near Chartres on August 15th, 1940, The aircraft blew up on touching the ground and was completely destroyed. Sergeant Easton eventually joined up with Sergeant Watson, Air Gunner of the aircraft, and Pilot Officer Parker (pilot of the aircraft) and they succeeded in crossing the line of demarcation on September 3rd. On one occasion they were fired at. Eventually Sergeant Watson and Sergeant Easton lost touch with Pilot Officer Parker, but after numerous adventures and persistent efforts were able to reach Spain, where they spent 7 weeks in concentration camps before being repatriated. Both these sergeants showed skill and determination in their escape and did not fall into German hands”.

(3) Flt Sgt. Watson arrived in Liverpool on the 4th December 1940.

Sgt. Watson was awarded the Military Medal (MM) which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 7th March 1941.

The recommendation by the Secretary of State for Air for the Military Medal (MM) reads as follows:

“Sergeant Watson was the air gunner of an aircraft which the crew of three abandoned by parachute while over enemy territory. Sergeant Watson landed in a wood and made his way to a farm where he stayed the night. The following morning the owner of the farm sent him to the Maire of the village who re-united the crew. With the aid of two road maps and two air force compasses they made off avoiding all large towns and villages. On the sixth night, when fired at, the three made a dash to cover but this was the last Sergeant Watson saw of his pilot. Sergeant Watson and his companion (the Observer) crossed the river Loire in a boat and made for Cher. On reaching the line of demarcation a friendly farmer guided them through the German entry lines and gave them two motor inner tubes. Sergeant Watson then towed his companion, who could not swim, across the river fully clothed. With the help of another Friendly farmer and two French officers they reached Chateauroux and met two British soldiers. Hearing a rumour that two more British soldiers had just arrived and had been put into prison Sergeant Watson and his three comrades took a train to Toulouse. They met a Red Cross worker who went in search of help for them but she was unsuccessful. They then made their way to the Spanish frontier meeting two other British soldiers on the way. The party proceeded to the frontier in pairs; the last pair, the observer of Sergeant Watson’s aircraft and a soldier, were stopped by French Gendarmes and detained. Sergeant Watson and his colleague joined the other pair the next day at Port Vendres, and the four searched for a boat in which to sail to Gibraltar but were unsuccessful. With one of the soldiers Sergeant Watson set out for the Spanish frontier on foot aided by a map of a path across the frontier, drawn for them by a Frenchman. They were later arrested by Spanish authorities and were detained in different prisons for over seven weeks. Sergeant Watson ultimately succeeded in reaching this country from Gibraltar in the 4th December 1940”.

Flt Sgt. Watson was appointed to a commission and promoted to 111327 Plt Off. on the 7th November 1941 (London Gazette 23rd December 1941).

He was promoted to Fg Off. with effect 1st October 1942 (London Gazette 12th January 1942). Promoted to Flt Lt. with effect 7th November 1943 (London Gazette 19th November 1943).

He resigned his commission on the 1st December 1946, retaining the rank of Flt Lt. (London Gazette 14th January 1947).

Burial Details

None – The crew Survived

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the crew and their families. (Oct 2024)

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