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Operation: Emden, Germany
Date: 26/27th April 1941 (Saturday/Sunday)
Unit: No. 9 Squadron
Type: Wellington IC
Serial: R1281
Code: WS-?
Base: RAF Honington, Suffolk
Location: Ommen, Holland
Pilot: Sgt. Ronald Gustave Damman. 400051. RAAF. Age 27. PoW No. 592. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft VIIIB - Lamsdorf, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug, Stalag 357 - Kopernikus, Poland (1)
2nd Pilot: Sgt. Richard M. Trundle. 745529. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 615. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft III - Sagan (2)
Nav: Sgt. D. B. Reid. 910503. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 610. Camp: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft III - Sagan
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. R. R. (Mac) MacKenzie Graham. 619759. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 598. Camp: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft VIIIB - Lamsdorf, Stalag Luft III - Sagan, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug, Stalag 357 - Kopernikus, Poland
Air/Gnr: Sgt. B. S. (Jake) Jacobs. 908595. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 602. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug, Stalag 357 - Kopernikus, Poland
Air/Gnr: Sgt. B. W. Channing. 906225. RAFVR. Age? PoW No. 589. Camps: Stalag Luft I - Barth, Stalag Luft III - Sagan, Stalag Luft VI - Heyderkrug
If you have any further information on the loss of this aircraft, crew, their relatives and friends than please contact us via the "add info" button at the top of this page
1941 Refuelling a Wellington Bomber (courtesy of Australian War Memorial) and a Wellington IC of No. 9 Squadron (courtesy Imperial War Memorial)
REASON FOR LOSS:
Sgt. R. G. Damman and crew took off from RAF Honington in Wellington R1281 at 20.44hrs for an operation on Emden, Germany. This was Sgt. Damman first flight as the Pilot of the aircraft. One of two aircraft from the Squadron on this operation to Emden that evening. At 02.23hrs the aircraft "obtained a third class fix from Hull which put it just South of Emden and the word "lost" was sent from the aircraft" The aircraft at this time would have only had just over an hours fuel left and a message was sent stating to fly at a low boost and to head for the nearest point on the English coast. This message was not acknowledged and nothing further was heard from the aircraft. The aircraft may have run out of fuel and crash landed or been hit by flak.
A German High Command communique was received and claimed that on the night of 26/27th April 1941 they had captured a Wellington aircraft crew in Holland
Stalag Luft III - Sagan (courtesy of Imperial War Museum)and Stalag Luft VIIIB - Lamsdorf (courtesy Australian War Memorial)
Above left: Remarkable photo showing Sgt. Ronald Damman in the 'cooler' after an escape attempt. Right, after receiving his wings.
Stalag Luft III - Sagan. Books were sent out by the British Red Cross for the prisoners (picture courtesy Australian War Memorial)
(1) Ronald (Ron) Gustave Damman was born on the 7th September 1913 in Warburton, Victoria, Australia. Educated at Ivanhoe Grammar School and later worked at his uncle's tobacconists. Enlisted on the 29th April 1940 and completed
(2) Sgt. Richard Trundle had flown with Fl/Lt. John Talbot Lovell Shore (see Wellington R1335) on seven operations in February and March 1941
Researched by: Kate Tame Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. With special thanks to Commonwealth War Graves Commission, National Archives Air 27/126 and 131, Air 20/2336, Oliver Clutton-Brock - Footprints on the Sands of Time, W R Chorley - Bomber Command Losses 1941, Victor F. Gammon - No Time for Fear, Australian National Archives, Australian War Memorial, Trove Newspaper Archives, Imperial War Museum, Gordon Thorburn - Bombers First and Last.
For further detailed accounts we recommend the following publications. No Time for Fear by Victor F Gammon ISBN 1 85409 490 4. Bombers First and Last by Gordon Thorburn ISBN 10: 1 86105 946 9 ISBN 13: 9 781861 059468
KTY - 21.02.2017 Page updated
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Last Modified: 13 March 2021, 19:52