Archive Report: Allied Forces

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29/30.08.1944 No. 101 Squadron Lancaster III ME592 SR-D F/O. Gordon L. Piprell

Operation: Stettin, Germany

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

Unit: No. 101 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: ME592

Code: SR-D

Base: RAF Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire

Location: North East Ängelsholm

Pilot: F/O. Gordon Leslie Piprell J/86656 RCAF Age 22. Killed (1)

Fl/Eng: Sgt. John Alan Gibbon Brown 1591851 RAFVR Age 19. Killed

Nav: Sgt. James Charles Fawcett 1685718 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. Edgar William Cunningham R/165061 RCAF Interned, Sweden - released October 1944

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. William George Noel Heath 1582590 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Farrington 1389162 RAFVR Age 21. Killed (2)

Air/Gnr: P/O. Wilfred Herbert Howie J/92950 RCAF Age 19. Killed

Air/Gnr: P/O. Francis James Kendall J/92949 RCAF Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 21:25hrs from Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire on ABC duties to Stettin (2). Overall, the average age of the crew was 20.

This successful raid on Stettin involved 402 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito with a total loss of 23 Lancasters. Much damage was caused to the town and industrial premises of Stettin and the dockyard with a loss of 1,033 lives and with 1,034 people injured.

Lancaster ME592 was claimed to have been shot down by Fw. Gottfried Schneider of 1./NJG3 at 00:53 hrs. his 18th claim of the war - his final kill. He survived the war (Courtesy Kracker archives).

Fl/Sgt. Edgar Cunningham managed to bale out of the aircraft before it went down. He described that they were hit by a long burst of cannon fire, the pilot took evasive action but they were hit in the starboard wing which caused a fire. He put on his parachute awaiting the order to abandon the aircraft.

He heard nothing but then he heard an explosion from the wing and the aircraft went into a steep dive. Whilst trying to release the escape hatch he was dragged out by the slipstream. As he came down he could see he washer water but then the wind blew him over land and he fell heavily in a field of stubble. He was quickly picked up by the Swedish Home Guard.

101 Squadron Lancaster "Bombing up" (archives)

(1) Piprell Lake in Saskatchewan is named after F/O. Piprell

(2) Sgt. George Farrington was the specialist operator on this operation.

(3) ABC equipped Lancaster were equipped by an extra crew member, a Special Operator, whose job it was to identify and jam any VHF transmission presenting a threat to the bomber stream.

Burial details:

The Swedish authorities made a guard of honour and organised a regimental band from the Swedish P.2 Tank regiment. They also laid many wreaths for the crew.

F/O. Gordon Leslie Piprell. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 81. Born on the 04th November 1921 at Saskatchewan, Canada. Son of Charles Gordon Piprell and Dorothy Margaret Piprell of Borden, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Sgt. John Alan Gibbon Brown. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 70. Son of Elizabeth Mary Brown of Wolsingham, Co. Durham, England.

Sgt. James Charles Fawcett. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 72. Son of James and Emily Fawcett of Kendal, Westmorland, Cumbria, England.

Sgt. George Farrington. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 70. Son of George and Annie Elizabeth Farrington of Herne Hill, London, England.

Sgt. William George Noel Heath. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 71. Son of Frederick Harold and Lucy Eleanor Heath of Alvaston, Derby, England.

P/O. Wilfred Herbert Howie. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 71. Son of Herbert (died 21st November 1969, age 75) and Maud Howie (nee Finlayson - died 29th November 1971, age 73. Both parents buried Saint Mary's Anglican Cemetery, Nova Scotia) of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada.

P/O. Francis James Kendall. Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden. Sp. Mem. Sec. XV. 81. Born on the 26th February 1924 at British Columbia. Son of Thomas and Eleanor Jane Kendall of Deep Cove, British Columbia, Canada.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Kate Tame for relatives of this crew. Acknowledgments: Ms Carin Olofsson and her fine remembrance website for grave photographs. Kracker Archives. John Jones with new information and photographs of some of the crew and documents.

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