Operation: Photo reconnaissance

Date: 26th October 1940 (Saturday)

Unit: PRU (Coastal Command)

Type: Hudson I

Serial: N7301

Code: LY

Base: RAF Heston

Location: Wolphaartsdijk, Scheldt Estuary, Netherlands

Pilot: Fl/Lt. A.A. Rumsey 22246 RAF PoW No: 1286 Camp: L3 - Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria

Pilot 2: P/O. Charles George Broome 84688 (754483) RAFVR Age 22. Killed

Obs: Sgt. Eduard John Williams 640242 RAFVR PoW No: 345 Camp: 357 Stalag Kopernikus

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Ernest Phillips 552155 RAF PoW No: 741 Camp L4 - Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria (Also Stalag Luft 1 -Barth Vogelsang - west compound)

W/Op/Air/Gnr: LAC Alan Joseph Patrick Dixon 820009 RAFVR PoW No: 328 Camp: L6 - Stalag Luft Heydekrug

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Heston on a Photo reconnaissance operation to the Scheldt Estuary in Holland. Attacked by two Bf 109’s flown by Fw. Werner Gerhardt and Gefr. Streicher. The claim confirmed by Fw. Werner Gerhardt (1) of 10./NJG 1 Bf 109D at 13:56 hrs.

Warrant Officer Ronald Ernest Phillips (date and location unknown) (courtesy: Anthony Phillips)

In a report later submitted by Fl/Lt. Rumsay he wrote that all the crew baled out at between 200 and 600 ft. It seems that either the parachute of Sgt. Broome either failed to deploy sufficiently or that he drowned. His body was recovered some time later and provided with a full military funeral on the 4th November.

Fl/Lt. A.A. Rumsey promoted to W/Cdr. 01st October 1946. P/O. Charles Broome received his commission on the 24th August 1940.

(1) Fw. Werner Gerhardt was later killed on the 19th August 1942 off Dieppe.

Above: Hudson I N7301

The Lockheed Hudson was an American built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. The initial RAF order for 200 Hudsons far surpassed any previous order the company had received. The Hudson served throughout the war, mainly with Coastal Command but also in transport and training roles as well as delivering agents into occupied France. (information courtesy Wikipedia)

Burial details:

P/O. Charles George Broome. Flushing Northern Cemetery (Vlissingen). Row A. Joint grave 5. Son of Henry and Minnie Alice Broome, husband of Marjorie Alice Broome, of Borden, Kent, England. Grave inscription reads: ‘Always In My Heart Until We Meet Again.’ (Buried in same plot as 22 year old, F/O. Alastair John Oswald Jeffrey DFC. of Edinburgh, Scotland - pilot of 64 Squadron Spitfire I P9421, shot down off Dover on the 25th July 1940. Body recovered on 21st August off Holland.

Researched following contact with the son of Sgt. Ronald Phillips, Anthony, who contacted us in March 2016. Thanks again to Anthony for the photographs of his father. Also many thanks to Martien van Dijk from Wings To Victory database for some of the photographs used. For further details our thanks to the following sources shown below.

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