Operation: Aachen, Germany

Date: 24th/25th May 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 158 Squadron, 4 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Halifax III

Serial: LW118

Code: NP:X

Base: RAF Lissett, Yorkshire

Location: Oosterschelde, Holland

Pilot: Fg Off. Charles Cleveland 'Cleve' Price 130644 RAFVR Age 28. MiA (1)

Flt Eng: Plt Off. Bernard Oliver Baldwin 176493 RAFVR Age 22. MiA (2)

Nav: Plt Off. Eric Thome Heard 54037 RAF Age 24. MiA

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. James Eric Sidnell 53845 RAF Age 31. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. William Steane 1195607 RAFVR Age 22. MiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upper): Sgt. Sidney Jackson 1035003 RAFVR Age 22. MiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Horace John Walker 1873691 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Above left: Plt Off. Bernard Oliver Baldwin (courtesy Peter Farthing) Right: Sgt. Horace John Walker (courtesy John Jones)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Lissett, Yorkshire at 23:02 hrs together with over 440 aircraft to bomb the railway yards at Aachen - an important target as they were the main route between France and Germany.

Reports from Aachen state that the targets were hit, one being very badly damaged, however because of the unusually large formation for this type of target many bombs fell in the villages with 14,880 people bombed out of their homes. 259 people on the ground were killed with 120 seriously injured.

LW118 was claimed by Oblt. Alfons Köstler of Stab III./NJG2, his 18th Abschuss, over Tholen-OverFlakkee at 4.200 m. at 01:36 hrs. Also claimed by Flak of 3./lei. Flak Abt. 831 (Halifax Stavenisse 01:29 hrs). Victory was confirmed for Oblt. Köstler. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (12 May 1944 - 23 July 1944) Part 3 - Theo Boiten)

Oblt. Alfons Köstler was killed on the night of the 6th/7th January 1945 during landing in fog when his aircraft crashed into a farmhouse at Varel-Obenstrohe airfield. He was credited with 20 confirmed Abschüsse, 18 by night and 2 by day. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive - Biographies - Theo Boiten).

(1) Fg Off. Charles Cleveland 'Cleve' Price:

Fg Off. 'Cleve' Price with his wife Jean, left and Mother Amy, right. Photo from April 1944 (Courtesy of Paul Markham)

(2) Plt Off. Bernard Oliver Baldwin:

Burial details:

Fg Off. Charles Cleveland Price. Runnymede Memorialm, Panel 208. Born on the 9th December 1915 in Cambridge. Son of Joseph Frederick Price (died 1968) and Amy Dew Nash (died 1976) of Chepstow. Brother of Harold Frederick Price (died 1968), brother to half-sister Bessie Dew Nash (died 1927). Husband of Jean Patricia Reyne (died at Raffingora Rhodesia on the 28th of July 1992. Remarried to John Griffith Wilson in July 1946 (died 2002).

Plt Off. Bernard Oliver Baldwin. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 210. Son of Frank and Olive Helena Baldwin, brother to Harold of Apsley End, Hertfordshire, England.

Plt Off. Eric Thome Heard. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 211. Born on the 3rd July 1920 in West Mersea, Essex. Brother to Ewart Charles Heard (1916-1990) and son of Charles Ewart John and Winifred Bessie (née Divit) Heard of West Mersea, Essex, England.

Fg Off. James Eric Sidnell. Kamperland General Cemetery, Row VR. Grave 1. Grave Inscription: “TREASURED MEMORIES OF OUR DEAR ERIC. GOD KNOWS THE ACHING VOID. MUM, DAD AND FRANK”. Son of Thomas William and Jessie Sidnell of Torquay, Devon, England.

Flt Sgt. William Steane. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 222. Son of Herbert and Elizabeth (née Turner) Steane of Leicester, England.

Sgt. Sidney Jackson. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 232. Son of Sidney and Ellen Irene Jackson. Husband of Dorothy Jackson of St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.

Sgt. Horace John Walker. Bergen-op-Zoom War Cemetery, Grave 14.B.2. Born on the 29th August 1922 in Cambridge. Son of Albert Ernest Walker (died 1971) and Alice Annie Love (died 1974) Brother of Joan Everly Walker (died 1980), Beatrice Edna Walker (died 2010), Thelma May Walker (died 2009), Raymond George Walker and Albert James Walker. Husband of Audrey Hempsell (married in January 1944 in Doncaster - died 1976).

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) for relatives of the crew with thanks for great additional information and photographs to Peter Farthing - relative of Plt Off. Baldwin (Aug 2016). Thanks to Fiona Karlin for the date of birth details for Fg. Off. Price (Apr 2019). Thanks to John Jones for extensive information on Price and Walker (Feb 2023). Thanks to Paul Markham for the Photograph of Fg Off. Price and the next of kin details for Plt Off. Heard (Jul 2025).

Other sources listed below:

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