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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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190 Squadron
11/12.04.1944 190 Squadron Stirling IV LJ822 Flt Sgt. Peter Coudis

SOE (Special Operations Executive)

Date: 11/12th April 1944 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit No: 190 Squadron, 38 Group, Air Defence Great Britain/Fighter Command (ADGB)

Type: Stirling VI

Serial: LJ822

Code: D

Base: RAF Tarrant Rushton, Dorset

Location: Knighton Farm, Hampreston, near Wimborne, Dorset

Pilot: Flt Sgt. Peter Croudis 415239 RNZAF Age 24. KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. John Willie Mitchell 1591883 RAFVR Age 31. KiA

Nav: Flt Sgt. Douglas John Sampson 422571 RNZAF Age 24. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Leslie Ernest Ziersch 417690 RAAF Age 20. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Kenneth Stanley Nunn 418459 RAAF Age 20. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Fg Off. Robert Stewart Hadley J26622 RCAF Age 19. KiA

Above left to right: Flt Sgt. Sampson, Flt Sgt. Ziersch (from his Service Record), Flt Sgt. Nunn

REASON FOR LOSS:

Stirling LJ822 took off from RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire at 23:42 hrs on a special operation to drop supplies to Resistance fighters in France on the night of 11th/12th April 1944. On take-off the aircraft was seen to swing badly to starboard before climbing away.

The subsequent Court of Enquiry reported that the heavily loaded aircraft had started a turn at too low a speed, stalled and entered into a spin from which the pilot failed to recover.

At 23:49 hrs the aircraft dived into the ground and disintegrated when it exploded. The reason for the accident was not known and it was deemed that much further evidence would become available


Burial details:

Flt Sgt. Peter Croudis. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Collective grave 24. D. 9-11. Born during 1920 in Westport, Buller, New Zealand. Son of Ashley Bell and of Elizabeth (née Ryan) Croudis of Westport, Nelson. New Zealand.

This was his first operation, previously had 404 hrs flying experience with 35 of these solo on the Stirling.

Sgt. John Willie Mitchell. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Collective grave 24. D. 9-11. Grave Inscription: “DEARLY LOVED”. Born on the 14th June 1913 in Derbyshire. Son of George W. and Gertrude Mitchell. Husband of Marion (née Harwick) Mitchell of Heaton, Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

Flt Sgt. Douglas John Sampson. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Collective grave 24. D. 9-11. Son of Henry Dundas and of Alice Frances (née Clayton) Sampson of Ngaruawahia, Auckland, New Zealand.

Thought to be his first operation, [previously had 343 hrs flying experience.

Flt Sgt. Leslie Ernest Ziersch. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Collective grave 24. D. 9-11. Grave Inscription: "I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH". Born on the 8th December 1923 in Horsham, Victoria. Son of Ernest Ewald and Bertha Magdalene Ziersch of Eudunda, South Australia.

Flt Sgt. Kenneth Stanley Nunn. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Collective grave 24. D. 9-11. Grave Inscription: “HE ANSWERED HIS COUNTRY'S CALL. HIS DUTY NOBLY DONE”. Born on the 28th November 1923 in Snake Valley, Victoria. Son of Leslie and Maude Alice Nunn, of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

Fg Off. Robert Stewart Hadley. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Collective grave 24. D. 9-11. Grave Inscription: “HONOR THE BRAVE”. Born on the 13th April 1923 in Haliburton, Ontario. Son of Carl Hilton and Hazel May (née Ellis) Hadley of Point Edward, Ontario, Canada.

His brother L/Cpl. Donald Hilton Hadley B8555 served with the #3 Canadian Infantry Brigade Workshops overseas in the Mediterranean Forces.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs and dedicated to the families of the crew. Thanks to Nicholas Cowell for the image of Flt Sgt. Ziersch. Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered (Dec 2024).

Other sources listed below:

RS 30.12.2024 – Reviewed and updated with new information and photographs

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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